Neymar Jr doing the coin toss in the Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini match at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. ⚽️🎾
Daily Dose of Social Media: Khachanov and Humbert's tense net exchange, Neymar joins Sabalenka, Rybakina, and Paolini at WTA Finals
Tennis NewsSaturday, 02 November 2024 at 23:30
Today in
our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and
Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. With the
start of the WTA Finals, footballer Neymar took part in the match between Elena
Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini and even met with Aryna Sabalenka in Riyadh.
On another
note, ATP stars had fun with new challenges, featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik
Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Tommy Paul, among others. Additionally, check out the tense exchange at the net between Karen Khachanov and Ugo Humbert after the semifinals of the Paris Masters.
Neymar steals the spotlight at WTA Finals coin toss
Brazilian
footballer Neymar Junior made headlines on the opening day of the WTA Finals as
he conducted the coin toss for the match between Elena Rybakina and Jasmine
Paolini. The all-time top scorer for Brazil, who currently plays for Al Hilal
Saudi F.C., was the guest of honor, kicking off the second match in the Purple
Group, where Italy's Paolini secured a straight-sets victory.
Later on,
Neymar visited the locker room and posed for a photo with none other than World
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who shared the moment on social media. Sabalenka had
made her tournament debut earlier in the day, defeating Zheng Qinwen in
straight sets to improve her head-to-head record against the Chinese player to
5-0.
Aryna Sabalenka with Neymar Jr. ❤️ ✌️🤙 (via Aryna’s IG)
Read also
Humbert downs injured Khachanov amid on-court tension
The Paris
Masters semifinal between Ugo Humbert and Karen Khachanov ended with a tense
moment at the net. The 26-year-old Frenchman claimed victory with a 6-7(6),
6-4, 6-3 scoreline, becoming the first French player to reach the tournament’s
final since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011. Humbert, who now boasts 13 consecutive
indoor hardcourt wins in France following his titles at the Metz Open in 2023
and the Marseille Open in 2024, benefited from strong home support.
The match
took a turn when Khachanov suffered an injury in the third set, limiting his
movement as the set progressed. At 3-2 in the third, the Russian requested a
medical timeout, but his mobility continued to decline, leaving him at a
disadvantage in rallies. He grew visibly frustrated with Humbert’s enthusiastic
celebrations, particularly as Khachanov, ranked World No. 21, was struggling to
compete from the baseline.
After
defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round, Humbert has enjoyed a standout
week, energised by the support of nearly 10,000 fans who spurred on his
celebrations. However, following the final point, a visibly irritated Khachanov
greeted Humbert at the net, reportedly telling him, “no class” in response to
his exuberant reactions.
Khachanov said Humbert was like school on the weekend.
Ugo Humbert is blowing kisses to his home crowd during his match against Khachanov at the Paris Masters 😂 He’s loving every minute of this. 😘
Korda vs. Thompson: Tennis stars try out Olympic sports
In a recent
promotional video by the ATP, Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson took on a
unique challenge during the past Olympic Games. The American and the Australian
faced off, but this time not on the tennis courts—they competed in three
Olympic sports: fencing, badminton, and a 50-metre walk.
“Jordan and
Sebi, today you will go head-to-head in an Olympics-inspired series of
challenges. Tennis is not an option today as you take on three very different
sports here in Paris,” Thompson read at the start of the video as they headed
to their first event as fencers.
Find out
the winner of the challenge in the ATP Tour’s latest video posted on social
media: “The challenge is on, and the competition is high… 🏆 But who will go for glory in our
Olympics-themed showdown?”
Svitolina and Monfils share Montreal moments
Elina
Svitolina shared a video from her recent trip to Montreal with her husband,
Gael Monfils. The tennis couple began their relationship in 2018 and married in
2021, announcing the birth of their first child, Skai Monfils, in 2022. The
Ukrainian star took nearly a year off from the sport following her daughter's
birth.
Svitolina
made an impressive comeback in 2023, achieving notable results, including
quarterfinals at Roland Garros and semifinals at Wimbledon. This season, she
has secured her place as world No. 27. Her husband, 37-year-old Monfils, has
wrapped up his season, currently ranking No. 55 in the Live Rankings, although
he may drop a few places in the coming weeks.
"My
journey to Montreal 🇨🇦 In my experience, maintaining
proper hydration is crucial for enduring long flights and acclimating to new
surroundings😌 That’s why I always rely on @waterdrop to help
me tackle this challenge 💧😊," posted Svitolina, alongside
some clips of her trip to Montreal.
Paris Masters fun: Alcaraz, Sinner, and Zverev tackle tricky challenge
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev were among the stars who
participated in a tricky challenge at the Paris Masters. The game involved
tossing a ball across a table and attempting to land it in a bucket while
overcoming the obstacle of a fast-spinning racket that blocked the ball’s path.
Most
players struggled on their initial attempts, but gradually figured out the
technique to conquer the tough challenge. The video also featured stars like
Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, Arthur Fils, and others.
The
tournament has its final set for this Sunday, featuring local surprise Ugo
Humbert against World No. 3 Alexander Zverev. The Frenchman will be the first
local player in the final since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011, when he was
defeated by Roger Federer. The last local champion was Tsonga himself, who won
in 2008 by defeating David Nalbandian in the final.
Djokovic shares condolences after tragic event in Serbia
Novak
Djokovic shared his condolences on social media following the tragedy in Novi
Sad, Serbia. Just days after the tragedy in Valencia shocked the world, a new
misfortune has struck, with at least 14 people dead on Friday after a roof
collapsed at the entrance of a railway station in the Serbian city.
The
incident prompted a swift reaction from Djokovic, who expressed his sorrow for
the tragedy in his country. “My heart goes out to all those affected by the
tragedy in Novi Sad. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the
families of the victims 🙏,” wrote the 24-time Grand Slam champions
Моје срце је уз све оне погођене трагедијом у Новом Саду. Наше најдубље саучешће, мисли и молитве породицама настрадалих 🙏
Zheng Qinwen’s hilarious mix-up: Not realising she lost to Sabalenka
Zheng
Qinwen provided a humorous moment after her match against Aryna Sabalenka when
she failed to realise she had lost. The Belarusian secured her fifth
consecutive victory over Zheng in straight sets with an impressive performance,
conceding just five points on serve.
Two breaks
were enough for Sabalenka to claim the win. In the second set, with the score
at 4-4, she broke for the world No. 1, who then closed out the victory on her
second match point from serve. However, Zheng didn’t realise that the last
point had ended the match, and while the three-time Grand Slam champion
approached the net for a final handshake, the Chinese player was busy drying
her sweat and preparing to receive another serve from Sabalenka.
Both
players took the situation in stride, with Zheng quickly approaching the net
with a smile to cordially bid farewell to her opponent.
Qinwen Zheng didn’t know the match was finished as she was getting ready to play another point against Aryna Sabalenka 😂
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Paolini remarkably low. Must have won tons of matches against lower ranked players. Kind of like these rankings. Seem to be more fair.MrAndreeva23-11-2024
- Why does Tennisuptodate feel like her PR Department's constant deluge of daily/weekly media submissions are 'tennis news' ?
mandoist19-11-2024 - 'Apologies', in cases like this where people are caught being their True Selves, are best shoved up their butts.mandoist19-11-2024
- Paolini playing Swiatek and then has to come back an hour later to play doubles. The BJ Cup is like the rest of tennis entrepreneurs.PalopoDave18-11-2024
- Nice amount
AceOfBase18-11-2024
