Daily Dose of Social Media: Coco Gauff celebrates 21st birthday as tennis stars reflect on their time at Indian Wells

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Coco Gauff was one of the stars as she celebrated her 21st birthday and expressed her gratitude for the birthday wishes she received, with comments from several of her colleagues.

On the other hand, Iga Swiatek, Mirra Andreeva, and Paula Badosa discussed which of their colleagues they would take on a road trip, while several WTA stars shared their farewell messages with photo collections from their time at Indian Wells.

Coco Gauff celebrates 21st Birthday amidst Indian Wells

Coco Gauff thanked fans and loved ones for the birthday wishes she received on her 21st birthday. The world No. 3 surely wasn’t pleased with her result at Indian Wells, as she was knocked out in the round of 16 by Belinda Bencic (6-3, 3-6, 4-6), while she was the main favorite among the local crowd. Nevertheless, the American put the painful loss behind her to celebrate her birthday. “Thank you everyone for all of the sweet messages, I am so blessed and grateful to see another year! Cheers to 21🥂🎊” Additionally, one of her main sponsors, New Balance, launched a new edition of sneakers, the “Coco Delray,” which went on sale this Thursday in honor of the former US Open champion’s birthday.

Despite her youth, Gauff can boast a wealth of experience on tour. She started her professional career at just 14 years old, winning her first title at 15. She has a 240-103 record. Her Grand Slam main draw debut was at Wimbledon 2019, where she became the youngest player in the tournament's history to qualify for the main draw. There, she defeated Venus Williams and reached the fourth round. She has a total of 9 titles, including the US Open 2023, and more than $23 million in on-court earnings.

Who would WTA stars take on a road trip? Swiatek, Badosa and more responded

The WTA stars once again answered a round of questions, with Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, and Jessica Pegula taking part in the interviews. "Who would you take on a road trip?" they were first asked, to which Badosa responded, "I would say Ons (Jabeur). I mean, I love her, we share so many things in common, so I think that would be fun."

"Maybe Maria Sakkari, because she would know all the good coffee spots," said five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, who has defeated Sakkari in two Indian Wells finals (2022, 2024).

"I think Andrey Rublev would be really fun, because he likes to joke around, Ons Jabeur, she's also a pretty fun person. Now I have a huge list in my head, so ‘Nastia’ Pavlyuchenkova, I think she’s pretty chill and she also can throw some pretty nice jokes and one more is gonna be just Dasha Kasatkina because... I think she’s not bad," commented Jessica Pegula regarding the former world No. 8, who is known as one of her close friends on the WTA Tour. Check out the responses from the rest of the players and the details of their hypothetical trips with some of their colleagues.

Medvedev celebrates epic victory over Fils

Daniil Medvedev had an ecstatic reaction after defeating Arthur Fils in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells. The former world No. 1 experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in his 6-4, 2-6, 7-6[9-7] victory, which puts him into the semifinals of Tennis Paradise for the third consecutive year. It’s rare to see Medvedev so euphoric after a win, with even his US Open title not provoking such an effusive celebration.

The world No. 5 jumped for joy several times, waving his arms and shouting to the crowd in one of the day’s most emotional scenes. He quickly calmed down for a moment to greet his opponent, Fils, at the net before returning to his celebrations after one of his most epic wins in recent times.

“But what a fury this match was! In hellish conditions. Fils had the crowd in stitches, sent the stumps flying, and served to lead 5-2 in the third set. And Medvedev won in the third-set tiebreak before celebrating his victory like a man possessed, drunk on wind and frustration. Insane.”

Daria Kasatkina and girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako open up about their Vlog.

Daria Kasatkina participated in an interesting interview with her girlfriend, Natalia Zabiiako, with whom she has a YouTube channel. They use it as a blog to show fans behind-the-scenes moments from the Tour. The world No. 12 started her videos a couple of years ago alongside her girlfriend, the ice skater.

Together, they have gained more prominence on social media, sharing videos throughout the tournaments in various parts of the world and conducting constant interviews with their colleagues. Some of the players who have stood out in the videos include Mirra Andreeva, Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka, and even male players like Frances Tiafoe and Andrey Rublev. The Russian sports couple shares videos almost every week about their journeys throughout the WTA Tour. In a recent WTA video, they spoke about their experience documenting the behind-the-scenes life of tennis players.

Tennis Stars share heartfelt farewells

As Indian Wells progresses, players are starting to say goodbye to Tennis Paradise before heading to the Miami Open for the second tournament of the Sunshine Double. On Thursday, the quarterfinals will be played, with Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva as the main winners securing a spot in the semifinals. One of them will be a finalist.

However, several stars had early exits and shared some photos of their time in Indian Wells on social media. One of them was Katie Boulter, eliminated in the third round by Elena Rybakina, who posted some photos from inside and outside the court, including one with her fiancé Alex de Minaur, who was eliminated in the fourth round by Francisco Cerundolo.

Another player who shared some words and several photos on social media was two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini, who reached the Round of 16 but surprisingly lost to Liudmila Samsonova. The Italian missed a good chance to make a deep run and gain points after the drop she experienced for not defending the WTA 1000 Dubai title a few weeks ago. “Leaving Indian Wells with mixed feelings. Disappointed about the loss and having to leave, but this is an amazing place, and I can’t wait to be back. Huge thanks to the organizers. Time to bounce back soon! 🙏”

Paris 2024 silver medalist Donna Vekic had a notable win against Emma Navarro in the third round but couldn’t overcome recent Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who extended her winning streak to 15 consecutive matches. Vekic took the American to a third-set tiebreaker and was two points away from victory, but unfortunately for the European, it was World No. 5 Keys who managed to turn the match around with a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 win.

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