Australian tennis player and golf enthusiast Alex de Minaur has taken to social media to show his golfing skills while in lockdown in Spain.
A day ago the 21-year-old impressed when he landed a chip from over a couch and into a plastic cup much to his delight, tweeting: “I’m hoping this one counts tho…. !!!! @atptour #TennisAtHome #StayAtHome #StaySafe”
But in his latest Twitter post, the world No.26 featured a video of a failed attempt at chipping a ball into a plastic cup in his backyard.
Frustrated by the lip-out, de Minaur reacted by hurling his golf club over his wall, captioning the video: “I’m officially retiring … due to the fact that I lost my club. P.S sorry neighbour!!! @atptour #tennisathome #golfathome #day19 #angermanagement
Roger Federer also delighted fans by posting a video on Twitter which shows him executing some trademark trick shots against a wall in the snow.
The 20-times grand slam champion last played at the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, before undergoing keyhole surgery on his knee in February.
He is supposed to return to playing in time for the grasscourt season in June.
“Making sure I still remember how to hit trick shots #TennisAtHome,” Federer tweeted along with the video, which showed the Swiss moving around seamlessly amid snowfall.
The video has already garnered over 3.85 million views and shows Federer hitting between-the-legs “tweeners” and behind-the-back shots.
With competitions and training suspended around the world due to the coronavirus crisis, many athletes are making the most of online videos, Instagram and YouTube to entertain fans.
Italian swim star Federica Pellegrini jumps out of bed, quickly warms up and dives back in, swimming laps between the sheets in an Instagram video done before the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics became official.
“Of course I’d have preferred to race in four months, because I will almost be 33 in a year and it won’t be easy, but the IOC’s choice was right,” said the Italian, who won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics and a year later set the 200-metre freestyle world record she still holds.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has taken part in the #TeamHomeChallenge on social media. The Instagram and Twitter challenge tasks people with coming up with a team of 11 players using things they have found around the house.
Ramos had Pepe Reina in goal, represented by a model queen (Reina means queen in Spanish). Other highlights of his XI were Mauro Camoranesi in midfield, represented by a camera. And Alessandro Nesta in defence, represented by a bottle of the Nestea soft drink.
Borussia Dortmund football defender Achraf Hakimi took part in an e-football challenge organised by the German Football League.
In his FIFA 20 match against Mainz player Daniel Brosinski, he let the virtual Hakimi score the second goal in a 2-2 draw.
“He scores with his only chance, what a pity,” Brosinski lamented.
Long jump world champion and German Sportswoman of the Year Malaika Mihambo is offering daily exercises for elementary school children from her living room via Youtube as schools, sports facilities and playgrounds are closed in the country.
“These are uncertain times. For us athletes, and for everyone else,” she told leichtathletik.de. “If I can do my share to give their daily life some structure, and can get them excited to do sport, then I will happily contribute.”