Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff dance-off French Open feud ahead of Wimbledon
Just weeks after their tense showdown in the French Open final, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff appear to have hit the reset button — not with a handshake, but with a TikTok dance.The duo, currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world respectively, were seen outside Centre Court at Wimbledon recording a lighthearted TikTok video ahead of the 2025 Championships. In the video, posted by Gauff — who is a regular on the platform — the pair lip-synced to a trending audio clip saying, 'OK, guys, we're back. Did you miss us? 'Cause we missed you.'advertisementTheir playful off-court moment suggests that the friction from Roland Garros may have eased. The pair also practiced together on Centre Court, further hinting that any lingering tensions had been put to rest ahead of the year's third Grand Slam, which begins Monday at the All England Club.Watch the video:Pretty iconic #Wimbledon | @SabalenkaA | @CocoGauff pic.twitter.com/biHPvsSaBR— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025
The two were last seen facing off in the French Open final on June 7. Sabalenka had taken the first set in a tight tie-break but eventually lost 7-6, 2-6, 4-6 to Gauff, who claimed her maiden Grand Slam title on clay.However, the aftermath of the match took a turn when Sabalenka, visibly emotional, stated that she felt the loss had more to do with her own unforced errors than Gauff's performance. Her comments sparked backlash online, with many fans calling them dismissive of Gauff's victory.advertisementFollowing the criticism, Sabalenka later clarified her comments and acknowledged that her emotions had gotten the better of her after a tough defeat — her second Grand Slam final loss of the year. She also addressed the reaction on social media, noting that she had not intended to downplay Gauff's achievement.The Wimbledon video, however, has quickly gone viral, offering a lighter image of two of the sport's biggest stars who appear to be moving forward — not just professionally, but personally as well. For fans, it's a welcome sight: two elite athletes capable of fierce rivalry on court and camaraderie off it.With the draw full of anticipation and both players likely to contend deep into the tournament, their renewed connection will be one of many subplots to watch as Wimbledon 2025 unfolds.- Ends
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India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff dance-off French Open feud ahead of Wimbledon
Just weeks after their tense showdown in the French Open final, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff appear to have hit the reset button — not with a handshake, but with a TikTok duo, currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world respectively, were seen outside Centre Court at Wimbledon recording a lighthearted TikTok video ahead of the 2025 Championships. In the video, posted by Gauff — who is a regular on the platform — the pair lip-synced to a trending audio clip saying, 'OK, guys, we're back. Did you miss us? 'Cause we missed you.'advertisementTheir playful off-court moment suggests that the friction from Roland Garros may have eased. The pair also practiced together on Centre Court, further hinting that any lingering tensions had been put to rest ahead of the year's third Grand Slam, which begins Monday at the All England the video:Pretty iconic #Wimbledon | @SabalenkaA | @CocoGauff Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025 The two were last seen facing off in the French Open final on June 7. Sabalenka had taken the first set in a tight tie-break but eventually lost 7-6, 2-6, 4-6 to Gauff, who claimed her maiden Grand Slam title on the aftermath of the match took a turn when Sabalenka, visibly emotional, stated that she felt the loss had more to do with her own unforced errors than Gauff's performance. Her comments sparked backlash online, with many fans calling them dismissive of Gauff's the criticism, Sabalenka later clarified her comments and acknowledged that her emotions had gotten the better of her after a tough defeat — her second Grand Slam final loss of the year. She also addressed the reaction on social media, noting that she had not intended to downplay Gauff's Wimbledon video, however, has quickly gone viral, offering a lighter image of two of the sport's biggest stars who appear to be moving forward — not just professionally, but personally as well. For fans, it's a welcome sight: two elite athletes capable of fierce rivalry on court and camaraderie off the draw full of anticipation and both players likely to contend deep into the tournament, their renewed connection will be one of many subplots to watch as Wimbledon 2025 unfolds.- Ends
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
How Gen Z is transforming the wedding industry & shaking it up
