Welcome to this week's edition of "Hot Shots," a USOpen.org-curated look at what you may have missed on social media over the past seven days. This week, we have our eyes on the Nitto ATP Finals in London and the Fed Cup final in Perth, Australia.
The marquee match of the ATP Finals group stages was the win-or-go-home battle between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Not only would this match decide which legend advanced to the semifinals, it was also a must-win for Djokovic in his quest to earn the year-end No. 1 ranking over Rafael Nadal.
When a vintage Federer performance ended in a 6-4, 6-3 victory, it gifted the Spaniard the top spot. Not bad for a wedding/early Christmas present. It's not the first time the two have exchanged gifts... as immortalized in this classic 2010 promo spot referenced below.
In the buildup to the showdown match, @TennisTV posted a thread of some of the best Federer-Djokovic points. The pair have faced off six times at the US Open, including five straight years from 2007-11, and split their New York meetings. Federer's famous 2009 tweener was recreated in Lego stop-motion by animator Jared Jacobs this summer.
Joining Federer in the semifinals is Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas and either Nadal or Alex Zverev (Zverev must defeat the already-eliminated Daniil Medvedev to advance at Nadal's expense). Tsitsipas has been enjoying his time in London, after accomplishing his much-publicized goal of qualifying for the prestigious eight-man field. Famous for his work behind the camera on his YouTube channel, the Greek was the one in focus for this pre-tournament challenge.
Meanwhile, Djokovic found some time for some unique cross-training in London.
Kiki Mladenovic was the star of the show at the Fed Cup finals, notching three match wins to seal France's 3-2 victory over hosts Australia. After beating Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-1, 6-1, and then world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6, Mladenovic teamed with Caroline Garcia against Barty and Sam Stosur in the decisive doubles rubber.
The Frenchwomen won it, 6-4, 6-3, sparking celebrations as they claimed their third title. After their victory, the French team was welcomed back home by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
And finally, we leave you with this hot shot from the USTA Pro Circuit, courtesy of American Kevin King against Evan Song at the ATP Challenger 80 event in Champaign, Ill.
Check back next week for more "US Open Hot Shots!"
