The Daily Dose of Social Media is the best of the last 24 hours on social media from entertainment to on court moments as the off season continues towards the last week before Christmas.

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Donna Vekic and Jasmine Paolini are among the leading features in today's Daily Dose of Social Media.

Rafael Nadal made a special appearance bringing a star studded nature to the Next Gen ATP Finals which continues onto the semi-finals on Saturday. Nadal is sporting a cast on his right hand and wrist after recent surgery but didn't have his arm in a sling so was posing for pictures with fans.

Nadal watched the all-Spanish clash following that between Rafael Jodar and Martin Landaluce. The former sees Nadal as his idol as he said after the match while Landaluce trains at the Academy ran by the Spanish great in Mallorca.

But it was not only the Spanish duo who saw the benefits of his appearance with fans lauding the presence of Nadal for helping the future of the sport in the country. The former World No.1 promotes tennis throughout the Kingdom and has long been an ambassador since the start of 2024. He will remain in Jeddah throughout the weekend to see the champion crowned.

But he has a presence also to help grassroots participation and support training programs overall to help the future of the sport in a burgeoning nation.

"We love this event, we have come before and it is great to see the young players," said fan Jayshree Babu as per ATP. "I think tennis is really picking up as a sport in Saudi and it is good to see the attraction it is gaining. With people like Nadal coming, it only adds to the excitement and growth."

Now a resident of Greece, Novak Djokovic spent his free time giving back training with several highly rated youngsters during the winter break. The latest being the 14-year-old ace Rafael Pagonis.

He lost in the Wimbledon U-14 final earlier this year and seemingly has a bright future being lauded at multiple junctures by other top stars.

“Great to spend time with young Greek star Rafael Pagonis,” he said on his Instagram. "A future star of our sport. (Please remember this coaching session when you win your first Slam.)”

While the 14-year-old showed his delight at training with the great. “Today I had a dream that I was invited to play tennis with the G.O.A.T. Novak Djokovic,” he said.

“He was so kind, generous, and he told me the secrets of his return. Please don’t wake me up from this dream!

“Thank you, Novak Djokovic, for this out-of-the-world experience! See you soon…”

He has also been lauded before by another Greek resident in the form of Stefanos Tsitsipas who trained with him and said that he has a bright future.

“He is very impressive, and I can’t wait to see him at a high ATP level. I hope I can catch him to play Davis Cup together,” he said.

“He has great potential. He seems dedicated and focused on what he does. I am very happy that we have such an athlete from our country; he will not only be a good athlete, but I believe he will be an excellent athlete in the future.”

While Djokovic trained with a Greek prodigy, Donna Vekic had a special practice partner today in the form of the former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli.

Vekic has fallen to World No.69 and only reached one Quarter-Final on tour in 2025. This was a far cry from her 2024 where she had her Olympic medal run and also at Wimbledon.

The 29-year-old was training with a former Grand Slam winner in recent hours. She posted an Instagram story showing her racquet in hand alongside Bartoli. The 2013 Wimbledon winner she was a special guest for a session. The Paris silver medallist will start her 2026 year with the WTA 250 in Auckland from January 5-11.

Bartoli has become known since retirement for commentary and punditry and it doesn't seem like a return is likely and she is merely keeping herself ticking over.

Alexander Bublik has stirred debate again surrounding tennis balls used at tournaments with continuous posts over the past few days on Telegram. Not the best publicity for the tournament going into the next few weeks.

"High quality balls from a Grand Slam tournament. After five minutes of practicing a slice," wrote Bublik on Telegram.

Some said that it was with old balls which was a point refuted by others saying that it was practicing with old balls but Bublik responded on Telegram. He said: "We'll be playing with this s*** in men's singles and doubles."

He said that the video below is after only 20 minutes of practice. Yikes.

Jasmine Paolini gained viral status with a brilliant photo taken by photographer Ray Giublio which has won ITF Photograph of the Year.

The image received widespread attention and Giubilo has received the top prize. It sees Paolini changing direction mid-rally and it resulted in her face being perfectly framed by the oval of her racket with her eyes and mouth aligned within the circles and triangle of the logo.

ITF President David Haggerty said: “The ITF Tennis Photograph of the Year once again highlights the creativity, skill and passion of photographers from across the global tennis community. This year we received entries from 37 countries, reflecting both the reach of our sport and the many different ways tennis can be experienced and captured. The winning image stood out for its originality, precision and storytelling, while the overall shortlist showcases everything from grassroots tennis to the very top of the game. I would like to congratulate all those whose work was recognised and thank everyone who took part.”

Garbiñe Muguruza said: “The quality and variety of the images submitted this year were outstanding. From the professional tour to grassroots and junior tennis, the shortlisted photographs tell powerful stories about our sport around the world. The winning image is incredibly original and perfectly demonstrates how a single moment can say so much.”

Ray Giubilo said: “I am very thrilled to learn that my photo of Jasmine Paolini has been chosen as ITF Tennis Photograph of the Year 2025. It means a lot to me, especially because this photo was up with so many other beautiful images. I knew I had submitted a nice image but knowing the talent of my peers I wasn't so sure it was going to be the winning photo.

“I feel that this is not only my success, but also for the whole brotherhood of tennis photographers with whom I have shared so many unforgettable moments of tennis in the last 37 years.