After sending one of his clients a quote for custom save-the-date cards, Jove Meyer, a wedding planner and designer based in New York City, received an unexpected response from the bride. "She was like, 'My friend made this digital save-the-date with AI in the car on the way to work,'" said Meyer, who has worked in the wedding industry since 2008. Welcome to the Gen Z age of weddings. With their native digital fluency, pervasive connectivity via social media and comfort with artificial intelligence tools, members of this generation, born approximately between 1997 and 2012, are transforming the traditions, logistics and aesthetics of modern weddings. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo "With previous generations, you got a planner, they presented the options and you picked," Meyer said. "With these kids-and Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, TikTok-visual inspiration and aspiration are everywhere. They're being smart with the resources they have and being creative with the technology and tools that are available, and it's shaking up the industry." Last year, about one-third of newlyweds were Gen Z, according to the Knot, a wedding planning website. Live Events Many Gen Z couples use social media as a core wedding-planning tool, scouring Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Reddit for ideas, advice and vendors. But these platforms are more than that: They're a space for comparison with peers. They are also the primary place where couples and their guests share photos and videos, and where newlyweds put themselves on display for the consumption of others. "I'm Gen Z, and we all grew up wanting to be YouTubers," said Lauren Ladouceur, who started working as a wedding content creator after drawing online attention for live-posting photos and videos from her wedding in 2022. "Gen Z is media savvy, and they're also the most curated generation that I've ever met. My millennial clients are very much like, If this is cringey, I don't care. My Gen Z couples want it to look candid, but every piece of hair has been put in place perfectly." Existing in a highly saturated attention economy means future brides and grooms are often searching for ways to stand out amid the noise. Milana Ayvazova, a senior event designer at Revelry Event Designers in Los Angeles, said the company had worked on weddings where there were life-size topiaries in the shape of a bride and groom's dogs; 100 feet of French-style storefronts for a welcome party; and a station where guests could decorate rancher hats to take home as favors. Another popular approach is customization-of everything. This may include gift bags, water bottles, hats, linens, cocktail napkins, bathroom hand towels, makeup wipes, and even emergency kits with tampons. With enough willpower and funding, all of these can be made to match a theme. Where once there were simple monograms, there are now logos and even family crests, said Ceci Johnson, the owner of Ceci New York, a graphic design studio specialising in invitations and event branding. Though the cost of weddings has gone up by about 18% in the past five years, members of Gen Z spend significantly less per wedding-$27,000 on average-than millennials, who clock in at $38,000, according to The Knot. Wedding planners have noticed that Gen Zers seem more particular about what they spend their money on and might have lower salaries because of their age. "We used to be able to show two florists, and now I show 10 to 15 before they make a decision," said Fallon Carter, who owns a wedding planning company in New York City. "There's constant pushback on, Can we negotiate this lower? They go through every single expense line - how do we get it down from $15,000 to $12,000 for the flowers?" Ayvazova noted one major downside to the endless information floating around online or being served up through AI chatbots. "People come with these inspo images, 'I want this and this,' and it's not a real rendering," Ayvazova said. "It's not to scale, you can't get this height in your space, and where are you going to rig these panels from? We have to explain that it's not realistic sometimes."
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Exploring why nobody wants to face Alexander Bublik on Wimbledon's grass courts
After losing to Alexander Bublik in the final of Halle, former World No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev paid his opponent the ultimate veiled compliment. Congratulating Bublik, Medvedev said, 'Keep playing like that, I hope you're in Carlos [Alcaraz's side of the] draw at Wimbledon. Please, Carlos or Jannik [Sinner's] side of the draw at Wimbledon!' It's a sentiment many others on the ATP Tour share. Bublik is a player other players don't fancy facing, but one they hope will take out a big name or two, thus clearing their own path. The 6'5' Bublik owns a monster serve, a punishing forehand and a dizzying array of drops, slices and trickshots. At his best, he can take the racquet out of his opponent's hand. But even at his worst — he is prone to ups and downs — he is a disarming, distracting handful. Expect the unexpected Indeed, Aleksandar Kovacevic, who defeated Bublik in Montpellier earlier this year, found himself confronted by a string of successful underarm serves at one stage and a bemused ball boy, who Bublik handed his racquet to, at another. 'I was not expecting to play against the ball kid, but you always know there's going to be something funny with him [Bublik],' Kovacevic said. 