Welcome to today's edition of "Hot Shots," a USOpen.org-curated look at what you may have missed on social media over the past few days.
As the world continued to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, tennis players took to social media to support their communities, entertain their fans and share their experiences of what day-to-day life looks like without tournaments taking place.
This week, Novak Djokovic looked back, Petra Kvitova hit the courts once more, and Bianca Andreescu got a shiny surprise, while Naomi Osaka's activism earned praise from a tennis legend.
After winning the Czech Tennis Association President's Cup, a closed-doors singles tournament featuring eight top women from the Czech Republic, at the end of May, Petra Kvitova went down to the tennis court—specifcally, the doubles court.
The two-time Wimbledon champion joined Barbora Strycova, a former world No. 1 and Wimbledon champion in doubles herself, for a session this week.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic took a trip down memory lane, recalling his earliest tennis memories...
... while reigning US Open women's champion Bianca Andreescu received a special delivery in the mail, commemorating recent glory.
Although the professional circuits remain suspended through the month of July, national exhibition tournaments are in full swing across the world.
At Patrick Mouratoglou's tennis academy in France, several ATP players will soon take part in what's being billed as a new, innovative competition: the Ultimate Tennis Showdown.
The event will see its competitors play timed matches in a format of four, 10-minute quarters. The player with the most points won at the end of each frame will win that quarter, and the player with the most quarters won will win the match, with other regulations dictating procedures in the event of a tie.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, David Goffin, Matteo Berrettini and Dominic Thiem are among those scheduled to participate in the event, which begins on Saturday, and there was no rust to be found on the practice courts this week.
In addition, Djokovic, Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic are among those taking part in the Adria Tour through Baltic nations in the next few weeks.
The event kicked off in style in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday with a mixed doubles match between Djokovic and 2008 US Open finalist and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, who hasn't competed on the WTA tour in three years, against doubles great Nenad Zimonjic and Olga Danilovic.
While the tennis world would typically be gearing up for Wimbledon at this time, the grass-court Grand Slam is getting creative to celebrate the tournament that never was.
With a video message starring some famous faces, including Djokovic, Kvitova, Simona Halep and Serena Williams, Wimbledon launched "Wimbledon Recreated" on Friday to celebrate the 2020 tournament, which was canceled in April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group recreated some iconic moments from their past Wimbledon campaigns, which included Williams showing of her famous serve and Kvitova putting together a bowl of strawberries and cream, the tournament's signature snack.
The campaign is also encouraging fans to recreate the magic of SW19 at home using #WimbledonRecreated on social media, as the tournament will air some of its greatest matches on television and social media platforms in the coming weeks.
One player who won't be returning to the courts in any capacity in 2020 is Roger Federer, who announced on Wednesday that he underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
And finally this week, 2018 US Open champion Naomi Osaka continues to be one of tennis' most vocal voices in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Osaka's activism, which has seen her speak out on social media and attend peaceful protests in the United States in recent weeks, has been lauded by many in the larger sporting community, and tennis legend Billie Jean King shared her support and engouragement for the Japanese star in a social media post on Thursday.
Check back soon for another edition of "US Open Hot Shots."
