Raducanu and Stephens grace Seoul Players Party, Alcaraz’s ‘naughtiest thing’ revealed

Djokovic dances and sings in Bulgarian

Novak Djokovic has shared a new video on TikTok in which he sings and dances to a Bulgarian song. The current world number six put in a strong performance with Team Serbia in the Davis Cup over the weekend, defeating Greece and moving into the qualifying round of the tournament. Djokovic will next compete on the tour at the Shanghai Masters, which begins on September 30.

The Serb seemed to be enjoying himself while following the lyrics of the song from his phone, once again showing off his talent for language. The 24-time Grand Slam champion also captioned the video with a nod to fellow tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, asking him to rate his singing skills and the new language he adds to his multilingual abilities: “Heading toSofia, ready to perform 😆.” Do you like Grigor? #Tennis #Bulgaria#Singing”

Rublev and Tiafoe talk about their pre-match rituals

Andrey Rublev and Frances Tiafoe gave a relaxed joint interview. The American humorously revealed his pre-match ritual: “I definitely have to take a number two for every match,” he laughed. “Then I have to listen to the same song before every match. At the moment it’s Kendrick (Lamar), ‘Not LikeUs’.”

On the other hand, the Russian mentioned that, in contrast, he doesn’t listen to music before playing: “I’ve tried it in the past, and I felt like I wasn’t in the right mood. It’s all personal; it’s what works for oneself.

Rublev and Tiafoe have also demonstrated their good relationship off the court. Their rivalry on the tour is 3-1 in favor of the American. Tiafoe won their last meeting at the DC Open in early August, as well as two victories at the US Open (2021 and 2022). Rublev’s victory came in 2022 at Indian Wells.

WTA stars shine at the Players Party in Seoul before the Korea Open

Some of the players attended the Players’ Party, including former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, Sloane Stephens and Brazilian star Beatriz Haddad Maia. The first day of the tournament has already been concluded with the first four matches of the first round, including victories for Heather Watson and Veronika Kudermetova.

First look at the arena for the WTA Finals in Riyadh

So far, only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have qualified. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova (10th) is practically certain to qualify despite being in the top 8, as Grand Slam winners only have to finish the year in the top 20 to qualify.

Other players currently in the qualifying zone include Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini and the American contingent Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro. The tournament will take place from November 2nd, with the 8 players from the off-season.

Interview with the Alcaraz brothers delights with funny childhood memories

Carlos Alcaraz gave a funny interview with his brother Álvaro Alcaraz. Both tried to show how well they know each other by answering questions like what their brother’s favorite food is or what social media platform he uses.

When asked about the “naughtiest thing Carlitos did”, Álvaro responded with a funny anecdote from his childhood: “We were at our grandpa’s one day when my parents were away and we couldn’t think of anything else to do,” he began. “My grandma had made popcorn and we threw it at my grandpa. He told us to stop, but we kept throwing it until he got up, took off his belt and we had to hide under the bed because Carlitos was in the closet.”

Andreeva selects the top tennis cards: Sharapova and Venus among the favorites

Mirra Andreeva had fun picking out her new Topps Chrome Tennis cards. The trading cards are available to fans now, and Andreeva promoted them while selecting her favorite WTA players for her own collection.

The teenager received a card from her sister Erika Andreeva and then chose American players Madison Keys and Venus Williams from a deck of cards. The world number 23 also chose her dream doubles team with two legendary Grand Slam winners: her compatriot Maria Sharapova and Swiss Martina Hingis. You can watch the rest of Andreeva’s tips in the video published by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).

Swiatek congratulated Frech on her first WTA title

Iga Swiatek congratulated her compatriot Magdalena Frech after she lost her first WTA title in Guadalajara. The world number 1 closely followed the performance of her 26-year-old compatriot, who won her first WTA title this weekend, and not just any title, but a WTA 500.

Frech had her best week in Guadalajara, when she defeated Olivia Gadecki in the final, which allowed her to break into the top 40 for the first time in her career. Mexican tournaments seem to suit Polish players well, because just a year ago Swiatek won the WTA Finals title in Cancun.

The five-time Grand Slam winner congratulated Frech on her success on social media, as she is the fourth new Polish player to win a title this century after Magda Linette, Agnieszka Radwanska and Swiatek herself.

Tommy Paul takes a break in Florida

Tommy Paul updated his fans on the last few days he spent enjoying city life in Florida. The world number 13 made his last appearance on the tour at the US Open, where he reached the fourth round but lost to eventual winner Jannik Sinner.

Paul was due to arrive in Berlin this week to compete in the Laver Cup, but he was dropped from Team World at the last minute, as was Alex De Minaur, both due to injury. They were replaced by Francisco Cerundolo and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

This gives Paul a few extra days off before he returns to competition in Tokyo on September 23. In his final days in the USA, the 27-year-old player enjoyed sailing along the coast of Florida.

Kontaveit announces birth of her first child

Former world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit has announced the birth of her first child on social media. The former player retired after Wimbledon a year ago due to a chronic back injury that prevented her from playing at the highest level, ending her career at just 27 years old.

In May this year, Kontaveit announced that she was expecting her first child with her partner, Estonian footballer Brent Lepistu. This time, the former tennis player shared a photo a week after the birth of her son and received congratulations from several of her colleagues, including Ons Jabeur, Sabine Lisicki and Shelby Rogers.

“First week with our Leon Enzo Lepistu ❤️ So much love 🥰”