Daily Dose of Social Media: Becker praises Gauff’s victory over Swiatek at WTA Finals, Sinner gears up for ATP Finals

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players.  Boris Becker praised the match between Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek at the WTA Finals; Jannik Sinner is already training ahead of the ATP Finals, and some of the stars set to be in Turin ranked some of the best points in the Finals.

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz left behind the blonde hair, and the Billie Jean King Cup announced its new official poster.

Jannik Sinner had his first training session today ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin. Just a day earlier, the World No. 1 received a hero’s welcome from local fans upon his arrival at the hotel, and today he was seen on the court preparing for the tournament that gathers the season's top eight players.

Sinner recently withdrew from the Paris Masters due to an injury, taking time to train in Monte Carlo, where he resides. While there, he worked with none other than Radek Stepanek. Sinner enters as the tournament’s top favorite and will begin his campaign on November 10.

With Djokovic’s withdrawal now official, the rest of the ATP Finals field is set. The Serbian, who won last year’s final against Sinner, won’t compete due to injury, leaving Turin out of his schedule. Sinner will share the draw with Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, and Alex De Minaur.

The Billie Jean King Cup organization has unveiled the new official poster for the tournament, honoring the legendary former World No. 1. The tournament, named after King—the driving force behind the creation of the WTA Tour—revealed the poster to the world, designed by Brazilian artist Camila Pinheiro.

“When I was contacted about the opportunity to create the official poster for this year's Billie Jean King Cup Finals, I was incredibly excited. It is a great honor to work with people I admire, and for the second time, to contribute to something I truly believe in, like women's sports," Pinheiro commented.

On the other hand, the Executive Director of the Billie Jean King Cup said that the poster "beautifully encapsulates the spirit of the Billie Jean King Cup" and the legacy of the former American tennis player. "It is a powerful reminder of the progress we have made in women's sports and the bright future that awaits us."

This is the second collaboration by the Brazilian artist creating posters for tennis, as she was also the designer of the 2023 US Open poster in honor of Billie Jean King, commemorating 50 years of equal prize money in Grand Slam tournaments.

Boris Becker closely followed the WTA Finals clash between Coco Gauff and Iga Swiątek and congratulated both players. The American, the 2023 US Open champion, achieved a notable victory, winning 6-3, 6-4 against the defending champion and securing her spot in the semifinals.

Gauff triumphed in a match filled with errors, with a total of 80 unforced errors (47 from Swiątek and 33 from Gauff). The American also hit 11 double faults, but managed to come through in the important points. The 20-year-old narrowed the head-to-head record against the Polish player to 2-11 and will face Barbora Krejcikova in the group’s final match, aiming to secure the top spot in the Round Robin.

The former World No. 1 German, Boris Becker, remarked that Swiątek was far from her best. The Polish player arrived lacking match rhythm, as this was her first tournament since the US Open two months ago. “Good match between @iga_swiatek and @CocoGauff,” Becker posted. “IGA not at her very best yet but good fighting mentality…Coco seems to be the better player today but can’t close it out yet…It’s going back and forth!”

A few weeks ago, Taylor Fritz surprised fans with his new blonde haircut, but it didn't last long, as the American appeared on social media again with his natural hair color. The World No. 5 commented on Instagram at the time: "A lot of people asking me why? ... No reason other than I just thought it would be funny. After seeing all the reactions and overreactions, I was right, it’s hilarious," he wrote. "I thought it was funny. I expected to just buzz it if I hated it, but I don’t hate it," he assured during the Paris Masters.

The hair color was gone just 20 days after he showed it to the world. The American is now preparing for the ATP Finals, which will be held from November 10 to 17, where he is the 5th seed. Fritz will play in the tournament for the second time, having reached the semifinals in 2022 (losing to Novak Djokovic).

The World No. 76 congratulated his fellow Australian on social media after de Minaur secured his first-ever qualification for the tournament, which gathers the top eight players of the season, and will be the only debutant.

De Minaur had the best season of his career, breaking into the top 10 for the first time with a 47-16 record and two ATP 500 titles. He also reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The World No. 8 secured his spot in the ATP Finals following Novak Djokovic's withdrawal.

The Australian had to wait until the last moment to learn of his qualification. After the US Open, he suffered an injury that forced him to miss several tournaments, causing him to drop in the Race standings. However, he produced strong performances in his final tournaments, reaching the semifinals at the Vienna Open and the quarterfinals at the Paris Masters.

“No one more deserving😍 @alexdeminaur” posted Kokkinakis.

ATP stars ranked some of the most spectacular points from past ATP Finals. With the eight players set for the tournament in Turin, some of the participants took part in a game of 'blind rankings hot shots.' The Finals are set to begin on November 10 in Turin.

Some of the classic points featured include those from Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Jim Courier, Lleyton Hewitt, and others. The video featured the qualified players Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev, along with 2019 champion Stefanos Tsitsipas.