Daily Dose of Social Media: Tsitsipas and Badosa enjoy off-season in Monaco, Sinner gets hero’s welcome in Turin

WTA
Monday, 04 November 2024 at 12:57
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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.

I respect KK !

Olly 🎾🇬🇧
Olly 🎾🇬🇧
@Olly_Tennis_

🗣️ Khachanov: “I told him (Humbert) at the net that I would congratulate him if he behaved like a normal person. Screaming, ‘come on, allez’ every point? You can celebrate after, that’s no problem, but once a guy hits the ground? Ok, see you next time”pic.x.com/quox00Ob3u

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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.

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
@BillieJeanKing

49 years ago today, on November 3, 1975, @ChrissieEvert became the first-ever No. 1 ranked player in the @WTA. She would hold the No. 1 spot for a total of 260 weeks. 👏

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