Doubles Take: First pitches, flashbacks and more

Doubles Take looks at what the pros on the ATP and WTA tours are up to  during the hiatus.

PLAY BALL

Professional baseball players have been back on the diamond for a little while now across Asia. Chinese Taipei’s Fubon Guardians got a special visit from two of the nation’s most popular athletes, Latisha and Hao-Ching Chan.

The sisters got to hang out with the players, and Hao-Ching threw out the first pitch. The Chans were off to a mixed start this year with a semifinal at the Australian Open their best result. In their reunion campaign in 2019, the pair won four titles together.

IN THE WINNERS’ CIRCLE

Mini-exhibitions featuring the pros have popped up around the globe the past couple of months. The Winners Open in Romania featured three-time major winner Horia Tecau and the country’s top singles players, Simona Halep and Marius Copil, as well as Gabriela Ruse.

Tecau, by far the most accomplished doubles player in the group, partnered with Halep to take on Copil and Ruse on the clay courts, and providing further evidence doubles can work out during these days of social distancing.

DOING HIS PART

Long involved in humanitarian efforts, Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi has been fighting hunger in Pakistan, both on the ground and online.

Through his Stars Against Hunger initiative, the veteran has been delivering food to regions in need, while also holding online auctions to raise money for the cause.

SHE’S GOT IT COVERED

Sania Mirza, one of India’s greatest athletes, has made a return appearance to the pages of one of the premier fashion magazines.

Mirza, who was in early stages of an impressive comeback in 2020 before play stopped, is gracing the cover of Cosmopolitan India for the second time, with “Self Love” the theme of the issue.

A "SPLASHBACK" TO LAST YEAR

Of course, everyone’s missing Wimbledon around this time. World No. 73 Artem Sitak shared a particular memory from his run to the mixed doubles quarterfinals with Laura Siegemund last year.

The duo managed to beat both their opponents and an out-of-control sprinkler system that day. While the tour is on hiatus, Sitak has been keeping himself busy as a bee while … beekeeping.