Daily Dose of Social Media: Sinner, Zverev, Fonseca and more pick sides in ‘Gorilla vs. 100 Men’ trend

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, ATP stars joined the debate about whether 100 men can defeat a gorilla, which has been the subject of much conversation on social media. Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Joao Fonseca, and Felix Auger-Aliassime were among the notable players who had diverse opinions on the matter.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz had their first moments of preparation for the Rome Open, where they showed their usual joy and charisma while speaking with the media. On the other hand, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys reacted to Serena Williams' outfit at the recent Met Gala.

Jannik Sinner is the big star at the 2025 Rome Open, where he will make his return after a three-month suspension. The world No. 1 has received massive support from local fans after his difficult months away amidst his doping controversy. The 3-time Grand Slam champion returns to his home country after missing the 2024 edition of the Italian Open and will aim to show his level after a long time away from high-level competition.

Amidst his preparation for the start of the tournament, Sinner answered a round of questions and answers with Elena Hazinah: "1 minute of truth with Jannik Sinner," in which he commented on his particular superstition before stepping onto the court, as well as addressing comments about whether he is currently in a relationship or single.

ATP stars delved into the social media debate about whether a group of 100 men could defeat a gorilla in a fight. The players are preparing to compete at the Rome Open this week and, in the meantime, offered their answers to the question that has captured discussions on social media. "Can 100 men defeat a single gorilla in a battle?" was the question OverTime Tennis posed to the players.

Among those who unequivocally chose the gorilla were Jannik Sinner, Matteo Arnaldi, and Felix Auger-Aliassime: "Gorilla for sure, I think people underestimate like, the force of nature, like a gorilla," commented the Canadian.

Meanwhile, Arthur Fils, Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Zverev, and Frances Tiafoe were among those who asserted that the men would win: "100%, we only need 20 men," commented the young Frenchman. "As long as they're committed to the cause," mentioned Taylor Fritz.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived at his practice session this morning at the Rome Open, where he had his first training in pursuit of the title. The Spaniard arrives with a 6-0 streak on this clay swing, having won the Monte-Carlo Masters title by defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. The following week, he had to withdraw from the Madrid Open due to physical issues, but he is now in top physical condition to face the Italian Open, where he only has one previous participation back in 2023, falling in the second round to the surprising Fabian Marozsan.

Patrick Mouratoglou shared a video showing the full behind-the-scenes of Naomi Osaka before starting her warm-up and a typical training session. Osaka recently played in the final of the WTA 125 Saint-Malo, where she secured her first title on clay courts, defeating Slovakian Kaja Juvan in the final. Osaka is seen in her warm-up routine while preparing on the court, with resistance and flexibility exercises before picking up her racket and training technical aspects of her game.

The 4-time Grand Slam champion is starting to see results on the slow surface and arrives in Rome with good confidence, where she debuted with a victory against Sara Errani. The Japanese player awaits her second-round match this Thursday against Paula Badosa, who is making her return from injury to her first clay-court tournament of the year.

Coco Gauff and Madison Keys spoke about Serena Williams' latest look at the Met Gala, showering her with praise in another appearance of the former world No. 1 at one of the world's most prestigious fashion events. Early in her career, Williams became a fashion icon, and after her retirement, she remains connected to fashion, both at events and through some of the companies she invests in.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion wore a celestial blue dress and a new haircut, which were commented on by her fellow Grand Slam champions Gauff and Keys. Both, in addition to expressing their admiration for Serena,

Aryna Sabalenka shared the first photos of her arrival at the Rome Open, where she will seek to maintain her impeccable form after winning the Madrid Open title last week. The world No. 1 is enjoying perhaps the best moment of her career, significantly ahead of all her pursuers in the WTA Ranking, practically guaranteed at No. 1 for the next month, and with her 8th WTA 1000 title just days ago.

The 3-time Grand Slam champion seeks to achieve one of the titles she has not yet won in Rome, after falling in the semifinals in 2022 and in the final in 2024, against none other than Iga Swiatek. This time, Sabalenka appears as the favorite in the lead-up to the tournament, and with the positive attitude she shows upon arriving in Rome, it seems her confidence level is at its peak.

The Belarusian also experienced a peculiar moment in the press conference when one of the reporters told her about a fan's shouts during Jannik Sinner's training session. "Last night was the first training session for Jannik. And during the training, somebody from the crowd said to him, 'Jannik, you are as handsome as Sabalenka.' Did you know you were a point of reference of beauty for people in Italy?" Sabalenka responded laughingly, "I always felt connected to Italy honestly, so grazie mille, thank you."

A few days ago, Ons Jabeur responded to a young fan's call on social media, whose dream was to meet the Tunisian and who would be visiting Rome this week with the goal of meeting the former world No. 2. The Tunisian saw the message on social media a couple of days ago and quickly reposted the publication on her X account, asking the tournament organization to make the meeting with the young fan possible.

This Tuesday, after the 3-time Grand Slam runner-up's training session, she finally met the fan, with whom she spoke for a few minutes and to whom she gave autographs. The fan surprised with a peculiar shirt that was completely printed with photos of Jabeur's face, in a striking look. Jabeur herself took her fan's attire with grace, and they took some photos together in a great gesture from the 30-year-old Tunisian.