Daily Dose of Social Media: From tennis lessons to standing ovations - Big day for Rafael Nadal at Next Gen ATP Finals

Rafael Nadal stole the spotlight during his visit to the Next Gen ATP Finals, where he interacted with children, received ovations, and learned about a unique anecdote involving Joao Fonseca from almost 15 years ago. In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we recap Nadal’s time in Jeddah. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka showcased their great relationship off the court.

Rafael Nadal steals the spotlight at Next Gen ATP Finals

With the conclusion of the Next Gen ATP Finals, the spotlight was firmly on Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam champion, recently retired, closely followed the tournament, participating in various professional activities and serving as the guest of honour during matches. Naturally, the Spaniard couldn't miss the final between Joao Fonseca and Learner Tien, where he received a standing ovation as his presence on court was announced.

Before the final, Nadal also took the time to participate in a tennis clinic on clay courts with a group of children. The former world No. 1, now an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, gave lessons to a young boy on his forehand in a heartfelt moment just hours before the start of the Next Gen ATP Finals final.

After the victory of the 18-year-old Brazilian rising star, Joao Fonseca, during the award ceremony, he took a moment to express gratitude for Nadal's presence in the crowd. “Obviously, I want to thank Rafa for being here. He’s such a legend of this sport,” the new Next Gen ATP Finals champion said. “It’s very meaningful for us young players to play in these big stadiums with such legends watching.”

Over the past few days, an intriguing story surfaced about Fonseca and Rafael Nadal from 14 years ago. While traveling with his mother, Fonseca had taken a photo with the Spaniard in a restaurant in Africa. The image showed a young Nadal wearing a Spanish national team jersey, with his face painted in the country’s flag, smiling alongside a four-year-old Fonseca and his mother.

“In South Africa?” Nadal asked, surprised. “You were there?”

“Yes, four years old. Spain had just won [the World Cup], and we went to eat at a restaurant,” replied a happy Fonseca, while his mother added off-camera, “Shall we take this picture again?”

“Yeah, of course,” Nadal replied. “That was before the final, I think,” Nadal added as they all posed to recreate the photo taken 14 years earlier.

Sabalenka and Swiatek share friendly photo amidst WTL action

During the World Tennis League, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek trained together and posed for a friendly photo on court, which the Belarusian shared on her social media. The world No. 1 and world No. 2 participated this week in the WTL, a mixed-team tournament held in Abu Dhabi.

The day before, Sabalenka commented on Swiatek's doping case: "People tend to overreact before understanding the situation, so I don't want to speak out in any way. I believe in clean sports… I have nothing more to add," mentioned Sabalenka.

This week, the 3-time Grand Slam champion showcased her good relationship with the Pole outside of competition.

Li Na faces Karolina Muchova in skills showdown

A unique match took place in Macau as part of a promotional event for the MGM Macau Tennis Masters 2024. The mixed-team tournament is set for 24–25 December and will feature not only notable current players but also a few legends. During the event, former world No. 2 Li Na faced the 2023 Roland Garros runner-up Karolina Muchova in a skills challenge.

Li Na will serve as one of the team captains, alongside former French Open champion Michael Chang. The tournament will also feature Chinese stars Shang Juncheng and Xinyu Wang, along with three ATP top 20 players: Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Lorenzo Musetti, who will join Muchova in the coming days.

Boulter and De Minaur travel together but will compete as rivals

Katie Boulter and Alex De Minaur shared a photo as they travelled to Australia for the United Cup, where they will compete as rivals in the mixed-gender national tournament.

Australia and Great Britain were both drawn into Group F (alongside Argentina), with the competition set to take place in Sydney starting 29 December. Boulter will be the female No. 1 for the British team, while De Minaur will lead as the male No. 1 for Australia.

If a tie occurs between the two nations, a mixed doubles match will be played, potentially pitting the couple against each other for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Joao Fonseca thanks fans after winning ATP Next Gen Finals

Joao Fonseca expressed gratitude to the fans who supported him during his first speech with the trophy in hand. The Brazilian claimed the ATP Next Gen Finals title this Sunday after defeating Learner Tien in four sets.

Fonseca entered the draw as the 8th seed and the only 18-year-old player, but he delivered a solid performance to win the trophy undefeated. “Hello everyone. Here's I just won the ATP finals. My first trophy of the ATP. I just very pleased, very proud of myself. I just want to thank the crowd and everyone who was supported me, this is for you, Thank you very much!”

While the Brazilian does not earn ATP points for this title, it comes at an opportune moment as he looks ahead to 2025 with confidence, having recently broken into the top 150 for the first time. Fonseca will begin his season in two weeks at the Challenger event in Canberra before heading to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open qualifiers.

ATP Stars showcase sandwich-making skills in fun challenge

The ATP Tour’s social media shared a video of several stars showcasing their sandwich-making skills. Alexander Zverev and Jack Draper were among the players who prepared sandwiches for Willy Hughes, a culinary influencer nicknamed “The Simon Cowell of Sandwiches.”

The video also featured Frances Tiafoe, Flavio Cobolli, Alex De Minaur, and Alexei Popyrin, all competing for the best creation as judged by Hughes. Despite some standout efforts, none of the participants managed to score above 8 points from the demanding judge.

Names like “The German Serve,” “Heart of Cobolli,” and “The Big-Foe” reflected the players’ creativity in naming their culinary inventions. Watch how each of them performed in the full video.