Today in
our
Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and
Entertainment
from ATP and WTA players. The stars
of the
WTA Finals gathered for the usual photoshoot ahead of the tournament,
dressed in luxurious outfits, and attended the players' party, featuring Iga
Swiatek,
Aryna Sabalenka,
Coco Gauff,
Zheng Qinwen, and more. In the ATP, the
stars reacted to an incredible point by
Benoit Paire, which they even dared to
call one of the best in history.
Emma
Navarro and
Naomi Osaka shared some insights, while
Maria Sakkari returned to
training. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal and Paula Badosa joined in sending good
wishes to the people of Valencia amid the terrible floods in the Spanish city.
Nadal and
Badosa send support to Valencia as floods devastate the region
Rafael
Nadal extends his best wishes to the Spanish city of Valencia amid the severe
floods—the worst in decades in Spain, with over 200 people reportedly dead,
according to provisional government figures.
The 22-time
Grand Slam champion was not indifferent to the tragedy, and like Paula Badosa,
he shared a message on social media for those affected and the significant
displays of solidarity that have emerged across the country in recent days.
“Valencia. What we are witnessing: An example of solidarity from its residents 👏🏻,” Nadal wrote on his Instagram
account. “Much encouragement and strength to all the victims affected by the
torrential rains 💔❤️🩹🙏,” posted Badosa a day earlier.
Ons Jabeur takes
a moment with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia
Ons Jabeur
got a photo with her idol Cristiano Ronaldo after attending the Al-Nassr match
in the Saudi Professional League. The three-time Grand Slam champion has become
one of the sports ambassadors in Arab countries and took advantage of her visit
to Saudi Arabia to get a close look at the legendary footballer.
The former
world No. 2 was in the VIP box and later entered the locker room to take a
picture with one of her greatest inspirations. Jabeur has often expressed her
love for football and was recently seen playing with Aryna Sabalenka at the
Center Court of the WTA Finals.
Navarro’s life
off the Court: Behind the scenes with the American star
Emma
Navarro shared a video on social media showcasing her daily life as a tennis
player and the behind-the-scenes work required before stepping onto the court
for tournaments. The video starts with Navarro playing at the Cincinnati Open,
where she lost in the first round to Mirra Andreeva three months ago (2-6,
2-6).
However,
the American included numerous clips of herself training, participating in
media days, engaging with fans, doing post-training recovery work, and more.
Navarro spent a good part of the year among the WTA Race’s top players, but she
fell out of contention for the Finals in recent weeks after some tough results
(first-round losses at the WTA 1000 China Open and Wuhan) and Zheng Qinwen's
strong performance in recent months.
Sakkari returns
to training after two-month injury break
Maria
Sakkari is back in training after more than two months since her last
tournament. The Greek player was one of the most consistent over the previous
three years, staying in the top 10 for over 150 weeks. However, a challenging
2024 marked by injuries has led to a significant drop in the rankings, which
will leave her out of the top 30 by the end of the season for the first time
since 2018.
A shoulder
injury forced her to end her season early and take time for recovery. Her last
match was in the first round of the US Open, where she had to retire against
Wang Yafan after losing the first set 2-6. Sakkari is expected to return at the
end of December at the United Cup, where she will team up with Stefanos
Tsitsipas as one of the favorites to win the title.
Naomi Osaka’s
Hong Kong visit amid injury recovery
Naomi Osaka
shared a new photoshoot from her days in Hong Kong. The 4-time Grand Slam
champion was one of the main stars confirmed for the Hong Kong Open, but an
injury forced her to end her season early, with her last match being at the
China Open, where she retired in the round of 16 against Coco Gauff (6-3, 4-6,
ret.).
Nonetheless,
Osaka kept her commitment to the WTA 250 tournament and traveled to Hong Kong,
where she took part in pre-tournament promotional activities alongside other
stars. The former world No. 1 also stayed a few extra days, exploring the city
and continuing her gym workouts as she focuses on recovery, with her sights set
on the 2025 season.
Paire’s legendary
dropshot volley stuns ATP Stars
ATP stars
reacted to one of the most incredible points in Paris Masters history, when
Benoit Paire pulled off an almost impossible dropshot volley during his match
against Gilles Simon. Back in 2015, Paire and Simon (the 14th seed) faced off
in a second-round clash between French players, with Simon eventually winning
in three sets. However, the match seems to have gone down in history thanks to
Paire’s remarkable shot.
Currently
ranked outside the top 300, the 35-year-old player remains active, mainly
competing in Challenger tournaments. In fact, this week he was in Seoul, where
he fell to Taro Daniel in the first round (6-7, 6-4, 7-5).
Among the
stars reacting to the play were
Carlos Alcaraz, Richard Gasquet, Alex De
Minaur, Andrey Rublev, and others. “This one is one of the best touches that
I’ve ever seen in tennis,” commented Alcaraz. “Benoit is also one of the most
underrated talents, I think, on tour,” mentioned
Alexander Zverev. Check out
Paire's point and his colleagues' reactions in the ATP video below.
WTA Finals stars
gather for iconic photoshoot and players' party
The twenty
three stars of the WTA Finals posed in the iconic participant photoshoot and
attended the players' party night as the final events before the tournament
debut. The singles and doubles players were photographed by renowned New York
photographer Jingyu Lin in the historic center of Diriyah.
The
tournament brings together eight singles players and eight doubles teams,
totaling 24 players, with
Jasmine Paolini being the only competitor in both
categories (so actually they are 23 players). The WTA Stars posed in elegant
outfits by luxury brands alongside the trophy that will be awarded to the
champion. Later, they attended the players' party, with photos from the event
now appearing on social media.
The
tournament will kick off this Saturday with the match between Su-Wei Hsieh and
Elise Mertens against Nicole Melichar and Ellen Perez. Later, the singles round
robin begins with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka facing gold medalist from Paris
2024, Zheng Qinwen.
