Daily Dose of Social Media: Sabalenka's No. 1 message, Swiatek responds with training video

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Iga Swiatek shared videos of her training after losing the world No. 1 spot to Aryna Sabalenka, while the Belarusian sent a message on social media after returning to the top and ending Swiatek’s 50 consecutive weeks of dominance.

On the other hand, Holger Rune expressed his deep respect for Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem was given an emotional tribute at the Vienna Open amid his retirement, and Taylor Fritz slammed the ITF.

Iga Swiatek continues training towards the end of the season after losing the world No.1 spot to Aryna Sabalenka this Monday. The Pole is now world No. 2, and although she still has a chance to finish the year at the top of the rankings, she is nearly 800 points behind the Belarusian in the WTA Race. This means she would need to win the WTA Finals undefeated and hope that Sabalenka is eliminated in the Round Robin stage.

Swiatek shared a recent video showing her training both on the court and doing strength work in the gym: "👋🏼Last week be like..." she posted on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka sent a message on social media, stating that she hopes to finish the season as world No. 1, after breaking Swiatek's 50-week consecutive reign at the top. The Belarusian, a two-time Grand Slam champion, will spend her 9th week at No. 1 and is in the best position to finish the season as the world’s top player.: “N1…. Let’s see for how long this time 🙌🤞❤️”

A strange situation unfolded at the start of the match between Matteo Berrettini and Marton Fucsovics at the Vienna Open. The Italian won the coin toss and chose to receive, but the umpire misunderstood him. As both players prepared to start the match, the balls were on Berrettini's side, while Fucsovics looked puzzled as no ball boy offered him the balls.

The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up quickly approached the umpire to clarify the situation, after which the ball kids sent the balls to Fucsovics' side, in a rare scene. Berrettini went on to win 7-5, 6-4. In the second round, he will face the winner between 5th seed Frances Tiafoe and Cameron Norrie, who will play on Tuesday at Center Court.

Dominic Thiem is playing his final professional tournament this week at his home event, the Vienna Open. The Austrian received an emotional tribute before his debut against Luciano Darderi. The 31-year-old played an exhibition match against his friend Alexander Zverev, with colleagues like Frances Tiafoe, Jack Draper, and Matteo Berrettini in attendance, as well as retired legends such as Boris Becker, Tommy Haas, Nicolás Massú, and André Schürrle.

Thiem also received messages from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who sent video tributes to the Austrian, one of the biggest challengers to the Big-3’s dominance over the past decade.

“What a night! I would like to sincerely thank everyone who joined me for my farewell last night! It means the world to me that you all came to share this special moment with me,” posted the former world No. 3.

Holger Rune praised Novak Djokovic and spoke about his respect for the 24-time Grand Slam champion both on and off the court. The 21-year-old has faced Djokovic six times, with a head-to-head record of 2-4, with Djokovic winning their last three encounters, including the fourth round of Wimbledon.

Regarding Djokovic, Rune spoke about the moments they’ve shared both in training and off the court, expressing his admiration for the Serbian player. “He’s an amazing human first of all. And you know, the tennis player he’s been for so many years, so I just have all my respect for him,” commented the former world No. 4.

The Dane will debut at the Swiss Open Indoors this week against Chilean player Nicolás Jarry. Rune is the 4th seed in the draw, and this will be his last tournament before heading to the Paris Masters, where he has already tasted victory, following his epic 2022 campaign in which he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final.

Taylor Fritz reacts to the new off-court coaching rule starting in 2025. As announced by the ITF today, from January 1, 2025, coaching will be allowed for players from outside the court. The statement read: “Following a majority vote from National Association delegates at the 2024 ITF AGM in Hong Kong, the ITF Rules of Tennis will be amended to allow off-court coaching from 1 January 2025.”

Although off-court coaching will be allowed, the ITF maintains its position on prohibiting on-court coaching, except in exceptional cases: “In team events only, where a team captain sits on-court, the team captain may give coaching to the player(s) at such times permitted by the sanctioning body concerned.”

Despite the ITF mentioning broad agreement among all relevant institutions, the American and recent US Open runner-up criticized the rule change on social media: “Can we stop ruining the 1v1 mental/strategic aspect of the sport PLEASE.”

Bianca Andreescu celebrated her latest victory at the Tokyo Open after more than three months without a win. The Canadian has faced a tough return to the WTA Tour, with some notable wins against players like Naomi Osaka, Linda Noskova, and Anna Kalinskaya. However, in recent months, she suffered four consecutive first-round losses.

The 2019 US Open champion made her debut at the WTA 500 Tokyo Open on Monday, facing local player Mei Yamaguchi to advance to the second round of the tournament. She now faces a tough challenge against second seed Beatriz Haddad Maia on Tuesday. So far, with only eight tournaments under her belt, Andreescu has reached world No. 159, and her win in Tokyo secured her return to the top 150 (currently No. 138 in the Live Ranking). “That one felt extra special 😅🙏” Andreescu posted on social media.