Daily Dose of Social Media: Rome welcomes back Jannik Sinner, Andreeva and coach Martinez share special moment

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Italian fans welcomed world No. 1 Jannik Sinner during his practice session with Lorenzo Sonego ahead of his Rome Open debut. The three-time Grand Slam champion was cheered by the fans, who showed their massive support for his return after a three-month suspension.

On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka shared some photos of her birthday celebration, while two of her rivals, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, trained together today. The Russian teenager shared a special moment with her coach Conchita Martinez as they walked through the corridors of the Foro Italico, captured by the tournament's social media.

Aryna Sabalenka is back on the courts after her 27th birthday and is preparing for her debut at the Rome Open. The world No. 1 arrives in impeccable confidence after lifting her third Madrid Open title last Saturday, defeating Coco Gauff in the final (6-3, 7-6). The Belarusian has won 14 of her last 15 matches and appears as the strong favorite for the title in Rome.

Sabalenka also shared some photos on social media of her birthday celebration in Madrid, where she was with her work team and her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis.

Also on the court were world No. 3 Coco Gauff and world No. 6 Mirra Andreeva, who trained together as they prepare to compete in Rome. The American comes from reaching the final of the Madrid Open, where she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka. Precisely, Gauff eliminated Andreeva in the quarterfinals along the way (7-5, 6-1). This time, after the draw was revealed, they were again placed in the same section and could potentially face each other in the quarterfinals.

Andreeva was accompanied in training by her coach, former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez. The Spaniard is one of the top champions of the Rome Open with 4 titles, tied with Gabriela Sabatini and Serena Williams, and only behind Chris Evert's 5 titles. However, Martinez is the only one to have achieved four consecutive titles (1993-1996), also reaching the final in 1997, in a streak of 24 consecutive wins in Rome, the longest in the tournament's history, for both men and women.

As Conchita and Andreeva walked through the champions' corridor at the Foro Italico, Martinez stopped to show her protégé a photo of Karolina Pliskova lifting the Rome Open trophy back in 2019, precisely when Conchita Martinez was her coach. "I saw this one," Andreeva mentioned as her coach showed her the photo displayed in the corridor. "So now we want to have you here together. 2025 ok?" Martinez added as they walked out of the hall.

Lorenzo Musetti is preparing for his return to the clay courts amidst a remarkable campaign over the past few months that saw him reach the top-10 for the first time in his career a few weeks ago. Upon his arrival at his home Masters, Musetti has been one of the most sought-after players by local fans, and today he participated in a meeting with young fans, with whom he chatted and hit balls during the morning.

The Italian recently fell in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters against Carlos Alcaraz, and just two weeks later reached the semifinals at the Madrid Open – falling this time to Jack Draper. The 23-year-old Italian positions himself as one of the title contenders in Rome with good arguments after strong results on clay.

Shortly before Jannik Sinner's return to the Tour, the Italian held an open practice session at the Foro Italico, which gathered hundreds of fans eager to see up close the level Sinner would display heading into the tournament. The world No. 1 had a training set against Lorenzo Sonego and received massive support from the public, who cheered the three-time Grand Slam champion upon his arrival on the court and throughout the practice with his compatriot. The three-time Grand Slam champion awaits to know his opponent between the winner of the match between Mariano Navone and Italian Federico Cina.

Victoria Azarenka shared some photos of her first days in Italy while awaiting her debut at the Foro Italico. The former world No. 1 has been strolling through the city while waiting for her reappearance, following a disappointing first-round loss at the Madrid Open shortly after recovering from an injury sustained a month prior.

'Vichka' came close to winning the title back in 2013, reaching the final but falling to Serena Williams, which remains her best performance at the tournament so far. The Belarusian has a 28-13 (68%) record at the tournament and will debut in a tough match against Colombian clay-court specialist Camila Osorio.