Daily Dose of Social Media: Rybakina and Alcaraz gear up for comebacks, Baez shares heartwarming moment with young fan

In today’s Daily Dose of Social Media, we spotlight key moments and entertainment from ATP and WTA stars. Elena Rybakina and Carlos Alcaraz were featured in recent training videos, showcasing their preparation for the Cincinnati Open as they make their return to hardcourts after several months.

As the Cincinnati Open kicks off, Sebastián Báez captured hearts with a touching moment involving a young fan following his hard-fought win against Marcos Giron. Meanwhile, Jelena Ostapenko and Reilly Opelka took part in a fun duckpin bowling video in downtown Cincinnati. Also, Raducanu reacted to Amanda Anisimova's emotional post after losing in the final of the Canadian Open

Rybakina's intense training in Cincinnati ahead of her comeback

Elena Rybakina has struggled with physical issues throughout the season. The Kazakh recently withdrew from the Olympic Games and then from the Canadian Open due to acute bronchitis: "Despite my best efforts to recover in time, my current health condition does not allow me to compete at the level required,” she stated after confirming her withdrawal from Toronto.

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The world No. 4 is preparing to play her first tournament since her semifinal defeat at Wimbledon against the eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. Rybakina will debut this Thursday at the Cincinnati Open and awaits the winner of the match between Leylah Fernandez (No. 27) and Yue Yuan (No. 40). Meanwhile, a user on social media shared a video of Rybakina’s recent practice session in Cincinnati.

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Baez greets young fan after dramatic Cincinnati victory

Sebastian Baez (No. 20) created emotional scenes after securing his victory in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. The Argentine defeated Marcos Giron (No. 45) in a tough battle, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(6). During the match, Baez was supported by a devoted young fan amidst a crowd overwhelmingly cheering for the local player, Giron.

After clinching the win in the third-set tiebreak, the South American quickly ran to meet the boy, hugged him, and gave him his wristband: “What a moment. There was a kid cheering like crazy for Seba Báez, and the Argentine went to greet him when the match ended. Talisman.”

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Qué momentazo. Hubo un nene alentando como loco a Seba Báez y el argentino lo fue a saludar cuando terminó el partido. Talismán.

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The intensity of Alcaraz's training

Everything seems set for Carlos Alcaraz's debut as he finally returns to the hard courts for the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard is preparing for his debut after getting a bye in the first round as the second seed. This will be his first tournament after winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games.

On social media, Tennis Channel shared a close-up video of Alcaraz’s practice on Tuesday in Cincinnati. The 4-time Grand Slam champion was seen training at a very high pace in the “blockbuster practice." Alcaraz will debut against the winner of the match between Gael Monfils and the recent Canadian Open champion, Alexei Popyrin.

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Kyrgios and Bublik reflect on Djokovic encounters

Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik reminisced about their encounters with Novak Djokovic in a conversation shared by the Ultimate Tennis Showdown's social media account. During their chat with Patrick Mouratoglou, Bublik recalled his only match against the 24-time Grand Slam champion: “The problem with Novak, I played him only once, but I was watching a lot of his matches. Every time there is a break point or something close to it, he plays… you just can’t ace him. He knows where you serve,” Bublik said.

“I played him in Davis Cup, semis I think or quarters we played, so it was one of the deciding matches. And then it was like 4-all, 3-all, and every time he’s 30-all, he is everywhere. I serve down the T’s, the best serve slice, and then it’s not just he’s only there. It’s just insane,” Bublik added.

On the other hand, Mouratoglou asked Kyrgios if he felt he could have performed better in the 2022 Wimbledon final, where he lost in four sets to Djokovic. The Australian responded that he was content with his performance and simply couldn’t have done much more: “I don’t think I could have done much more, like I played pretty solid. I played a bad tiebreak in the fourth set, but, I mean, I got broken down 40-love in the third set. It’s f#ing ridiculous,” Kyrgios commented.

Ostapenko, Opelka, and Skupski show off their duckpin bowling skills

Jelena Ostapenko, Reilly Opelka, and Neal Skupski participated in a fun video where they went duckpin bowling in downtown Cincinnati. In the video, the ATP and WTA stars competed by knocking down duckpins in the American city during the start of the Cincinnati Open.

"I brought my own ball here. You know, I came prepared, brought my own bowling ball and everything. I’ve been training pretty hard, so it’s nice to have a little bit of relaxation. This is perfect," commented Opelka while they were playing. "It’s pretty cool actually, I never played it, so it’s something new, and I think it’s a lot of fun to do some kind of activities like this," added Jelena Ostapenko.

You can watch the video shared on the tournament's social media:

Raducanu reacts to Anisimova's reflection

Amanda Anisimova, who lost in the Canadian Open final to Jessica Pegula, had a standout week, marking her first WTA 1000 final. Despite not clinching the title, the American’s performance propelled her more than 80 spots into the top 50, proving she’s ready to compete at the highest level again.

The 22-year-old shared an emotional message on social media following her week in Toronto: “So many emotions this week… thank you all for the immense amount of love and support, it’s been so touching! Love you all, and I hope to be back soon. THANK YOU TORONTO,” Anisimova captioned, alongside several photos from the Canadian event. 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu responded to the post with three heart emojis.“❤️❤️❤️killa”

Petkovic’s favorite Olympic moment: Siniakova and Machac’s gold medal romance

Andrea Petkovic chose her favorite moment from the Olympic Games in a clip shared by Tennis Channel. The former German tennis player was delighted with Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac winning the gold medal together. The Czech duo had been in a relationship since 2021 and announced their breakup shortly before the start of Paris 2024.

However, they managed to have a great tournament and win the first gold for Czech tennis: “I loved it. It was my favorite moment,” she began. “They played in the first round (against) Alexander Zverev and Laura Siegemund, so we did that match for German TV, and they were in the best communication I’ve ever seen,” said Andrea Petkovic. “And we knew they were broken up, ‘This is really amazing how well they are communicating with each other and how in harmony they seem to be.”

Once the pair secured the gold, they celebrated by sharing a kiss on the court. In the press room, journalists directly asked if they had gotten back together, though both jokingly responded that it's a secret. “This is my favorite story of the Olympics, I think, and we have Novak Djokovic, who is maybe the most amazing story of all the Olympic Games,” said Petkovic. “I am a sucker for rom-coms, and this just caught my heart. More power to them, no matter what they decide to do. I love them together; I think they’re incredibly cute, whether that’s as friends or as lovers,” she concluded