Daily Dose of Social Media: Denis Shapovalov’s hilarious encounter with Bernard Tomic, Casper Ruud announces engagement

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Denis Shapovalov shared a funny anecdote about a training session with Bernard Tomic, where Tomic "kicked his a**" despite not having played in months. Meanwhile, Casper Ruud announced his engagement to his girlfriend, and Nicolas Jarry is preparing for the preseason with an Olympic tennis legend.

Denis Shapovalov shared a funny story from the early days of his career during a training session with former top-20 player Bernard Tomic. In a UTS video, the Canadian recounted his experience to Thanasi Kokkinakis, saying: "I was doing preseason in Gold Coast and I was super confident, like I made the Paris final. So I’m working so hard, and (Mikhail) Youzhny, he’s saying: ‘Tomic is here. Maybe we set up a practice,’ and I’m like ‘Is he hitting though?’, like how good is it going to be, you know.”

Tomic, once a rising star on the Tour, won the Australian Open juniors in 2008 and broke into the top 30 by age 19. However, his career stalled amid frequent controversies on and off the court.

“We start hitting, and everything is good. Ten, fifteen minutes in, and he’s like, ‘Hey, can we grab a drink? Can we grab a drink?’ He’s like, ‘I’m gassed.’ He’s on the bench, saying, ‘This is my first hit in like six months or something like that,’” Shapovalov said, laughing. “After 30 minutes, he’s like, ‘Guys, I’m done, I can’t go anymore.’”

The session ended with a quick tiebreak. “Dude, the guy crushes me! Like 10-4, like insane. And I wasn’t playing bad. The guy was passing me, playing ridiculous,” Shapovalov concluded.

Caroline Wozniacki shared a video of her return to the golf course after a two-year break. Like fellow tennis stars Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz, the former world No. 1 enjoys golf as a pastime but had set it aside since resuming her tennis career in 2023. "Good to be back after a 2-year break! #fore 🏌🏼‍♀️" she posted.

Since her return, Wozniacki has balanced family life with her husband and two children alongside her tennis career. She concluded the season as world No. 71 despite a limited schedule, posting a 16-13 record. Her top results include reaching the third round at Wimbledon, the fourth round at the US Open, and the quarterfinals at Indian Wells.

The ATP dedicated a video to one of the newcomers of the year, 19-year-old Juncheng Shang, who finished the year ranked World No. 50 after a stellar season. Shang claimed his first ATP 250 title at the Chengdu Open, defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. Transitioning seamlessly from an impressive junior career, the Chinese player became only the second man from his country to reach the top 50, following Zhizhen Zhang, who achieved the feat in 2022.

Known as "Jerry," Shang is undoubtedly a player to watch in 2024. He already boasts wins over players like Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Alexander Bublik (twice). “There’s always a positive thing. If you think happy, you’re happy; if you think sad, you’re sad. That’s how it works for me,” Shang said in the video posted on the ATP Tour’s official account. “There are so many good things around me, and there’s not always negatives even when things are going wrong. For me, just keeping a happy and positive mindset gets me going every day.”

Laura Robson celebrated her appointment as the new tournament director of the WTA 500 Queen’s Club in London. The former British No. 1 will head the event, which marks the return of women’s tennis to London after 50 years. Robson already has experience as the director of the WTA 250/ATP Challenger Nottingham Open.

The Queen’s Club Championships will kick off the grass-court swing the week of June 9, right after the French Open. It will be one of three WTA 500 tournaments played on grass courts in the season, alongside the Berlin Ladies Open and the Bad Homburg Open. “So excited to be part of this! Bringing women’s tennis back to London with a new event 🌱🎾,” she posted.

Casper Ruud announced his engagement to Maria Galligani, his girlfriend since 2018, via social media. The Norwegian tennis star shared photos on a beach with Galligani, both dressed in white, and revealed that he proposed to the psychologist. The three-time Grand Slam runner-up received congratulations from colleagues including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, and four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters.

Ruud ends the year ranked world No. 7, thanks largely to a stellar clay-court season. He won the Barcelona Open and the Geneva Open, reached the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters, and advanced to the semi-finals at Roland Garros. While his second half of the season was less impressive, he qualified for the ATP Finals and made a surprising run to the semi-finals, which included a notable win over Carlos Alcaraz. However, he ultimately fell to the eventual champion, Jannik Sinner.

Nicolas Jarry is gearing up for the 2025 season and shared a photo on social media with a triple Olympic medallist. The world No. 36 had a rollercoaster year, highlighted by reaching his first Masters 1000 final at the Rome Open, but later struggled with seven consecutive first-round losses.

The Chilean faced issues with his middle ear that caused balance problems throughout the season, a condition he has yet to fully overcome. However, Jarry revealed he is starting to feel better and is already preparing for the upcoming season. Training in Barcelona, he welcomed a visit from his compatriot, former world No. 5 Fernando Gonzalez, and shared a photo with the 2004 Athens gold (doubles) and bronze (singles) medallist, as well as the 2008 Beijing silver medallist in singles.