Federer and Nadal send Ryder Cup cheers; Serena Williams steals the spotlight at Nike Skims; Alcaraz, Sinner and Rybakina shine in Asia

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the action in the Asian Swing continues to steal the spotlight, with figures like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Elena Rybakina appearing in recent photos from both the Japan Open and the China Open during a key week in the final part of the season.

On another note, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal reunited these past few days, though this time on the golf course, filming a video in support of Team Europe ahead of the Ryder Cup. They even joked about Rafa's potential participation in future years, recognizing his talent as a golfer.

The 2025 Ryder Cup kicks off this Friday at the demanding and loud Bethpage Black in New York, where Europe, with Spain's Jon Rahm as its biggest star, will seek to revalidate the title won in 2023 against the United States. In the lead-up, two tennis legends, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, released a video supporting the European team, recorded at the Pula Golf Resort in Son Servera, Mallorca.

The Swiss maestro begins the message and jokes about 'Nadal's possible signing': "Hello everyone from the golf course here in Mallorca. Team Europe, we wish you all the best for the Ryder Cup. We are following you closely. Maybe in the future, we'll have a new player on the team," he says as the camera focuses on the Mallorcan executing a golf swing.

Carlos Alcaraz shared photos of his Japan Open debut after a notable victory over Sebastián Báez in the first round. The World No. 1 overcame a fall and ankle twist early in the match before securing the 6-4, 6-2 victory. However, the win was tempered by a scare regarding his availability for his second-round match on Saturday against Zizou Bergs.

Nevertheless, the six-time Grand Slam champion shared photos of his debut, greeting the Tokyo crowd. Alcaraz also appeared in a video on social media showcasing his juggling tricks as part of his warm-up routine, practicing coordination with tennis balls before his debut.

Jannik Sinner was another star to debut this Thursday in the Asian swing, though the Italian is competing in Beijing at the China Open. The current World No. 2 begins his run in Beijing, where he finished as runner-up in 2024 (losing the final to Alcaraz), and aims to maintain his momentum in the final part of the year, still with the mission of regaining the World No. 1 ranking before the season ends.

Sinner debuted with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory over former US Open champion Marin Cilic and advanced to the second round, where he will face France's Terence Atmane—the same opponent he defeated in the Cincinnati Open semifinals. The four-time major champion shared photos of his Beijing debut while waiting to return to the court on Saturday.

Elena Rybakina is also in Beijing, preparing for her return to the courts at the WTA 1000 China Open. The Kazakh is in the fight to finish the season inside the Top 10, as well as chasing a spot in the WTA Finals in Riyadh—closely competing for the 8th spot against Italy's Jasmine Paolini. Rybakina has been a prominent figure in Beijing and has appeared especially cheerful on social media while awaiting her debut this Friday against American Caty McNally. The World No. 10 was training on court with Stas Khmarsky, former coach of Jelena Ostapenko and current coach (and husband) of doubles specialist Lyudmyla Kichenok.

Andre Agassi shared photos of his first participation in the Laver Cup after debuting as the captain of Team World. The former World No. 1 replaced John McEnroe as captain and had a remarkable weekend in which Team World ended up winning the trophy after Taylor Fritz's victory over Alexander Zverev on Sunday.

Agassi shared some photos with his team members during the celebrations, which included stars like Alex de Minaur, João Fonseca, and Francisco Cerúndolo, among others.

Serena Williams shared photos on social media of her attendance at the Nike event over the weekend, with Williams as one of the protagonists of the new Nike Skims campaign, which was launched at the Nike House of Innovation in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. The 23-time Grand Slam champion posed in several photos alongside celebrities and was one of the stars of the night.