Daily Dose of Social Media: Ben Shelton's heartwarming gesture, Swiatek and Medvedev's fun padel crossover

In the latest Daily Dose of Social Media, ATP and WTA stars are fully immersed in the grass-court swing. While some names are already competing, the biggest stars opted for an extra week of preparation before their first tournament. Jannik Sinner, Mirra Andreeva, and Ons Jabeur were among those who shared their first images getting ready for their initial grass-court events.

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev and Iga Swiatek teamed up for a fun video, joining forces to take on a duo of professional padel players. Additionally, Ben Shelton—who today secured his first-ever appearance in the top 10—showed a heartwarming gesture to a young girl before his match against Jiri Lehecka.

Iga Swiatek and Daniil Medvedev starred in a fun promotional video for the 'Padel Challenge,' where they faced professional padel players in an exciting match on the padel court. The event, organized by Tecnifibre, saw them struggle to adapt to the walls and specific shot placements of padel.

The world No. 2 is preparing for Wimbledon, her next tournament after suffering a disappointing defeat in the French Open semifinals against her big rival, Aryna Sabalenka. Medvedev, for his part, played this week at the Libema Open s'Hertogenbosch, losing in the quarterfinals to lucky loser Reilly Opelka. His next tournament will be the Halle Open (third seed).

The crossover event highlighted padel's growing appeal, a sport that's become popular worldwide thanks to its dynamic gameplay and easy accessibility. Spectators loved the short chats, cooperative moments, and playful interactions between the tennis champions and their padel counterparts.

Stars from the Arsenal Women's football team visited the Queen's Club facilities to interact with some of the tennis players in a pre-tournament activity. Australian Ajla Tomljanovic and Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia attended, receiving complimentary jerseys that were also signed by the London team's captain, Kim Little. Both players also posed with the footballer before the tournament began, as part of the media day activities shared today on social media.

Jannik Sinner has arrived in Halle to play his first grass-court tournament. He attended his first practice session and was welcomed by the tournament director. This will be Sinner's only grass-court tournament before traveling to Wimbledon. He is the defending champion in Halle after defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the 2024 final (7-6, 7-6). The Italian hopes to recover from his tough loss in the Roland Garros final, where he squandered three match points against his rival Carlos Alcaraz. Since returning to the courts after a 3-month doping ban, Sinner has an 11-2 record, with his only losses coming in the Rome and Paris finals against Alcaraz.

Ben Shelton showed his softer side with a touching gesture towards a young fan during the coin toss at the Boss Open in Stuttgart. A simple photo captured a magical moment when Shelton gave a fist bump to the young girl, leaving her visibly stunned but euphoric.

This heartwarming interaction quickly went viral, with thousands praising Shelton for his kindness. And it's not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, at the Dallas Open, Shelton took the time to snap selfies with young fans, further endearing himself to his followers.

Ben Shelton defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-4, securing his spot in the tournament semifinals. Even more remarkably, the American is now guaranteed to enter the top 10 for the first time once the tournament concludes. His next challenge—in pursuit of his first grass-court final—will be against top seed Alexander Zverev, who handed him a tough loss in the Munich Open final two months ago.

Elina Svitolina shared a series of photos from her days off after the French Open, prominently featuring several pictures with her daughter, Skai Monfils—whose father is the legendary Frenchman Gael Monfils. The Ukrainian had a strong performance at Roland Garros, reaching the quarterfinals and defeating world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini along the way. However, she couldn't overcome four-time champion Iga Swiatek, being eliminated once again in the quarterfinals of a major.

Svitolina is quickly preparing for her return, as she will compete in the Berlin Ladies Open starting next week—a draw packed with stars featuring 14 of the top 15 players. After that tournament, the 30-year-old is entered in Bad Homburg (as the 8th seed) before concluding her grass-court swing at Wimbledon.

World No. 6 Mirra Andreeva has arrived in Berlin, getting ready for her first grass-court tournament. The teenager admits she has big ambitions for this part of the year, aiming to be in top form for Wimbledon and compete for the title.

Andreeva reached the quarterfinals at the French Open but ultimately fell to the surprise contender Lois Boisson. She called it one of the most painful losses of her career, dealing with frustration and an entire stadium against her.

Ons Jabeur also arrives to Berlin for the tournament. The 3-time Grand Slam finalist was recently seen in a video of her first practice session on the German grass courts. The Tunisian has not had a strong past year, falling to world No. 55, which means she will have to compete in the Berlin qualifying rounds starting this Saturday against France's Elsa Jacquemot.

Nevertheless, this could be a good opportunity for Jabeur to get matches on the surface and build confidence heading into Wimbledon, a tournament where she has reached the final twice—losing to Elena Rybakina (2022) and Markéta Vondrousova (2023).