Daily Dose of Social Media: Alcaraz meme about Rafa Nadal retirement, Sinner and Berrettini celebrates Davis Cup title

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Italy received another joy after Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini led the team to the Davis Cup title this Sunday. Both players celebrated their first back-to-back championship on social media.

As the off-season begins, Emma Raducanu volunteered by distributing food to the community in London; Leylah Fernandez thanked Billie Jean King for her kind words following Canada's elimination and Carlos Alcaraz shared a meme about his mood after Rafael Nadal's retirement.

Leylah Fernandez thanked Billie Jean King for her encouraging message following Canada’s quarterfinal defeat at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The American legend, who has previously expressed admiration for the 22-year-old, reached out to Fernandez after Canada fell short in the singles matches against Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Emma Raducanu.

A year ago, Fernandez led Canada to their first Billie Jean King Cup title, but this time their journey ended earlier. Italy eventually claimed the 2024 crown, led by World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini. Despite the disappointment, 12-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King shared a motivational message with Fernandez, which the Canadian later posted on social media, expressing her determination to bounce back next year. "Thank you for your wisdom and motivation @billiejeanking," Fernandez wrote. "I’ll take the feedback and you can count on me to give it my all in 2025 👊."

Photos have surfaced on social media of Emma Raducanu performing charitable work in London. The 2021 US Open champion ended her season after Great Britain’s elimination in the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup and returned to London to enjoy her off-season. However, she made time to volunteer for Surplus to Supper, an organization that aims to combat hunger by preventing food waste and rescuing perfectly good food, which is then redistributed to the community. Raducanu was seen handing out food to those in need.

The British team started the tournament on a high note, winning their opening match against Germany and their quarterfinal clash against defending champions Canada. Both Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter won their singles matches without dropping a set. However, they were stopped by Slovakia in the semifinals, after Rebecca Sramkova defeated Boulter and the doubles team of Hruncakova/Mihalikova triumphed over the doubles specialists Nicholls/Watson.

Denis Shapovalov admitted that he felt "like a junior" when he faced Roger Federer at the 2019 Miami Open. In less than two weeks, Shapovalov will compete in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) London Grand Final, an exhibition tournament that has taken place throughout the year, with Shapovalov, Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur, and Holger Rune set to play in the final event of the season.

During a conversation with Dominic Thiem and Thanasi Kokkinakis, Shapovalov recalled his match against Federer five years ago. At the time, the Canadian was just 20 years old and had emerged as one of the Tour’s most promising players. He had already defeated the likes of Dan Evans, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Frances Tiafoe on his way to the semifinals, before facing the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Federer.

It was Shapovalov’s first and only encounter with the Swiss legend, who was ranked No. 4 in the world at the time. Federer went on to win the match convincingly 6-2, 6-4, securing his 28th Masters 1000 singles title and 101st career singles title overall.

“I beat good players, I beat Rublev, I beat Tiafoe on the way there,” Shapovalov said. “I felt like a junior on the court. It was insane,” the former world No. 10 added. “No one can make you feel more ridiculous than him,” Kokkinakis responded. “I’ve never seen him sweat, dude. His hair just stays there,” the Aussie joked.

Carlos Alcaraz is enjoying his days off after Spain’s early exit from the Davis Cup Finals. The Spanish tennis star had an incredible season, winning two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, finishing the year as World No. 3. ‘Carlitos’ played his final event of the year in Malaga, where he was alongside Rafael Nadal during the latter’s final appearance as a professional.

Spain’s early elimination in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands marked the end of Nadal’s career, as well as the conclusion of the season for the rest of the Spanish team. Alcaraz is now taking time off, focusing on the upcoming season, and has made the most of his break by playing golf, one of his hobbies outside of tennis.

Additionally, the 21-year-old shared a meme on his Instagram stories referencing Nadal’s retirement. “My life after Rafa Nadal retired,” read the meme, featuring actor Wagner Moura (from the Netflix series Narcos) with a lost expression in various photos.

Jannik Sinner and Matteo Berrettini took to social media to celebrate Italy's Davis Cup title win. The Europeans successfully defended their 2023 title with Sinner and Berrettini leading the charge. In the opening match of the day, Berrettini had no trouble defeating Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-2, while Sinner capitalized on his favoritism to seal the Italian victory with a 7-6(2), 6-2 win over Tallon Griekspoor.

This marks Italy’s third Davis Cup title, with the first coming in 1976, followed by back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. In both victories, Sinner was the team’s leader, winning all of his singles matches in the Finals stage. The team, captained by Filippo Volandri, also featured Lorenzo Musetti, Simone Bolelli, and Andrea Vavassori. Both Berrettini and Sinner shared their joy on social media, posting photos of them lifting the trophy.

“Il sogno di una vita!!!! Campioni del mondo!! 🇮🇹💙🔨” Berrettini posted. “Campioni!!! 🇮🇹💙🏆” posted the 2-time Grand Slam champion Sinner.