Daily Dose of Social Media: Zheng celebrates birthday, Tiafoe apologizes after Shanghai meltdown

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and entertainment from ATP and WTA players.  Zheng Qinwen celebrated her 22nd birthday while waiting for her debut at the Wuhan Open. Meanwhile, a video on social media shows Aryna Sabalenka showing off her new Mandarin skills during a pre-tournament interview.

On the other hand, Frances Tiafoe has issued an apology for his outburst at the Shanghai Masters, while Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and more share their recommendations for exploring the city.

World No. 7 Zheng Qinwen celebrated her 22nd birthday during the Wuhan Open. The Chinese star is set to make her debut at the last WTA 1000 tournament of the season on Wednesday, where she’ll face Romanian wildcard Jaqueline Cristian. Zheng has won 20 of her last 23 matches, and just a week ago, she reached the semifinals of the China Open, though she fell to Czech player Karolina Muchova.

Despite this, Zheng is enjoying a fantastic run on the Tour. Just days ago, it seemed unlikely that she would qualify for the WTA Finals, but her strong performance in Beijing has now left her just behind Emma Navarro in the Race standings. If Zheng advances at least one round further than the American this week, she will overtake her and temporarily enter the qualification zone with only a few weeks left in the season.

While waiting for her debut, the home hero celebrated her 22nd birthday with a special tribute from the crowd in the stadium. Additionally, recent photos of Zheng, along with childhood images, were displayed on buses and bus stops, honoring the 2024 Australian Open finalist.

Garbiñe Muguruza reminisced about the 2017 Wimbledon final, where she claimed the title after defeating Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0. The official tournament accounts recently shared an interview with the Spaniard, who retired at the young age of 31.

Muguruza had previously lost the 2015 final to then-world No. 1 Serena Williams (4-6, 4-6) and was seeking revenge at SW19. “When I lost the final, it was funny, like no one remembers the finalist. I was like, I just made the final in Wimbledon, and all that matters is the champion,” said the two-time Grand Slam champion. “So the second time I was like, okay, remember that only the champions are going to be remembered.”

In a stellar second set performance against Venus, Muguruza’s win carried a bit of suspense during match point. Williams sent a shot that landed long outside the court, but the umpire didn’t notice. Muguruza called for a challenge, and the technology confirmed the ball was out, sealing the title for Muguruza. “It was the worst finish. I wanted to finish with an ace or, like, I don’t know, a winner.”

Frances Tiafoe had a furious outburst during his defeat to Roman Safiulin at the Shanghai Masters. The American was upset with the umpire after a call that ultimately cost him the match and later took to social media to apologize for his behavior.

The most tense moment of the match came near the end, when Tiafoe was serving at 5-5 in the tiebreak of the final set. The umpire gave him a time violation warning, taking away his first serve, and Safiulin secured the mini-break that gave him the match point, which he then converted on his serve. “No, no, I tossed the ball up... I was ready to serve. Dude, that’s the rule,” said the two-time US Open semifinalist. “F*** you, man! F*** you!” he shouted at the umpire as he left the court following his loss.

“I really apologize for the way I acted tonight. That is not who I am and not how I ever want to treat people,” Tiafoe said later on Twitter after his outburst went viral on social media. “I let my frustration in the heat of the moment get the best of me, and I’m extremely disappointed with how I handled the situation. That’s not acceptable behavior, and I want to apologize to the umpire, the tournament, and the fans. I’ll be better for y’all.”

The ATP stars present at the Shanghai Masters shared travel guide recommendations for the city. The first two rounds of the tournament have been played, and with 11 of the 16 seeds still in the draw, the Round of 16 will begin this Wednesday.

In a fun video produced by the ATP and the tournament organizers, several players mentioned their favorite attractions in the Chinese city, including 2019 champion Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, and locals Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen.

Former world No. 1 Medvedev said: “Last time we went to Disneyland, it was very fun, and there was an amazing show at 8 pm with the fireworks, it was huge,” the Russian commented, who followed Zhang’s recommendation. Zhang also suggested trying the local cuisine: “I don’t know if all the foreign people like the noodles, but ‘mincheng noodles’ are a must.”

Aryna Sabalenka said a few words in Chinese during her latest interview. While waiting for her debut at the Wuhan Open, the Belarusian player jokingly shared the new words she learned during her stay in Beijing last week at the China Open.

The world No. 2 has won 15 of her last 16 matches, securing titles at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open, as well as reaching the quarterfinals of the China Open. The 3-time Grand Slam champion will debut on Wednesday in Wuhan against the Czech player Katerina Siniakova.