Daily Dose of Social Media: Raducanu and Stephens grace Seoul Players Party, Alcaraz’s ‘naughtiest thing’ uncovered

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Carlos Alcaraz shared an interview with his brother Álvaro, revealing the ‘naughtiest thing’ that the world No. 3 has done.

Novak Djokovic showcased his language skills in a new video, dancing and singing in Bulgarian, while asking Grigor Dimitrov for his opinion. Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu, Sloane Stephens, and Beatriz Haddad Maia shone at the players' party in Seoul, as Mirra Andreeva selected two legends for her ‘dream doubles team’.

Novak Djokovic shared a new video on his TikTok, where he sings and dances to a song in Bulgarian. The current world No. 6 had a strong performance over the weekend with Team Serbia in the Davis Cup, defeating Greece and advancing to the tournament qualifiers. Djokovic will next compete on the Tour at the Shanghai Masters starting September 30.

The Serbian appeared to have fun while following the lyrics of the song from his phone, once again showcasing his talent with languages. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also captioned the video mentioning his colleague Grigor Dimitrov, asking him to assess his singing skills and the new language he adds to his multilingual abilities: “Heading to Sofia, ready to perform 😆. Grigor do you approve?? #tennis #bulgaria #vocals”

Andrey Rublev and Frances Tiafoe shared a relaxed joint interview. The American humorously revealed his pre-match ritual: "I definitely gotta take a number two for every match," he laughed. "Then I gotta listen to the same song before every match. Right now it’s Kendrick (Lamar), ‘Not Like Us’."

On the other hand, the Russian mentioned that, in contrast, he doesn’t listen to music before matches: "I tried it in the past, and I felt I wasn’t in the right mindset. It’s all personal; it’s whatever works for you."

Rublev and Tiafoe demonstrated their great relationship off the court. Their rivalry on the Tour favors the American 3-1, with Tiafoe winning their most recent encounter at the DC Open in early August, as well as two victories at the US Open (2021 and 2022). Rublev's win came at the 2022 Indian Wells.

Several WTA stars attended the Seoul Players Party ahead of the WTA 500 Korea Open. The tournament will feature an interesting draw despite several last-minute absences, including Emma Raducanu, Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova, and Amanda Anisimova.

Some of the players attended the players' party, including former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, Sloane Stephens, and Brazilian star Beatriz Haddad Maia. The tournament has already concluded its first day with the opening four matches of the first round, including victories for Heather Watson and Veronika Kudermetova.

A photo shared on social media shows for first time the Arena for the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The picture reveals a futsal court (which will be adapted for tennis), but what's more striking is the size of the stadium, as it seems part of the audience will be quite far from the court. This is the first time the Finals will be held in Riyadh, so there are no clear indications of how the space will be adapted for the players.

So far, only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have qualified. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova (10th) is practically guaranteed a spot despite not being in the top 8, as Grand Slam champions only need to finish the year in the top 20 to qualify.

Currently, other players in the qualification zone include Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, and the American contingent of Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Emma Navarro. The tournament will be held from November 2nd, featuring the season's top 8 players.

Carlos Alcaraz gave a fun interview with his brother Álvaro Alcaraz. Both tried to show how well they know each other by answering questions such as their brother’s favorite food or social media platform.

Álvaro answered the question about "the naughtiest thing that Carlitos did" and recalled a funny childhood anecdote: “We were at our grandpa’s house one day when my parents were away, and we couldn’t think of anything else to do,” he began. “My grandma had made popcorn and we threw it at my grandpa. (He said) stop now, but we carried on throwing it at him until he got up, took off his belt, and we had to go and hide under the bed, as Carlitos was in the wardrobe.”

Mirra Andreeva had fun picking out her new Topps Chrome Tennis cards. The collectible cards are now on sale for fans, and Andreeva promoted them while choosing her favorite WTA players for her own collection.

The teenager got a card of her sister, Erika Andreeva, and then selected from a deck of cards the American players Madison Keys and Venus Williams. The world No. 23 also chose her dream doubles team, featuring two legendary Grand Slam champions: her compatriot Maria Sharapova and Switzerland's Martina Hingis. You can check out the rest of Andreeva's picks in the video shared by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).

Iga Swiatek congratulated her compatriot Magdalena Frech after she conquered her first WTA title in Guadalajara. The world No. 1 closely followed the achievement of her 26-year-old compatriot, who this weekend claimed her first WTA title, and not just any title, but a WTA 500.

Frech had her best week in Guadalajara, defeating Olivia Gadecki in the final, which allowed her to break into the top 40 for the first time in her career. Mexican tournaments seem to suit Polish players well, as just a year ago in Cancun, Swiatek claimed the title at the WTA Finals.

The 5-time Grand Slam champion took to social media to congratulate Frech on her new achievement, as she became the 4th Polish female player to win a title this century, joining Magda Linette, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Swiatek herself.

Tommy Paul updated fans on his recent days enjoying Florida's city life. The world No. 13 made his last appearance on the Tour at the US Open, where he reached the fourth round but lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

Paul was expected to arrive in Berlin this week to play in the Laver Cup, but he became a last-minute withdrawal from Team World, along with Alex De Minaur, both due to injury. They were replaced by Francisco Cerundolo and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

This gives Paul a few extra days off before returning to competition on September 23 in Tokyo. In his last days in the US, the 27-year-old player enjoyed sailing along the Florida coast.

Former world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit shared on social media the birth of her first child. The Estonian player retired a year ago after Wimbledon due to a chronic back injury that prevented her from competing at the highest level, ending her career at just 27 years old.

In May of this year, Kontaveit announced that she was expecting her first child with her partner, Estonian footballer Brent Lepistu. This time, the former tennis player shared a photo a week after the birth of her son and received congratulations from several of her colleagues, including Ons Jabeur, Sabine Lisicki, and Shelby Rogers.

“First week with our Leon Enzo Lepistu ❤️ So much love 🥰”