Daily Dose of Social Media: Matteo Berrettini’s heartfelt ‘Love Letter to Tennis’ and Jannik Sinner’s Dubai prep

New images emerge from Dubai as Jannik Sinner prepares for the 2025 season following his visit to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, while the ATP highlights Matteo Berrettini's "love letter to tennis" in a new Daily Dose of Social Media.

The ATP Awards also crowned Thiago Monteiro as the winner of Shot of the Year for an incredible tweener at the Rome Open, while Patrick Mouratoglou, Naomi Osaka’s coach, reflects on the ambition for success in players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

"Love of my life": Berrettini shares emotional letter to tennis

Matteo Berrettini starred in the latest ATP Tour video, where he read his 'love letter to tennis.' The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up ended his season after falling in the first round of the Paris Masters back in October, finishing the year ranked World No. 34. Since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2021, injuries caused him to drop out of the Top 150, but he managed to improve his results toward the end of the season and regain a place in the higher ranks.

Berrettini read a love letter to tennis in the ATP’s latest video on social media, reflecting on the highs and lows of his career. “I felt like you were the love of my life. You were challenging, and you are challenging, but that’s why probably I like you that much,” the former World No. 6 said. “My whole family introduced me to you. It was something that was running in our blood. I think everything bad that happened was really worth it because it brought me here to enjoy you to the fullest.

“I won quite a few titles, reached the final in a Grand Slam, played the Finals in London and in Turin. You taught me to be resilient, to keep fighting, to trust the people you’re working with. It would be cool to see what’s next for us. Love, Matteo,” he concluded in an emotional video shared on social media.

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Sinner trains in Dubai ahead of Australian Open title defence

Jannik Sinner is already preparing for the 2025 season in Dubai. Today, the first images of the World No. 1 training at the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy in Dubai emerged. He will spend a few weeks there before heading to Melbourne to defend his Australian Open title.

The 23-year-old Italian was seen a few days ago at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he waved the checkered flag and visited the Ferrari box to take photos. He also met with his close friend Charles Leclerc, with whom he is often seen spending time in Monaco, where they both reside.

The 2-time Grand Slam champion shared some snapshots from his weekend at the Abu Dhabi GP on social media. A recent video also shows him training this morning in Dubai, just 120 kilometres (75 miles) away. All this comes shortly after it was revealed that Sinner clinched the ATP Fan Favourite Award for the second consecutive year. Check out the latest images of Sinner's training in Dubai below.

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Mouratoglou on expectations: What Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer teach us

Naomi Osaka’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou shared a video on social media where he discussed how expectations shape players, using Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer as examples. The French coach, who has previously worked with players like Serena Williams, Simona Halep, and Holger Rune, highlighted the different approaches he adopts with his players.

"I'm often asked if it's a problem not to have high hopes or high expectations in terms of results. The question isn't whether it's good to be extremely ambitious and bad not to be, or the opposite. Some people say it's bad to be too ambitious because it comes off as cocky,” Mouratoglou said in the video. "I think both approaches are wrong. The real question is: Is it good or bad for you?”

Mouratoglou is currently in Florida with the 4-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, preparing for the new season at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). They aim for a breakthrough in 2025 following Osaka’s comeback season. The Japanese star teamed up with the French coach in September, after parting ways with Wim Fissette (who is now coaching Iga Swiatek).

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Thiago Monteiro wins ATP Shot of the Year with incredible tweener in Rome

The ATP Awards announced the Shot of the Year today, which went to Brazilian Thiago Monteiro for an on-the-run tweener at the Rome Masters 1000 that left everyone on the court stunned, including his opponent and his own coach. The Brazilian defeated Jordan Thompson (the 32nd seed) on his way to the Round of 16, coming from the qualifying rounds.

"I just want to thank you all for voting me for the Shot of the Year. Honestly, I don’t know if I will ever do something like this again, but it was super fun. When I ran to the ball to do the tweener, I didn’t expect to win the point at all. I was just like going for fun and then tried to do the shot and ran to the back fence like, ‘Okay, next point,’ and then suddenly I hear everybody screaming like crazy. Then I turned and looked at my coach like, ‘What just happened? Did I make it?!’

"And then also I looked at Jordan (Thompson) at the net, and he was looking at his coach in disbelief. That’s when I realised I actually did the shot. So, after the match, I watched it on the videos, and it was actually a really good one," the Brazilian added with a smile.

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