Daily Dose of Social Media: Serena Williams honoured at Inter Miami match, WTA shares behind-the-scenes footage with Swiatek, Gauff, and more

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we take a look at how WTA stars – including Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Jessica Pegula – appeared in an interesting behind-the-scenes video at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which ended with Mirra Andreeva's title.

On the other hand, Jasmine Paolini and Jack Draper shared reflections on their Instagram accounts after tough setbacks, while Serena Williams was honoured at the Inter Miami match and posed alongside David Beckham and Paul Pogba.

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WTA video gives behind-the-scenes look at Dubai

A new WTA video gives a behind-the-scenes look at the players' journey through the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which ended with Mirra Andreeva’s first WTA 1000 title, making her the youngest player to win a title of this category since its introduction in 2009.

In the recent video shared by the WTA, viewers get a glimpse of the training sessions and the journey of the players during the second WTA 1000 tournament of the season. The Inside the Tour video features comments from players like Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Ons Jabeur, who were accompanied during their training sessions and media day interviews. Additionally, the video recaps Andreeva’s analysis of her journey to the title, as well as interviews with doubles champions Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

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Fonseca’s fans surround him at Rio Open

A recent video showcases the new reality of Joao Fonseca, following his rise to fame in the past few months. The 18-year-old Brazilian star participated in the Rio Open as the big local hope to have a homegrown champion for the first time in the tournament's history. However, Fonseca was knocked out in the first round by the surprising Alexandre Muller, bidding farewell early to the only tournament of the year in his country.

Nevertheless, the South American quickly changed his status on the Tour, reaching his best ranking as world No. 68 and earning impressive runs, including titles at the Next Gen ATP Finals and Argentina Open, as well as his first top-10 triumph at the Australian Open, where he defeated Andrey Rublev. Fonseca appeared in a recent video as a spectator at the Rio Open, but he couldn’t go unnoticed, as several fans approached him for photos while he tried to watch the match.

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Jasmine Paolini gives update on her recovery after Dubai injury

Jasmine Paolini gave fans an update on her recovery after the injury she sustained at the Dubai Open. The two-time Grand Slam finalist won her first-round match against Eva Lys, but suffered a devastating loss to Sofia Kenin (4-6, 0-6) in the round of 16, meaning she couldn’t defend the title she won last year, resulting in a significant loss of 880 points in the ranking. She now appears as World No. 6 this Monday.

The Italian finished the match against Kenin with an ankle injury after twisting her ankle at the start of the second set, even shedding some tears. Despite the pain, she chose to continue and finish the match.

However, Paolini has resumed training after taking a few days to rest and recover. She shared an update on her recovery via Instagram: “Hey! 😀 I took a few days off to rest and check on my foot. Feeling much better now! Back to training and getting ready for the tournaments in the US. 💪🏽🇺🇸”

With this progress, Paolini is expected to arrive at Indian Wells as the 6th seed starting March 3.

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Serena Williams receives ovation at Inter Miami and meets some football legends.

Serena Williams attended Inter Miami’s latest match, making an appearance on the pitch to take photos with some of football’s biggest names. The 23-time Grand Slam champion posed with club owner and former Real Madrid star David Beckham, as well as 2018 World Cup winner Paul Pogba.

The tennis legend was also joined by her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and received a standing ovation from the crowd during a special tribute. Beckham presented Serena with a pink Inter Miami jersey, featuring the number 1. After the tribute, Williams watched the match from the VIP suites, where she had the chance to see Lionel Messi up close.

“Why do athletes do the same thing? Oh yeah and about last night @davidbeckham @olympiaohanian @paulpogba”

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Draper reflects on Qatar Open final loss to Rublev

Jack Draper shared his thoughts after his Qatar Open final defeat to Andrey Rublev. The 23-year-old Brit had battled past Matteo Berrettini and Jiri Lehecka on his way to the final, coming from a set down in both matches. Against Rublev, he seemed poised to complete the comeback for a third consecutive time, but the Russian’s experience ultimately proved decisive as he secured a 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 victory.

“Very proud of my performances this week in Doha. Congrats to @andreyrublev for the win… you deserve it!! Unfortunately, I have made the decision to withdraw from @dubaidutyfree,” Draper posted.

The new world No. 12 explained that he was prioritising recovery after a physically demanding week: “I’m taking onboard advice to prioritise my recovery and manage my body after a number of long matches… and give myself the best chance of competing consistently throughout the year.”

Although disappointed to miss the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Draper remains focused on the upcoming tournaments: “I’m gutted not to compete at such an amazing event @dubaidutyfree_tennis but will look forward to returning to competition @bnpparibasopen.”

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Kostyuk reveals her childhood tennis idols

Ukrainian star Marta Kostyuk took part in a Q&A session while playing Jenga during the media day at the WTA 500 Mérida Open. The world No. 19 is the 6th seed at the Mexican tournament and will make her debut on Tuesday against Australia’s Daria Gavrilova in the first round.

After a shaky start to the season, the Ukrainian has picked up six wins and three losses since the Australian Open, with her best result so far being the quarterfinals at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open.

During the Q&A session, Kostyuk was asked about the tennis player who influenced her the most as a child, but she struggled to choose between two of the sport’s greatest legends: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. “I used to watch a lot of tennis when I was a kid, so I was always taking a bit from everyone. But I would say Roger and Novak, I think. I remember them the most from my childhood.”

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