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.
Read also
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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