In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, Carlos Alcaraz stole the spotlight behind the scenes, smiling and joking around with Grigor Dimitrov during an interview, as well as enjoying a top-tier training session with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka and Marta Kostyuk are getting ready for the clay-court swing, sharing photos and videos of their first training sessions on the surface.
Djokovic and Alcaraz warm up together in Monaco
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz reunited in Monte Carlo as they gear up for the first Masters 1000 of the clay season. Both players await their opening-round opponents, who will be determined on Monday, before making their debuts on Tuesday. In the meantime — as often happens when they attend the same tournament — the two shared a training session, showcasing their great relationship both on and off the court. After practice, they spent some time joking around together on court.
Both players are among the top contenders for the Monte Carlo title. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is making his 18th appearance at the event — the most by any player in Monte Carlo history — having lifted the trophy three times. Meanwhile, Alcaraz will be playing the tournament for only the second time, after missing the last two editions due to injury. He is yet to record a win here, having lost on debut as the 8th seed to Sebastian Korda.
Djokovic’s enduring love for Monte Carlo
By now, Djokovic is not only the most successful player in tennis history, but also known for the longevity of his career, continuing to break records at the sport’s biggest tournaments. As he prepares for his 18th appearance in Monte Carlo, he expressed his special appreciation for the event after learning that on Tuesday, he will officially become the player with the most main draw appearances at the season’s first clay-court Masters 1000, surpassing Rafael Nadal’s 17 appearances.
“I mean it feels Good in some way to have played it so many time, so many years always enjoyed Monte-Carlo,” the world No. 5 declared. “It’s a place where i reside for so many years, both of my children are born in Monte-Carlo, so i know the courts well, i know the people who are working and the club really transforms during the tournament, so it’s not recognisable really but it’s beautiful, so many people, Friends. Italy particularly they come, they love tennis, support so it’s exciting to be here again
Caught on camera: Alcaraz shares a laugh with Dimitrov
Carlitos has proven to be one of the best players of recent years — with four Grand Slam titles — but his off-court personality always draws attention. During media day interviews, he had a funny moment when he bumped into Grigor Dimitrov, who was walking around the tournament grounds. While Alcaraz was answering an interview, the Bulgarian walked past him with the main court in the background.
The world No. 18 is one of the few players who can boast of having defeated Alcaraz more than once. Their head-to-head currently stands at 4–2 in favour of the Bulgarian, although their most recent match — just a few weeks ago in the Indian Wells Round of 16 — was won by Alcaraz. Dimitrov had taken the two previous encounters, but in Tennis Paradise, it was Carlitos who got his revenge.
Azarenka kicks off ‘cooking career’
Victoria Azarenka shared a video as she “starts her cooking career,” showcasing the entire process of preparing lobster with lemon sauce, served with spaghetti. The former world No. 1 took fans along from her trip to the grocery store to buy the ingredients, to the detailed preparation of the dish. The Belarusian star revealed her skills beyond the court in a video filmed from her own kitchen.
“While I’m recovering from injury, I thought I would share a bit of my other passion which is cooking 👩🍳 What do you guys think?” posted the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Naomi Osaka prepares comeback with first clay-court training pics
Naomi Osaka shared photos from her first week on clay courts as she gears up for her return to competition following a solid run at the Miami Open. The four-time Grand Slam champion had suffered disappointment in Indian Wells earlier in March, losing in the first round to Colombia’s Camila Osorio, in what the Japanese player described as “the worst match of her career.”
However, the former world No. 1 bounced back strongly in Miami, winning three consecutive matches to reach the Round of 16. Her run was halted by 6th seed Jasmine Paolini, who came from a set down to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Osaka will kick off her clay season at the Madrid Open. Although the surface hasn’t brought much success in her career so far, she stated a year ago that her goal is to fight for the Roland Garros title and complete the Career Slam (she also needs Wimbledon to achieve that).
Just a year ago, she came close to a major upset at Roland Garros, pushing Iga Swiatek to the limit — the Pole, with three French Open titles at the time, would go on to win her fourth one week later. Osaka proved she can compete at the highest level on clay and will look to start the clay swing on the right foot in Madrid.
Kostyuk shares training video ahead of clay season
Another player already preparing for the clay swing is Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who shared a video of her latest training session. The Ukrainian played her last tournament at the Miami Open and will compete this week in the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, representing her country. She’ll be travelling to Poland for the group stage.
Kostyuk will join Elina Svitolina in Group E, where Ukraine will face Poland and Switzerland in the battle to qualify for the BJK Cup Finals — which will be held on indoor hard courts.
Still, Kostyuk is already thinking ahead to the clay season, which she’ll kick off at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart — where she reached the final in 2024, before falling to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina. With plenty of points to defend, Kostyuk is getting ready for the first WTA 500 of the clay season.
