Tennis News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Pikachu and a dog in a memorable birthday for Jannik Sinner, Casper Ruud and Danielle Collins reset and Iga Swiatek answers pertinent questioning

Originally posted on TennisUpToDate.com | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 5:12 PM ET

In a new " Daily Dose of Social Media," the world number one Jannik Sinner celebrated his birthday with an array of gifts, including a special card from the collection from one of his opponents in Cincinnati.

Along with that, 'Swifty' Iga Swiatek ranks Taylor Swift albums, Karen Khachanov follows up his Canadian Open final heartache with a champion from a different sport, Daria Kastakina goes ice-skating with partner Natalia Zabiiako, and tennis players embrace time away from the court, with the US Open fast approaching for these stars.

Pikachu and a dog: a memorable birthday for Sinner

In a wholesome moment before their semi-final clash in Cincinnati, Jannik Sinner celebrated his 24th birthday with a unique gift from French qualifier Terence Atmane. The Frenchman had done the unthinkable and reached the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 event despite being ranked outside the top 100, but failed to do the unimaginable and knock the tournament favourite out.

Ahead of the tie, Atmane decided to congratulate the four-time Grand Slam winner with a prized-possesion of his: a pokemon card. In his free time, he has collected a stacked collection of his cherrised cards. Out of the kindness in his heart, he handed Sinner a Pikachu card, with his opponent intrigued and grateful for the kind gesture.

That would not be the only surprise Sinner would receive, as he was shocked to be offered a puppy. Sinner playfully carried the dog, seeming to be in awe of the little fella. Overall, it looks like Sinner has had a 24th birthday to remember, topped off with him booking a place in the Cincinnati final.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tennis (@tennischannel)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cincinnati Open (@cincytennis)

Swiatek puts down the racquet to answer an important question

It is no secret that the Pole is a huge Swift fan, with her posting an emotional picture of her at a concert just over a year ago. As a massive Swiftly fan, she was given an almost impossible and borderline insulting question: to rank her albums.

She placed Midnight at the top, closely followed by Evermore, with her debut album sitting in tenth. There is surely some controversial takes in there that will see many music fans debate long into the night about.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cincinnati Open (@cincytennis)

Khachanov posing with the champ

A week ago, Khachanov reached his first Masters 1000 final since 2018, but was unable to seal the victory against a clinical Ben Shelton. It was a hard pill to swallow for the Russian, but after pulling out of the Cincinnati Open, he met with a champion in a different sport. In his time off, he posted a picture on Instagram with Armenian mixed martial artist Arman Tsarukyan.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Karen Khachanov |Карен Хачанов (@karenkhachanov)

Kasatkina goes romantic ice-skating

The Aussie's tennis has not bee up to par in recent times, after early exits at Wimbledon, Montreal and Cincinnati show a down-turn in form. However, with her spare time before the US Open, she spent some quality time with her girlfriend, Natalia Zabilako, who is a well-known figure skater.

The two recently got engaged and showed their love for each other with a romantic skate, which showed off Kasatkina's sketchy skating skills in a fun, chilled environment.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by (@natalia_zabiiako)

Tennis stars reset before end-of-year push

With the last Grand Slam of the year swiftly coming upon us, it is an important period for these tennis players to be at their best level. While some are fine-tuning their preparations by playing in big tournaments, Casper Ruud opted to disconnect from the sport, as he stayed at a golf resort where he switched-off from tennis.

In a different scenario, Danielle Collins revealed that she had abruptly called off her 2025 season, with injury concerns, with injury concerns the overriding factor. The American stil showed off her more relaxed side, posting her best bits of summer, with her dog a main stay throughout.