Daily Dose of Social Media: Swiatek and Gauff reflect on life lessons as Murray snaps photo with ‘favorite athlete’ Alcaraz

In today’s Daily Dose of Social Media, we recap the latest from WTA and ATP Tour players with entertainment and top social media posts. An intriguing video features stars like Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Stefanos Tsitsipas sharing their thoughts on how tennis mirrors life.

As players fine-tune their preparations for the Olympic Games, Andy Murray has announced his retirement with a heartfelt photo alongside his ‘favourite athlete,’ Carlos Alcaraz. Additionally, veterans of the Paris 2024 draw, including Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori, who recently reunited with Gael Monfils, have shared updates on their preparations.

Murray gets a photo with his ‘Favourite Athlete’

Former world no. 1 Andy Murray is enjoying his final days as a professional tennis player while preparing for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Brit recently announced that this will be his last tournament, clearing up the uncertainty about his final appearance.

Off the court, the 3-time Grand Slam champion took the opportunity to snap a photo with his "favourite athlete," none other than Carlos Alcaraz. Both share the fact of being 2-time Wimbledon champions. The Spaniard responded to the photo on Instagram with a “Legend,” praising Murray.

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ATP and WTA Stars share life lessons from tennis

ATP and WTA stars participated in an intriguing new video from Tennis Channel discussing the similarities they see between tennis and life: “To me, there's no timeline. On the score in tennis, there's no time clock, so you can make a comeback at any moment. That just goes with life; no matter how old or young you are, you can do whatever you want,” says Coco Gauff at the start of the video.

3-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas spoke about the way one gains experience that can be useful in the challenges presented by both tennis and life: “You’re constantly learning, absorbing like a sponge, and it comes in and around… let’s say 9th to 10th grade, you’ve accumulated a lot of knowledge, and now you’re a veteran,” Tsitsipas said. “Your experience becomes a valuable asset for your future job,” he added.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek also shared her thoughts: “Tennis is pretty unpredictable, as life can be as well. During the match, a lot can happen, changes of momentum, ups and downs. The best thing you can do is to learn from your mistakes.”

The video includes other big stars of the Tour, such as Maria Sakkari, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Jasmine Paolini, Tommy Paul and Daria Kasatkina.

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Paris 2024 Olympic Games Men's Seeds Confirmed as Novak Djokovic leads Carlos Alcaraz

Sabalenka sparks online buzz with daily routine video 

One of the few players who chose not to compete in the Olympic Games continues to generate attention on social media. The 26-year-old Belarusian is preparing for the Washington Open, starting Monday, where she will be the top seed.

Sabalenka recently shared a video showcasing a day in her life, including her breakfast routine and training on the court. The Belarusian was seen taking a flight to the USA as she aims to regain ground in the WTA rankings after her early exit from Wimbledon a few weeks ago.

Evert reacts to Gauff and Eubanks' moving video

Team USA has announced its flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. In an Instagram post, it was revealed that basketball legend LeBron James and tennis star Coco Gauff will represent their country. The world No 2 will be one of the key figures at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Gauff will try to bring a medal back to the United States in women's tennis, whose last victory dates back to 2012, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in the final. In a video posted on social media, the moment Christopher Eubanks breaks the news to Gauff in front of the entire team that she will be the USA's standard bearer can be seen. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert reacted to the video on social media: ‘I cried!!!! So exciting and well deserved!’

Chris Evert

@ChrissieEvert

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I cried!!! So exciting and deserving!

Team USA

@TeamUSA

Opening Ceremony Flag Bearer @CocoGauff. 🇺🇸 The moment Coco got the news from her teammate @chris_eubanks96… 🫢 #ParisOlympics

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Paris 2024 Olympic Games Mixed Doubles Entry List confirmed headlined by Zverev/Siegemund, Gauff/Fritz and Tsitsipas/Sakkari

Mardy Fish jokes about Alcaraz's photo with Dutch field hockey team

Carlos Alcaraz has been one of the stars at the Olympic Village since his arrival. Athletes from around the world and various disciplines have seized the opportunity to snap photos with the 4-time Grand Slam champion.

An Instagram post highlights previous comments from Alcaraz, who has often expressed his desire to experience the Olympic Games. Mardy Fish shared the post on social media: “You ain’t sly Carlitos,” commented the former silver medallist, accompanied by a laughing emoji, while sharing a photo of Alcaraz with the Dutch field hockey team.

Occidental

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Carlos Alcaraz: I want to live in the Olympic Village because I want to live the experience The experience: (Carlitos, Carlitos...😈)

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Mardy Fish

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You ain’t sly Carlito! 🤣

Occidental

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Carlos Alcaraz: I want to live in the Olympic Village because I want to live the experience The experience: (Carlitos, Carlitos...😈)

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Wawrinka set for third Olympic appearance as the oldest player in the draw

Stan Wawrinka is gearing up for his third Olympic Games and will be the oldest player in the draw at 39 years old. The 2015 French Open champion returns to Roland Garros after receiving a wildcard as a gold medallist and Grand Slam champion.

Wawrinka won gold in doubles with Roger Federer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was also the Swiss flag bearer in 2012 but was eliminated in the first round. The former World No. 3 has shared several photos of his preparations for the tournament and will be the only Swiss male player in the draw, alongside World No. 74 Viktoria Golubic in the women’s competition.

Nishikori and Monfils reunite: A look back at their 2016 Rio Olympics epic

The ITF has shared a photo of former bronze medallist Kei Nishikori and French veteran Gael Monfils, two seasoned players in the main draw. The pair famously clashed in an epic quarter-final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, with Nishikori emerging victorious and advancing to the semi-finals.

Monfils achieved his best Olympic performance that year, while Nishikori, despite losing in the semi-finals to Andy Murray, managed to secure a bronze medal by defeating Rafael Nadal. Check out the photo of their reunion eight years after their memorable Olympic showdown.

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Nicolas Jarry: Last-minute seed and training with former Olympic champion

Nicolás Jarry has faced a challenging period recently. Following a standout performance at the Rome Open, where he reached the final but lost to Alexander Zverev, Jarry struggled with early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon. He also dealt with an ear issue that impacted his performance in recent months.

With the withdrawals of Sinner and Rune today, the Chilean has secured a seeded position, joining his compatriot Alejandro Tabilo. A video on social media shows Jarry, who will be his country’s flagbearer, training with two-time Olympic gold medallist Nicolás Massú.