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.
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.
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).
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.