In a new Daily Dose of social media, Team World’s Laver Cup celebrations stole the spotlight, as did Team Europe’s reactions — especially Carlos Alcaraz’s frustrated gesture when he switched off a TV showing his rivals’ champagne-soaked party.Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner has emerged as one of the main stars at the start of the Asian swing at the China Open, where he was spotted alongside fellow icons Naomi Osaka and Zheng Qinwen, and even kept a close eye on Elena Rybakina’s training session. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic shared a video training in Greece, shortly after news broke of his change of residence.Team World’s champagne-soaked Laver Cup victory
Team World conquered the Laver Cup, and celebrations erupted in San Francisco after Taylor Fritz’s final victory over Alexander Zverev sealed the win. On Sunday, they claimed their third Laver Cup title with a final score of 15-9 against Team Europe, who fell just short of a comeback led by Carlos Alcaraz.
Images of the Team World celebrations went viral on social media, showing Alex de Minaur, Francisco Cerúndolo, João Fonseca, Reilly Opelka, and Alex Michelsen celebrating the victory in the first edition with Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter as team captains. The eight-time American Grand Slam champion was one of the most expressive celebrants, as shown in behind-the-scenes videos of the tournament, where everyone ended up soaked from the champagne bottles they popped to celebrate.
Alcaraz’s frustration boils over
Someone who was not happy at all was world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who appeared in a clip from the tournament’s locker rooms shortly after the European team’s defeat. The Spaniard walked over and turned off a TV showing Team World celebrating on the center court. Alcaraz was leading a comeback for the Europeans, who started the final day down 9-3. He and Casper Ruud won a doubles match, and Alcaraz then fulfilled his responsibility in singles to keep the Europeans in the running. Zverev had the chance to even the series and send it to a deciding doubles match, but Fritz ultimately secured the title for Team World.
One of the notable guests in San Francisco was none other than the recently retired Eugenie Bouchard, who shared a video on her social media of her time at the tournament, where she closely followed Team World’s victories.
Ruud and Rune share love for Laver Cup despite Team Europe’s loss
Despite the loss, Casper Ruud and Holger Rune shared photos on social media from their time at the tournament, thanking everyone for the opportunity to participate in the event.
“@lavercup is an amazing event for the players and the fans 💙❤️ Great atmosphere and a lot of fun on and off the court . Really enjoyed it a lot 🙏🏼” Rune posted.
Ruud published, “All smiles even though we didn’t take home the title this year. It’s still a highlight of the season💙 Big thanks to the organizers, fans, and my teammates 🙌 Congrats to Team World 👏 Next year, it’s on our turf again!
Sinner arrives in Beijing, spotted with Naomi Osaka and Zheng Qinwen
As the Laver Cup concludes, the action shifts to the Asian swing. The first event to bring together many of the biggest stars will be the China Open, a WTA 1000 and ATP 500 tournament. While all the top female stars are in Beijing for the start of the tournament, several male elite players will also participate in the parallel ATP 500 event, with Jannik Sinner as the main star.
Photos and videos on social media captured several interesting moments of the four-time major champion in Beijing, where he was seen talking in the hallways with former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka and ran into Tokyo 2024 gold medalist Zheng Qinwen at the gym during pre-competition workouts.
Sinner spotted watching Elena Rybakina practice in Beijing
Another star in Beijing will be Elena Rybakina, who will look to maintain her good form from recent months and continue adding wins in the final part of the year, especially as she fights to hold her spot in the top 10 and secure a place in the WTA Finals for the third consecutive year. The former Wimbledon champion was seen training on the main court where she ran into Sinner, who was attentively watching the Kazakh’s high-level game as she prepares for her debut this week.
Djokovic training in Greece
One player who has been in the news off the court is Novak Djokovic, after it was revealed that he changed his residence from Belgrade, Serbia, to Athens, the capital of Greece. This move comes amidst alleged conflicts with the current Serbian government following Djokovic’s support for student protests in late 2024.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion recently shared a photo from the Panathenaic Olympic Stadium in Athens, the main venue for the 2024 Olympic Games, where he was training for his upcoming challenges on the calendar when he travels to China for the Shanghai Masters.
AloJapan.com