Daily Dose of Social Media: Michelsen hits spectator in frustration, Kyrgios and Shapovalov clap back

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most important activities and entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Alex Michelsen's tennis ball incident at the Winston Salem final caught the attention of social media, with Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov joining forces again to criticize the latest incident.

Meanwhile, ATP and WTA stars wrap up Fan Week and shared fun Q&A videos. Which players could make it to the Love Island cast? Why do they shout ‘come on’ instead of using their native languages? All that and more is answered by Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka and more.

Drama in Winston Salem: Michelsen’s Shot Hits Spectator

Alex Michelsen stole the spotlight in the final of the ATP 250 Winston Salem on Saturday night in the USA. The world No. 52 was facing Lorenzo Sonego (No. 58) in the last tournament before the US Open, but he wasn’t having a good performance. A volley error by Michelsen gave the Italian his second break of the first set, allowing him to lead comfortably by 4-0.

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The American then couldn’t contain his frustration and launched a ball into the stands, accidentally hitting a spectator. Although in other instances this has led to players being defaulted, the match continued as normal after Michelsen received a warning. The match umpire was Aurelie Tourte, the same one who disqualified Djokovic at the 2020 US Open for a similar incident when he accidentally hit a line judge. Watch the incident involving Michelsen here.

Tennis TV

@TennisTV

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That was very close 😬 #WSOpen

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José SC 🐦

@JocPSC

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Cuando lanzas la pelota hacia atrás y accidentalmente golpeas a alguien, sin tener ningún antecedente... Djokovic... Descalificado. Cuando tomas la pelota y la golpeas con toda la fuerza, hacia las gradas, golpeas a un espectador... Michelsen, solo una advertencia. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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Kyrgios and Shapovalov slam Michelsen’s incident

Reactions to Michelsen’s situation were swift in the tennis world. Not only did fans criticize Michelsen's reaction and the umpire’s decision, but Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov also shared their opinions on social media: “DEFAULT. My goodness, stop with these grey areas. PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES. Same same… gotta keep the sport fair for everyone,” the Aussie wrote.

“I love how they say rules are rules until they suddenly aren’t,” Shapovalov commented on X.

Just days ago, both Kyrgios and Shapovalov criticized the ITIA’s decision not to suspend Jannik Sinner and were outspoken on social media, despite facing criticism from some fans. This time, both again shared their opinions, undeterred by controversy, with Kyrgios highlighting that once more, he and Shapovalov led the criticism of a controversial incident: “I low key fuck with Shapo more and more. @denis_shapo us against the world lol - villain aura,” Kyrgios remarked.

Nicholas Kyrgios

@NickKyrgios

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DEFAULT. my goodness stop with these grey areas. PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES. same same… gotta keep the sport fair for everyone.

Tennis Channel

@TennisChannel

Should Michelsen have been defaulted after rifling a ball at a spectator in the stands? 🤔 The #TCLive crew thinks so ⬇️

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Denis Shapovalov

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I love how they say rules are rules until they suddenly aren’t

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Nicholas Kyrgios

@NickKyrgios

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I low key fuck with shapo more and more. @denis_shapo us against the world lol - villain aura

Denis Shapovalov

@denis_shapo

I love how they say rules are rules until they suddenly aren’t

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Agassi and Sinner share a court and coffee

Jannik Sinner and Andre Agassi faced off on the court in a new commercial. The American former World No. 1 joined the Italian in a video for one of Jannik Sinner's sponsors, "Lavazza," where they hit some balls and then enjoyed a coffee together.

“If you have to choose between an espresso or cappuccino, what do you choose?” Sinner asked Agassi. “I’ve got to start my day with, like, the double espresso. But then in the afternoon, you know, I may shift to actually cappuccinos,” Agassi replied.

“That’s not okay,” Sinner responded. “After lunchtime, there’s no more cappuccino. I have to teach you,” the current World No. 1 added.  Later, Agassi asked Sinner the main reason why he plays tennis, and the Italian responded: “It’s very easy. Passion and pleasure. I think that’s a great combination.”

The video was shared on Jannik Sinner’s and the US Open’s social media: “@janniksin vs @agassi: enjoy the pleasure of this unprecedented match, played on the Dolce Vita court with a very 'human' touch.”

Which player would make for a Love Island cast member?

On the last day before the start of the US Open, some tennis stars participated in a fun new video where they were asked, “Which players on the Tour would make for the best Love Island cast member?” Love Island is a dating reality show that started in the UK and now has an American version.

Players like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton, and more participated in the video.

“Nick is in a relationship, so I’m gonna go with a bachelor, so let’s go with Ben Shelton,” said defending champion Coco Gauff. “Well, somebody who’s handsome but also fun. Maybe Berrettini,” said World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

“Honestly, I think Stefanos Tsitsipas. He would drop some gems in there. There would be some good one-liners from Steff,” said local star Ben Shelton.

Jessica Pegula, Sebastian Korda, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Tommy Paul also took part in the video. Later in the same video, the players answered why they shout “come on” (in English) instead of saying it in their native language, sharing some interesting reflections. You can watch the video here: “WHAT PLAYER ON TOUR WOULD MAKE FOR THE BEST LOVE ISLAND CAST MEMBER?! 🎾❤️ @usopen”

Watch: Tennis stars get playful naming tennis balls in hilarious Video

The stars of the Tour named a tennis ball with a drawn face in a hilarious video. “I’m gonna name it Big Foe 2.0,” laughed former semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. “I’ll pick Jules,” responded Iga Swiatek while tossing a ball with a cowboy drawing. “Because he’s my manager, and he would make a good cowboy.”

“I will call him Third Round, because that is my best performance at the US Open so far,” commented Stefanos Tsitsipas. “And this is his reaction to me only having reached the third round so far.”

The video also featured Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, among others.

Djokovic flaunts Olympic gold Medal and new golden bag 

Novak Djokovic's gold medal from Paris 2024 was particularly special for the Serbian, adding to his illustrious career. The 24-time Grand Slam champion showcased his gold medal over the past few days at Flushing Meadows, posing for several photos and appearing at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the medal around his neck.

Not only that, Djokovic showed up for training today with a new gold bag celebrating his Olympic victory. Djokovic will debut on Monday in the night session to begin his defense of the US Open title won in 2023, facing Moldovan Radu Albot (No. 138).