Daily Dose of Social Media: Coco Gauff receives special gift from Snoop Dogg as Djokovic sends heartfelt tribute to Nadal

In today’s Daily Dose of Social Media, we recap the latest activities and entertainment of WTA and ATP Tour players on social media. Team USA shared moments with rapper Snoop Dogg, who also sent a special gift to Coco Gauff during Paris 2024.

Novak Djokovic paid a heartfelt tribute to Rafael Nadal on social media after defeating him in the second round of the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, the DC Open had a quirky start as players entered the court with puppies in their arms as Aryna Sabalenka shared a new reel of her preparation for the tournament.

The match of the day took place on Phillipe Chatrier between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It was the 60th meeting between the two greatest Grand Slam winners in the history of men's tennis, though this time under different circumstances. Nadal, at 38, and Djokovic, at 37, played for the first time in a second round.

The victory went to the Serbian, who won 6-1, 6-4 on an impressive day for the world No. 2, positioning himself as a strong candidate for the gold. After a straightforward first set, Djokovic led 4-0 in the second, but Nadal rallied to level at 4-4 before being unable to maintain his level, ultimately losing the match in straight sets.

With this win, Nole tips the balance in his favor with a 31-29 record in their head-to-head meetings. After the match, the Serbian posted some photos on social media and sent a message to his great rival following their first encounter in over two years: "Glad our epic rivalry is still a blockbuster, @rafaelnadal. Good luck in the doubles. Let’s go Serbia!"

Coco Gauff’s start at the Olympics has been overwhelming for her opponents. With easy wins over Ajla Tomljanović (6-3, 6-0) and Maria Lourdes Carlé (6-1, 6-1), the American No. 1 is already in the third round and full of confidence for what lies ahead. Additionally, in doubles with Pegula, they debuted with a win against Saville and Perez, remaining undefeated while waiting for their mixed doubles debut alongside Fritz.

The 20-year-old player had a special pin trading moment with the renowned artist Snoop Dogg. The 52-year-old rapper appeared in a Team USA video, sending an Olympic Games pin to the young tennis player: “Hey Coco, it’s big Snoop Dogg. Got something for you beautiful, this is for you. Great game today. Go USA,” he said.

The 2023 US Open champion appears later in the same video responding to the rapper and even inviting him to attend her title defense at Flushing Meadows next month: “Hey Mr. Snoop, thank you for this pin, this is the best pin that I’ve ever gotten, and I hope to see you at the US Open, or maybe I hear you come Wednesday to watch us play again. So thank you for the pin, and I see you at the next one.”

Aryna Sabalenka shared a video from the Mubadala DC Open as she awaits her debut on Wednesday. The top seed has been preparing for the hardcourt swing for weeks after recovering from an injury that kept her out of Wimbledon. The Belarusian chose to skip the Olympic Games to avoid physical repercussions from the rapid surface changes and decided to play the WTA 500 DC Open this week.

The two-time Grand Slam champion has stayed active on social media, providing updates to her fans about her tournament preparation. This time, she shared an Instagram Reel joking about the noise she encounters whenever she steps onto the practice courts: “POV: Drowning out the noise before stepping on the court.”

This Monday marked the beginning of the DC Open, the first tournament of the hardcourt swing, featuring top Tour stars who did not travel to the Olympic Games, including Sabalenka, Raducanu, Badosa, Jabeur, among others.

However, the highlight of the day was the match between Ashlyn Krueger and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round of the tournament. As they entered the main stadium of the William Fitzgerald Tennis Center, both players surprised everyone by walking in with little puppies in their hands, sparking a strong reaction from fans on social media.

“Best walk on ever or what,” commented Victoria Azarenka on social media, while Russian player Pavlyuchenkova acknowledged in the comments: “Probably my first time walking on with a smile.” The match was won by Pavlyuchenkova, who secured her place in the round of 16 with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory after three sets.

Snoop Dogg’s presence in Paris made an impression not only on Coco Gauff but also on the rest of Team USA. The legendary Billie Jean King, who was also in Paris, shared photos with the rapper, who was wearing a shirt with Coco Gauff’s image. Additionally, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro joined King to capture the moment with the American artist.

“Met the incomparable Snoop Dogg. Both of us were born and raised in Long Beach, California, and graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. LBC forever in our hearts,” Billie Jean King wrote on social media.

The relationship between Rune and Mouratoglou remains a rollercoaster, as they have once again decided to part ways. This is the third time they have chosen different paths, although they have reunited earlier on two previous occasions.

Their reconciliation came in February of this year, but it lasted only 22 weeks, as both announced on their social media: ‘Holger and I have decided to part ways. This decision was reached mutually, as we believe Holger would benefit from a different approach in his setup right now,’ Mouratoglou stated.

‘I have had some good talks with Patrick, and we mutually decided to part ways. He will always be a great friend, but for now, the best setup for me is to continue with Kenneth, who will be present at all practices and tournaments. Nothing changes in my relation to the Mouratoglou Academy, which has always been very helpful to me. I am looking forward to being healthy and back on track again,’ Rune posted on Instagram."

Fun interaction between Casper Ruud and Holger Rune. Both Scandinavians are prominent figures on the ATP Tour, but only Ruud could participate in the Olympic Games, as the young Dane suffered a wrist injury that forced him to withdraw from the tournament.

Three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ruud is already in the third round after dispatching Taro Daniel and Andrea Vavassori. The Norwegian commented on a photo of himself on social media, noticing that he was dressed entirely in red and white: ‘Should we try to add a little blue to this outfit for tomorrow?’ Ruud commented on Twitter, with a Norwegian flag emoji.

Rune also chimed in, despite not being in the draw, suggesting that people might think it’s him on court considering the Danish flag is also red and white: ‘People might think I play anyway, keep it up with the Scandinavian wins (and the outfit),’ Holger Rune responded.

Finally, in his confrontation with Vavassori, Ruud indeed came out with a new outfit that is more similar to the Norwegian flag, in the colors red, white and blue.