In today’s daily dose of social media, we look back at the most important activities and conversations of ATP and WTA players. Stefanos Tsitsipas had a tense moment with his father during his match against Kei Nishikori, which ended with Apostolos leaving the stadium before his son’s loss.
Jannik Sinner returned to the tennis court to great applause, while Taylor Townsend gave a young fan a Gatorade and Billie Jean King left a special birthday message for Roger Federer.
Tsitsipas’ shocking outburst: Father sent off in Montreal Open loss
Stefanos Tsitsipas threw his father off the court during his match at the Montreal Open. The Greek suffered an unexpected defeat in the first round of the Masters 1000 Canadian Open against the Japanese Kei Nishikori (No. 576) (6:4, 6:4). After trailing 2:5 in the first set, a heated argument broke out between the world number 11 and his father and coach Apostolos Tsitsipas, which ended with the 56-year-old leaving the court in a tense moment.
In the press conference, Stefanos explained: “I have been complaining to my coach about this (that I cannot play with my forehand) for the last 4/5 days. That was also the reason why I had a confrontation with him during the match; I am not used to it.”
“For me, an ATP Masters 1000 match is an important match. I need and deserve a coach who listens to me and listens to my feedback as a player. My father was not very smart or very good at handling these kinds of situations; it’s not the first time he’s done that. I’m really disappointed in him,” he added at the press conference. You can watch the tense moment when Apostolos Tsitsipas leaves the court here:
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Spectacular ovations for Jannik Sinner at the Canadian Open
Jannik Sinner made his comeback on the tennis court on Thursday at the Canadian Open. The world number one had to skip the Olympic Games due to illness and traveled directly to Montreal to begin the hard court swing and defend the title he won in 2023, which was his first Masters 1000 title in his career.
When Jannik Sinner arrived on Centre Court, he was celebrated by the Canadian fans, who gave the Italian an overwhelming welcome as he entered the court. The moment was captured by a fan and shared on social media.
Sinner also had a good day on the court, defeating Borna Coric 6:2, 6:4. This put him in the round of 16, where he will face the winner of the match between Lorenzo Sonego and Alejandro Tabilo. You can find the video of the ovation here:
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Jasmine Paolinis Paris 2024 Fotodump
World No. 5 Jasmin Paolini shared a fun “photo album” with her fans about her time at Paris 2024 and proudly showed off her gold medal. The Italian won the women’s doubles together with Sara Errani, defeating Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the final.
In a beautiful photo series, Paolini highlighted the days with Errani: “When the journalist has one question for me and ten for Sara… guess who is more interesting!”
The two-time Grand Slam runner-up shared some outstanding moments from her training, playing cards and the crowd at Stade Roland Garros during Paris 2024: “It was a journey full of laughter, competition and moments that I will never forget. And the best part is that it ended with a gold medal,” she wrote.
Townsend delights fan with Gatorade gift in Toronto
Taylor Townsend had a funny moment with a young fan after her last match at the Canadian Open in Toronto. The world number 71 entered the draw as a lucky loser and is already in the round of 16. Today she defeated local Marina Stakusic 6-0, 6-2 to advance to the round of 16 in Toronto.
The American is enjoying a great gift after winning her first Grand Slam doubles title with Katerina Siniakova at Wimbledon. The 28-year-old American reached her best ranking of 56th in the world and made it to the last 16 of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time.
After her victory in the Kashmir stands, Townsend was signing autographs for fans when one of the young girls in the crowd asked, “Can I have a Gatorade?” pointing to the bucket where the drinks were kept for the athletes. “Yes, what kind?” Townsend replied and quickly brought the young woman a bottle, which she gratefully accepted. The WTA cameras captured this funny moment.
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Billie Jean King celebrates Roger Federer’s 43rd birthday
August 8 is a special day for one of tennis’ greatest legends, Roger Federer, who turned 43. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has been retired for nearly two years, but he remains busy with various projects off the court, including travel, sponsorships, a new series on Amazon Prime and, most recently, the release of his biographical book.
American Billie Jean King shared a photo taken by the Swiss star at the All England Club a few years ago and sent the eight-time Wimbledon champion a special birthday greeting.
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