Daily dose of Social Media: Alcaraz & Djokovic played tennis sitting on camels

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"Did you forget about me?" Boris Becker reacts after being omitted from ATP's youngest champions ranking

Boris Becker left a humorous message on social media after being omitted from a statistic about the youngest players to win an ATP title. This came after Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca claimed his first ATP trophy at the Argentina Open by defeating home favourite Francisco Cerúndolo.

On social media, Tennis TV shared a ranking of the youngest players to win an ATP title since 1990, featuring Lleyton Hewitt, Andrei Medvedev, Kei Nishikori, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, and Michael Chang. Fonseca has now joined this list at 18 years, 5 months, and 26 days old.

However, Becker was not included in the ranking. The German won his first ATP title at the Queen’s Club Championships at just 17 years and 7 months old, placing him second on the all-time youngest ATP Tour champions list, only behind Lleyton Hewitt, who claimed his first title at 16 years and 10 months. Nonetheless, Tennis TV only considered achievements from 1990 onwards, while Becker's triumph occurred in 1985.

“Did you forget about me ? … BB” he posted.

https://twitter.com/TheBorisBecker/status/1891232984172249333

Carlos Alcaraz is enjoying himself at the Qatar Open during the pre-tournament activities leading up to the Doha Open. The Spanish star posed with a falcon on media day and was seen wearing a traditional Qatari turban while holding his racket. The World No. 3 will be the top seed in the draw and is set to make his debut on Monday against former US Open champion Marin Cilic.

However, the most striking moment of the day in Doha was likely seeing Alcaraz join Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Grigor Dimitrov for a game of tennis while sitting atop local camels. They also posed for several photos together as part of the main favorites for the ATP 500 Doha title.

https://x.com/alcarazdaily/status/1891185796050214939

https://x.com/alcarazgirlies/status/1891163733197529231

https://x.com/alcarazgirlies/status/1891215678897541376

Sabalenka training for Dubai debut

The WTA posted a video of current World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka training ahead of her first match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday, February 18. She will face the winner of tomorrow’s match between Yekaterina Alexandrova and Veronika Kudermetova.

Sabalenka also gave an interview regarding the recent doping case involving ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. In March 2024, Sinner tested positive in two anti-doping tests for Clostebol, though the detected amount was minimal. It was determined that the substance entered his system through a massage performed by his physiotherapist, whom he immediately dismissed when the scandal broke.

On Saturday, it was announced that Sinner and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reached an agreement, resulting in a three-month suspension. This means he will miss several key tournaments but will be eligible to compete in the next two Grand Slams.

Speaking to The National News, Sabalenka addressed the situation: “We’re starting to be more careful. For example, I used to leave my glass of water at a restaurant while going to the bathroom without concern, but now I don’t drink from the same glass.” She admitted that she has become more aware of potential risks and now fears the system, making it difficult to trust.

Watch the Belarusian star’s video below.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGIxIa1tdjW/?igsh=aXE0dWI1Y2xnZXRl

Muchova enjoys Dubai with a ‘flat white’ before cruising to victory

Czech tennis star Karolina Muchova shared a series of photos from her day in Dubai, captioning the post: “Flat white for me, you?”Today, the former French Open finalist secured a commanding victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, defeating Dutch player Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2. With this win, she sets up a second-round clash against Britain’s Emma Raducanu on Tuesday, February 18.

It’s worth noting that Muchova suffered an injury during the 2023 US Open, where she reached the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Coco Gauff. The injury sidelined her for nine months, and in February last year, she underwent successful surgery on her right wrist.

Check out her post below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGGgnbtyyWT/?igsh=MWVobG1ib2Q4d2Y1bQ==