'It's not the first time he's having fun out here. It's not a bad thing. But for me, obviously, and for any opponent that he has, it's important to stay locked in and focus.' It's not Bublik's worst his rivals are fearing ahead of Wimbledon, however. The 28-year-old heads to London on the back of his best Major run and in possession of his second Halle title. ALSO READ | Wimbledon 2025 preview: Sinner, Djokovic plot to prevent Alcaraz hat-trick At Roland-Garros, Bublik made history, becoming the first male player representing Kazakhstan to enter the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles event. It was a remarkable performance for the quality of players he defeated but also for the fact that it came on clay, a surface that doesn't play to his strengths. 'I hate clay, I hope not to step on it for the next ten years,' he said before the tournament. 'I hope the clay-court season ends soon so I can play on grass.' But Bublik found his footing on Paris' red dirt to beat Alex de Minaur from two sets down and Jack Draper from a set down. Both were inspired victories. De Minaur, a particularly difficult man to put away because of his exceptional footspeed, was on a streak of four consecutive appearances in Major quarterfinals. Draper was the fifth seed on the back of a strong run during which he won the Indian Wells title and reached the Madrid Open final. Back on his favourite grass, Bublik showed just what a threat he can be on a fast, slippery surface. He became the first man not named Alcaraz to beat World No. 1 Sinner in 49 matches. He extracted a measure of revenge for the quarterfinal loss at Roland-Garros with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. It was Bublik's second win over Sinner in six matches, both coming on Halle's grass. ALSO READ | New-look Wimbledon prepares for life without line judges Bublik saved three break points in the first game of the second set before gaining the crucial break to lead 4-2 and smashed three aces when holding serve to force the decider where a break to go 4-3 up proved decisive. 'It's a special one — I had never beaten the top one [No. 1] in the world, that's an accomplishment,' said Bublik, who struck 36 winners, including 15 aces. 'It's a very fast surface, so I had for certain a better chance than at Roland-Garros. I tried to be clutch. I just kept serving and putting him in uncomfortable positions. Tried to return as much as I could. Serve aces so the ball doesn't come back. It worked well.' New maturity Bublik continued to serve big and rip winners on his way to the final, where he had a mental obstacle to overcome. He had lost his six previous meetings against Medvedev, winning only one set in the process, but produced a superb exhibition of grass-court tennis to end that streak. So often the showman, Bublik showed his new maturity with a calm 6-3, 7-6(4) victory. 'I was cursed against you, Daniil,' he said in the post-match ceremony. 'From the mental point of view, that's the toughest match I ever played in my life. I have never beaten Daniil. He's a super tough player to play, especially with my gamestyle, and today everything clicked, mentally and physically. That's one of the wins of my career.' The Halle triumph certainly made many in the tennis world sit up and take notice. ALSO READ | Plotting the contours of the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry: Men's tennis' new main-event Andy Roddick, a three-time runner-up at Wimbledon, likened Bublik's unconventional style to former World No. 8 Radek Stepanek's. Both players, he said, kept opponents off-balance on grass because they always carried the threat of rushing the net, 'except Bublik kind of hits the ball bigger'. Roddick also said Bublik is 'among the 10-15 best grass-court players if he is in form and engaged'. Three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker liked what he saw from Bublik in the Halle final, calling it 'great grass-court play' which made his heart 'beat a little faster'. Bublik will enter Wimbledon feeling completely different mentally to what he did a year ago. Ranked as high as No. 17 last June, he experienced a slump that left him outside the top-80. 'I had such tough months from last Wimbledon to probably this summer,' said Bublik, who climbed 15 places to World No. 30 after his Halle triumph. 'I was close to calling it quits after Wimbledon because I was not enjoying it. I dropped in the rankings and I didn't know why. I didn't want to play, I had no joy. Now this is happening. Quarters at the French. Winner here. It's beyond my wildest dreams of what I could achieve. It has been a big renaissance of my career.' Harnessing unorthodoxy In addition to rediscovering the joy of playing, Bublik has also found a way over the last month to extract the most from his unorthodox game. The key has been using his serve to platform his variety, touch and guile. As he said, 'On grass, if you lose your serve, it is maybe tough and I am a guy who doesn't lose a lot of serves. 'If Bublik can serve to potential and hold his nerve, he will be a threat on Wimbledon's lawns. He will know that he can improve on his round-of-16 appearance in 2023, but he isn't getting ahead of himself. 'Tennis is a brutal sport,' he said. 'When I was ranked 17th in the world, I started treating it like a job, a sport that was too demanding. But this isn't track and field, it's not a race against time. There's a ball, and you can do anything with it. That — you must never forget.'
