Today in
our
Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and
Entertainment from ATP and WTA players.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and
Paula Badosa were seen strolling in Monaco after the Greek player's elimination from the
Paris Masters.
Meanwhile,
Jannik Sinner left his training in Monaco and traveled to Turin for the ATP Finals, where he received a tremendous ovation from the Italian crowd. Additionally,
Karen Khachanov received support from
Boris Becker after the Russian’s criticism of
Ugo Humbert following a tense encounter in the Paris Masters semifinals. All this and more in another day on social media.
Text or
Talk? Gauff and Pegula on facing each other as friends
Jessica
Pegula and
Coco Gauff participated in a video where they shared how they
prepare to face a friend on the court. Both have been leading American players
on the WTA tour in recent seasons and have long been doubles partners, even
reaching the world No. 1 ranking in doubles. Shortly before their Round Robin
match, Gauff and Pegula were asked if they talk to each other before facing
off.
“I don’t
think we text each other about it, but we definitely acknowledge that we’re
playing each other,” Pegula commented. “It’s not weird or anything, but we’re
also so used to it, so I don’t think we really go out of our way to say
anything about it.”
“Yeah, I
mean, I was talking to Jess, we don’t really talk about the match ever before
we play each other, but sometimes afterwards, after the match we talk about
it,” Gauff mentioned. “It happens so often in tennis that it’s just another day
at the office,” she added.
Finally,
Gauff claimed a solid 6-3, 6-2 victory over her compatriot Pegula and now leads
the Orange Group in the
WTA Finals. Next, she will face Iga Swiatek, while
Pegula will try to stay in contention against Barbora Krejcikova.
Sinner arrives
to cheers and training with Piatti Jr.
Jannik
Sinner arrived to loud cheers in Turin for the ATP Finals. The Italian spent
recent days training in Monaco as he prepares for the tournament that brings
together the top eight players of the season. The World No. 1 recently trained
with Rocco Piatti, the son of his former coach Riccardo Piatti, at his Tennis
Country Club.
Shortly
afterward, Sinner’s current coach, Darren Cahill, shared a humorous photo of
the World No. 1 arriving in Turin on a motorcycle with physiotherapist Ulises
Badio. Sinner was met with an incredible ovation upon arriving at his hotel in
Turin, where a large crowd of fans awaited to greet him. A year ago, Sinner had
an outstanding run, advancing undefeated in the Round Robin but ultimately
falling to Novak Djokovic in the final.
PSG players
and French sports icons in Paris Masters final
The Paris
Masters final saw a number of sports stars in attendance, including players
from the local football team, Paris Saint Germain. Italian national team
goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Portuguese forward Gonçalo Ramos were in
the stands to watch
Alexander Zverev's victory over local player Ugo Humbert,
with a score of 6-2, 6-2.
Also in
attendance were French swimmer and Paris 2024 flag bearer Florent Manaudou, as
well as French rugby player Antoine Dupont, a big tennis fan, who won the gold
medal with France in rugby sevens at Paris 2024. Earlier this year, Dupont had
also watched the Roland Garros final between Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, which
was won by the Spaniard.
Tsitsipas
and Badosa take a break in Monaco after season wrap-up
Stefanos
Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa were seen strolling through the streets of Monaco
after the Greek player’s season came to a close. Tsitsipas competed this week
in the Paris Masters, securing wins over Roberto Carballés Baena, Alejandro
Tabilo, and Francisco Cerundolo. The 10th seed’s run ended in the quarterfinals
against eventual champion Alexander Zverev.
Meanwhile,
Badosa last played two weeks ago, withdrawing from her semifinal match at the
Ningbo Open against Daria Kasatkina. The Spaniard decided to take time to
recover from a back injury and withdrew from Tokyo, marking the end of her
season. Now, with her boyfriend Tsitsipas also out of competition, the couple
spent some time together in Monaco, where Tsitsipas resides.
“We both
know our priorities, which, of course, include taking care of each other and
sharing a home as soon as possible, but tennis comes first for both of us,”
Badosa recently shared in an interview with the Spanish magazine Hola.
Becker backs
Khachanov amid tense clash with Humbert
Boris
Becker expressed his support for Karen Khachanov following a tense incident
with Ugo Humbert. The Russian player faced the Frenchman in the semifinals of
the Paris Masters, where he was the champion in 2017. Humbert came back from a
set down to secure victory with a score of 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3.
The match
ended with a tense handshake at the net. Khachanov played the third set with an
evident injury that limited his movement and was visibly upset by Humbert’s
celebrations along with the crowd towards the end of the match.
“I told him
(Humbert) at the net that I would congratulate him if he behaved like a normal
person. Screaming ‘come on, allez’ on every point? You can celebrate afterward,
that’s no problem, but once a guy is down? Okay, see you next time,” Khachanov
said after the match.
Former
world No. 1 Boris Becker took to social media to show his support for Khachanov
by sharing a post on X that highlighted the net exchange. “I respect
KK!” posted Becker.
Billie Jean
King honors Chris Evert
Billie Jean
King praised
Chris Evert on the 49th anniversary of her becoming the first
player to hold the World No. 1 ranking. King was a major driving force behind
the creation of the WTA, which established a professional ranking system for
the tour.
Once the
ranking system was implemented in 1975, Chris Evert officially earned the World
No. 1 title in a year where she won an astounding 16 titles, including Roland
Garros and the US Open. Evert held the No. 1 spot for 25 weeks before
relinquishing it to Evonne Goolagong. Nevertheless, the American reclaimed the
top position nine times and spent a total of 260 weeks as World No. 1, placing
her fourth in history.
“49 years
ago today, on November 3, 1975, @ChrissieEvert became the first-ever No. 1
ranked player in the @WTA” posted King. Evert herself later reposted the post
with a series of heart emojis.