Social Support: Azarenka, Puig pedal for a good cause

WTA stars Monica Puig and Victoria Azarenka took on Peloton’s first-ever All-Star Ride on Saturday, joining professional athletes from across disciplines in a competition for charity. 

Peloton offers its members unique livestreamed indoor cycling classes and competitions with people from all around the world. They challenged 16 professional athletes, eight men and eight women, to cycle for a cause: if the riders collectively reached an ‘output’ of 3,000, Peloton pledged to donate one million meals to the Food Bank for New York City. The race was also aired live on ESPN.

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“I honestly don’t strategize,” Azarenka responded when ESPN asked her pre-race plans. “I just hope I can survive and not be the last person.”

All of that non-planning paid off: Azarenka completed the 20-minute challenge and placed fourth. Meanwhile, Puig finished in sixth place, riding alongside fellow pro athletes Allyson Felix, Morgan Pressel, Kyla Ross, Michele Smith, Dawn Staley and Colleen Quigley - who was the winner of the race. 

Puig herself is a longtime devotee of Peloton - at last year’s Volvo Car Open in Charleston, the Puerto Rican player revealed that she had taken up meditation using their app, and has since become a regular user. 

Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens got a social media shout out from No Kid Hungry, an organization dedicated to ending child hunger in the US. 

“Without Hunger Heroes like you, many kids would be going without the food that they need,” said Quin Shaw, No Kid Hungry’s celebrity engagement manager. “Thank you for all that you’re doing to feed hungry kids during this crisis and beyond.” 

Eugenie Bouchard’s All In Challenge charity auction raised a whopping $118,000 for coronavirus relief organizations. The Canadian offered up a trip to send the winner to a tennis tournament and hang out in Bouchard’s box, as well as dinner with the player herself. Now, she’s trying to solve the puzzle of delivering on that dinner in the age of coronavirus.

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“I tweeted months ago that I would just prefer a boyfriend in quarantine,” Bouchard joked on CNN Sport. “That would be the ideal, instead of having to do virtual dates. So nothing’s quite stacked up to that, but I think it’s been fun.”

Follow the WTA 4 Love campaign to learn more about how the tennis community is coming together during the COVID-19 pandemic.