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 few days. It was a big weekend in tennis news, with the marriage of Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, the latest Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Newport, and the retirement of Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky.
As the 2021 US Open Series began with the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island, some of the biggest news in the tennis world came from off the court. It all started on Friday, with the wedding of Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina.
Monfils publicly broke the news of the impending nuptials on Thursday by tweeting a photo of Svitolina with the caption, "Last day as my fiancé." On Friday, the couple shared photos of their Superwoman and Black Panther-themed wedding.
Svitolina—who changed her surname to Monfils on her social media accounts—also shared some photos on Twitter and Instagram.
Also on Friday, former world No. 9 Timea Bacsinszky announced her retirement. The 32-year-old hangs up her racquet with four WTA singles titles and five WTA doubles title, as well as an Olympic doubles silver medal at the Rio 2016 Games alongside Martina Hingis. Bacsinszky was also a two-time Roland Garros semifinalist and a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2015.
Bacsinszky last competed in 2019, with her final major appearance—and penultimate tournament appearance—at that year's US Open. Her career-best US Open performance came in 2008, when she reached the third round.
The Swiss took a hiatus from the sport in 2013 and considered careers outside of tennis, before an opportunity to play in French Open qualifying reignited her love for the game. Read more in this 2014 article from The New York Times.
On Saturday in Newport, the four newest members of the International Hall of Fame were enshrined as part of the 2021 induction ceremony. In addition to Goran Ivanisevic, Conchita Martinez and Dennis Van der Meer, the Original Nine—the pioneers of women's professional tennis, which included Billie Jean King—were on hand as they were honored.
For more on the Original Nine, check out USOpen.org's exclusive interview series with each member, courtesy of legendary writer Steve Flink, a Newport Hall of Famer himself.
Finally, Stefanos Tsitsipas gave us this must-see "highlight" in his quarterfinal match at the Hamburg European Open. In the middle of a three-set defeat to Filip Krajinovic, the Greek suffered an equipment malfunction of the highest order. The No. 1 seed would go on to lose the match, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Krajinovic advanced to the final, where he fell to No. 2 seed Pablo Carreno Busta, 6-2, 6-4.
Check back next week for more US Open Hot Shots.
