Daily Dose of Social Media: Djokovic’s training for Paris 2024, Nadal's praise for Borges, Querrey’s jokes about his ‘worst loss’

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we recap the latest updates and entertainment from ATP and WTA stars on social media. Rafa Nadal sent congratulations to Nuno Borges after falling in the Bastad Open final, while Novak Djokovic intensifies his training for the Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, Jasmine Paolini shared an emotional promotional video following a great year and as she looks forward to Paris 2024. Former players also made headlines on social media today, with a legendary photo from Martina Navratilova and Sam Querrey joking about his worst defeat.

Nadal congratulates Borges on Bastad Open victory

Rafael Nadal concluded his week at the Bastad Open after falling in the final to Nuno Borges. The Spanish player expressed his disappointment during the award ceremony but took to social media to congratulate his rival and share some photos from the final.

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“Congratulations to Nuno for his first ATP Tour title. Very well deserved and a special moment for him. All the best for the rest of the year and the career that as he said it’s worth to pursue now more than ever."

“It was great to be in a final again. It was great to be back in Båstad. Many thanks to all the teams organizing this great event,” Nadal added. “To all my fans around the world, thanks for the support.”

Querrey remembers the ‘worst defeat’ of his career against Andy Murray

Former world No. 11 Sam Querrey retired in 2022 at the age of 35 and transitioned to pickleball. The American frequently posts humorous videos on his social media, and this time he recalled the ‘worst match’ he ever played in his career back in 2022 at Newport.

“It looks like I’m making an 8-year-old carry my bag onto the court. Don’t know what I’m thinking, but that’s just bad ‘juju’ going into a match,” he began. “I’m playing Andy Murray in the first round. I come out hot! I break him right away… it’s about the only thing I do okay all day.”

“The wind was blowing 45 MPH. I had no clue what I was doing. I decided, ‘You know what, I’m gonna go whiff a ball!’ I just swung and missed,” Querrey commented while showing an easy ball he didn’t even manage to hit due to the wind and his bad day.

“Probably the worst match I played in my entire life, and there couldn’t be a worse person to play against than Andy Murray on grass,” he added. Even Stan Wawrinka responded to the hilarious video with laughing emojis.

Paolini ready for Olympic challenge

The Italian has been one of the best players this season, finishing as runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon. Paolini also won her first WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, results that propelled her into the top-5 for the first time in her career.

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The 28-year-old will be the 4th seed of the tournament (after Sabalenka's withdrawal) and will be one of the favorites to win a medal, especially after reaching the final at Roland Garros two months ago. Paolini starred in a promotional video where she spoke about her expectations for the Olympics:

“It feels good to be playing the best tennis of my life, and of course, to represent Italy, it’s a dream and to do it at the Olympics, it’s something special,” she said. “I think the Olympics is the main competition in sports, so I want to go there and enjoy the atmosphere, to maybe meet some other athletes, trying to learn something about sports, about life.”

“I think I’m a different player, a different person,” Paolini added. “At the end of last year, I started to believe more in myself before stepping on the court. I say to myself ‘okay, I can lose, I can win, but I can fight, I can compete with the opponent.’ I improved so many aspects, but I think the main one is to believe more in myself.”

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Djokovic intensifies training for Paris 2024

Novak Djokovic returns to the Olympic Games after his defeat in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz for the second consecutive year. The Serbian is now preparing for Paris 2024 at Roland Garros and will be the second seed in the draw.

Nole shared a set of photos of himself training and preparing on clay courts. The Serbian’s best result at the Olympics is a bronze medal from Beijing 2008. Djokovic will be aiming for the coveted gold medal starting next week, the only title missing from his collection. “Getting ready for Olympics. Who’s with me?” the 24-time Grand Slam champion captioned.

44 Grand Slam titles in a single shot: Navratilova’s star-studded Wimbledon photo

Martina Navratilova shared a particularly interesting photo after her time at Wimbledon as one of the experts on the TV broadcasts. The 18-time Grand Slam champion posted, “The only selfie I took while there,” alongside two other tennis legends.

The image features her great friend and rival Chris Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, and 8-time Slam champion Andre Agassi. All three were present at SW19 throughout the tournament as honorary guests, considering they are all members of the All England Club as former Wimbledon champions.

Martina Navratilova

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And the only selfie I took while there:) ⁦@ChrissieEvert⁩ - looking fine:)

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Kostyuk takes a summer break in Monaco

World No. 19 Marta Kostyuk is enjoying a few summer days in Monaco. The Ukrainian reached the third round at Wimbledon and is now looking forward to her participation in the Olympic Games in a week. The Ukrainian No. 1 suffered three defeats in her last four matches on clay, including the French Open.

She will arrive at Paris 2024 without playing any clay tournaments after Wimbledon. Nevertheless, after an intense season, Kostyuk is taking the time to recharge before the fight for the medal.

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Australian Tennis Duo Saville and Perez Test Olympic Beds 

Fun video of Daria Saville and Ellen Perez 'testing out the cardboard beds at the Olympics.' The cardboard beds, first implemented at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, will be used again this year in Paris 2024.

The Australian players are already preparing for the tournament, which will be held at Roland Garros, and shared a fun video testing the durability of the beds for the athletes. In the video, Perez is seen jumping on the cardboard bed while Saville records her, laughing. You can find the clip they shared on social media here.