Elena Rybakina yesterday at Dubai, during her training. Training for the WTA finals who takes place end of next week. 📸sadantennis.
Daily Dose of Social Media: Sabalenka jokes with Team, Raducanu "starting the engines" for Billie Jean King Cup
Tennis NewsFriday, 25 October 2024 at 08:05
Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Emma Raducanu returned to training as she hastens her recovery from a foot injury in preparation for the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup. Aryna Sabalenka shows off her sense of humour alongside her team in a fun Instagram video just days after reaching world No. 1.
Meanwhile, Grigor Dimitrov reacted to an interview from 9 years ago and reflected on his rivalry with Andy Murray, while Alexander Bublik opened up in an interview with 'Los Gonzalez', the children of doubles specialist Santiago Gonzalez, who are the new sensation on social media with their interviews on the Tour.
Aryna Sabalenka shares hilarious video with her Team
Aryna Sabalenka has not only stood out for her high level of tennis on the court, but she has also repeatedly shown her good humor off the court. The Belarusian reached the World No. 1 ranking this week, and there’s nothing but joy in her team after winning two Grand Slam titles in 2024 and reclaiming the top spot in the rankings just before the WTA Finals.
The 26-year-old shared a fun video with her team, featuring Andrei Vasilevski and Anton Dubrov. In the video, Sabalenka is seen following a trend while joking with her team. “The tiger clique,” she wrote.
Sabalenka’s next challenge will be the WTA Finals in Riyadh in two weeks, her last tournament of the season. She will arrive as the first seed and will have her first opportunity to finish the year as World No. 1 for the first time in her career, though she will need to be wary of Iga Swiatek, who still has a chance to reclaim the top spot.
Raducanu’s training continues despite injury
Emma Raducanu remains in training on the court after calling an early end to her season. The 2021 US Open champion retired during the Korea Open when she was playing in the quarterfinals against Daria Kasatkina (1-6, ret.). The former World No. 10 had the Hong Kong Open on her schedule next, but a foot injury forced her to withdraw from the tournament.
“I’m sorry to say that I will not be able to play in Hong Kong next week. Whilst my foot is making good progress, I need a little more time before I am match fit,” she said after confirming her withdrawal. Despite not feeling fit enough to compete at her highest level, Raducanu has not stopped training.
It is still unknown whether the World No. 55 will be ready to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup starting on November 15, where Britain will take on Germany. The winner will face current champions Canada in the quarterfinals. For now, Raducanu has no more tournaments scheduled in the coming weeks, and Seoul could have been her last tournament of the season depending on how her injury progresses. “A week of starting the engines,” she posted alongside a video of her training.
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Halloween fun at the ATP Tour
ATP stars took part in an exciting Halloween photoshoot while competing at the Vienna Open. The ATP’s social media shared the photoshoot where several players dressed in classic Halloween costumes, including stars like Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Draper, Flavio Cobolli, and more.
The tournament in Vienna has already reached the quarterfinals, featuring players like Alexander Zverev, Jack Draper, Alex De Minaur, and Matteo Berrettini. Vienna also marked the retirement of local hero Dominic Thiem earlier in the week after losing to young Italian Luciano Darderi.
“It’s almost Halloween, so you just know we had to get spooky 💀 But it’s 🫵 turn to trick or treat, which of these looks deserves the prize? 🎃,” the ATP Tour Instagram account posted. Check out the Halloween photoshoot below.
Dimitrov looks back on Murray battles
Grigor Dimitrov participated in an interview that revisited his answers from 9 years ago. The world No. 9 appeared in a flashback when, in 2015, he was asked about the player he found most difficult to face. "I think I always struggled against Andy (Murray). Early on, we played 3 or 4 times back to back. I think this is my number one pick," said Dimitrov at 24 years old.
Now, at 33 with much more experience, Dimitrov reflected on his earlier response and whether he still feels the same way. "Yeah, that was difficult for me, I remember at the time, but it's also because I played against him a lot more than some of the other guys back then," he commented. In total, they faced each other 13 times, with Murray winning 8 and Dimitrov 5. Of the 35 sets played, the Brit took 21, while the Bulgarian took 14
Alexander Bublik’s fun Q&A with 'Los Gonzalez'
Alexander Bublik responded to an interview by ‘Los Gonzalez,’ the children of doubles specialist Santiago Gonzalez, former world No. 7. Santiago's children, Camila and Matías, have gained popularity on social media for their frequent interviews with ATP and WTA Tour players while traveling with their father around the world.
This time, it was the Kazakh player's turn while participating in the Swiss Indoors in Basel. They asked Bublik about his favorite tournament, to which he responded with a smile, “Monte-Carlo Masters,” a surprising answer given that he has often expressed his dislike for playing clay court tournaments.
“What do you want to do when you’re not playing?” Matías Gonzalez asked. “I like to spend time with my family, play a lot on the computer, and hang out with my friends,” Bublik replied.
Unfortunately, Bublik had to retire mid-match against Botic Van de Zandschulp in the first round in Basel, leaving his participation in next week's Paris Masters in doubt. You can check out the rest of the interview here:
Rybakina trains for the WTA Finals
The world No. 5 has had an unfortunate season, where despite winning three titles and reaching two other finals, she was frequently unable to participate in tournaments and had to withdraw from others. Nevertheless, her strong results when she was on the court, especially in the first half of the year, have secured her a spot in the WTA Finals once again.
The Kazakh player recently parted ways with her long-time coach, Stefano Vukov. Renowned journalist Sonya Tartakova stated that Rybakina was under significant psychological stress from her coach, and mental health issues resulting from this are the reason behind her lack of consistency on the Tour throughout the season.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion last played at the US Open in late August, where she passed the first round but withdrew before her second-round match against Jessika Ponchet. Although there were doubts about whether she would play any more tournaments this season, Rybakina has ultimately decided to participate in the Finals and is training in Dubai before heading to Riyadh. A video on social media shows Rybakina’s training, though her new coach remains unknown.
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- Rybakina is back!!
mandoist21-12-2024 - She sems to have a turbulent relationship with The Truth. Not even smartenough to make an excuse like "I severely twisted my ankle yesterday" -- then be seen shopping in some city next day while "recuperating"!mandoist21-12-2024
- Why do you even publish this TwatCaster's PATHETIC stunt for attention? There's plenty of reasons why imbeciles like him are 'talking' and people like Iga Swiatek are 'walking the walk'. Tennisuptodate should be above this tripe.mandoist16-12-2024
- If and when Political Correctness and gullible hearts over-rule BIOLOGY, the Human world begins its already seeming decline.mandoist15-12-2024
- The new generation has arrived and these guys need to do it with the left overs.
AceOfBase13-12-2024 - Every young, inexperiend CEO has "better" ideas (and friends to hire).mandoist12-12-2024
- What a load of nonsense. Emotional stress definitely didn’t cause her wrist or ankle injuries.Lyca10-12-2024
- Taylor Fritz 🎾 – the surprising third for many. 🎄 A great Christmas tree quiz question! 🎅✨MrAndreeva10-12-2024
- Simona Halep taking the axe out 🪓😮💨MrAndreeva08-12-2024
- ITIA is literally a Secret Organization. Way past time for a neutral entity to oversee, if not guide, these Elitists within ITIA whom enjoy their ability to keep their "investigations" in a business as usual format behind closed doors!!mandoist08-12-2024
