Daily Dose of Social Media: Raducanu celebrates birthday as Sinner takes a football break during ATP Finals

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Jannik Sinner enjoyed his day off having fun on a football field, while Emma Raducanu celebrated her birthday today as she prepares for the Billie Jean King Cup.

Meanwhile, the stars of the ATP Finals answered the question of what they would name their own Italian restaurant, and Ash Barty surprised over 50 juniors with a surprise visit in Australia.  

Emma Raducanu celebrated her 22nd birthday while preparing for her debut in the Billie Jean King Cup. The former world No. 10 shared a series of photos from her past year, both on and off the court, as well as a video where she received a birthday cake from the tournament organizers. The British No. 2 was gifted a photo of Team Great Britain from their last victory over France back in April, along with birthday greetings from her colleagues Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff.

Although Raducanu had dealt with physical issues in her last appearance two months ago, following a foot injury that forced her to retire during her match against Daria Kasatkina at the Korea Open, she seems to be fully recovered and is expected to take the court in Malaga on November 15th, facing Eva Lys in the first match of the series against Germany.

“22☺️ thank you for all the birthday wishes,” Raducanu posted. “I’m so grateful for all my friends too (who I couldn’t all add here) for pouring extra love into today and being there through all♥️ big s/o to my team for making it a special day out here 🫶”

The ATP Finals players chose names for an Italian restaurant. With the eight players of the draw present, including Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, and Fritz, all responded to the “quick question” after being approached while walking.

“You open an Italian restaurant, what do you name it?” asked Carlos Alcaraz at the start of the video while walking through the halls of the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy. “Trattoria de Carlitos,” decided the 4-time Grand Slam champion. “The Sinnester” was Alexander Zverev’s response, in reference to the local and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

The tournament is gearing up for the last Round Robin matches, with no players yet qualified but with Sinner and Zverev leading their respective groups. Between November 14th and 15th, the four semifinalists will be decided once the results of the Ilie Nastase Group and John Newcombe Group are complete.

Jannik Sinner enjoys his day off playing football with his team. The world No. 1 started off strong at the ATP Finals, securing wins against Alex De Minaur and Taylor Fritz, both in straight sets, while waiting for his final Round Robin match against Daniil Medvedev. The Russian arrives with hopes of a victory to advance to the semifinals, although he has appeared uncomfortable in the conditions in Turin.

The Ilie Nastase Group, which includes Sinner and Medvedev, had the day off on Wednesday, while the John Newcombe Group, featuring Alcaraz and Zverev, played their second Round Robin matches. The break for Sinner was the perfect opportunity to take a little distraction from tennis, and he was seen playing football with his team in a video posted on his Instagram stories.

Former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty visited Edge Hill Tennis Club and interacted with over 50 local juniors in an event organized by the Ash Barty Foundation. The 3-time Grand Slam champion announced the launch of her foundation earlier this year to support tennis for children, and she has been active in making appearances to hit balls and advise young juniors aspiring to be tennis players.

“Great to get back up to Cairns and make a surprise visit to Edge Hill Tennis Club,” the 2022 Australian Open champion wrote on Instagram. “Was very proud to also announce a special donation from the Ash Barty Foundation of racquets, nets, balls, and squeegees to the 8 clubs in the region. Local clubs are the heart of our sport, so it’s important to recognise and support where we can! 🎾💜”

Danielle Collins shared a video of her preparation for the Billie Jean King Cup with Team USA. The world No. 11 will be the team's main player, as recent WTA Finals participants Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will not be part of the squad, and she is preparing to face Slovakia.

‘Danimal’ is training at a high level for her first appearance in over two months, following her loss to Olivia Gadecki in the Guadalajara Open debut. Although Collins had been considering retiring at the end of the season, she ultimately decided to extend her career and announced she would continue playing in the 2025 season after a stellar year on the Tour, which included winning her first WTA 1000 title at the Miami Open.

“So excited to get to work tomorrow against Slovakia🎾 @billiejeankingcup,” she posted. “These weeks of getting to represent my country and team USA are so special. There’s nothing more fun than getting to share these memories with my girls ❤️🤍💙🇺🇸 #worldcupoftennis #billiejeankingcup #teamusa”

Alex de Minaur received his own 'Social Award,' as the ATP surprised the participants of the ATP Finals with unusual award categories. The Australian won the 'Couple Goal Award,' referring to his girlfriend, Katie Boulter, who had the best season of her career with titles at the WTA 500 San Diego Open and WTA 250 Nottingham Open, allowing her to finish as world No. 27.

On the other hand, de Minaur is ranked world No. 9 and won titles at the ATP 500 Acapulco Open and ATP 250 s'Hertogenbosch. Interestingly, both he and Boulter won their titles in the same week. "This is a dream come true," de Minaur said when he received the small trophy. "Honestly, at the start of the year, I had a talk with Katie and I sat her down, I was like 'we need to take this more seriously, because we need to win this award,'" joked the 25-year-old player.