Daily Dose of Social Media: Coco Gauff and Serena Williams steals the spotlight at the Oscars

Serena Williams and Coco Gauff met at the Oscars Gala event. Both Americans were among the luxury guests at the most important cinema event of the year, in moments we review in a new Daily Dose of Social Media.

On the other hand, stars like Ben Shelton, Naomi Osaka, Mirra Andreeva, and Daria Kasatkina appeared in recent videos as they prepare for Indian Wells. At the same time, Aryna Sabalenka shared her vision of the future of women’s tennis following the launch of the WTA's new brand.

Coco Gauff made her debut at the Academy Awards ceremony, the most important event for awarding films from the past year. On this glamorous occasion, the World No. 3 wore a radiant yellow tennis-inspired dress and strutted down the red carpet outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The 2023 US Open champion complemented her outfit with diamond jewelry and a hairstyle featuring braids and a messy bun. The 20-year-old American shared several photos from the gala and even ran into one of her idols, the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, a regular guest at such events, who posed for pictures with Gauff.

It was announced today that Serena Williams has become the co-owner of the WNBA expansion franchise, the Toronto Tempo. The 23-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t wasted time since her retirement and continues to be an active entrepreneur and investor in sports, healthy food, and fashion, with a particular focus on women-led startups. Williams joined a group of owners led by Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures.

“I am thrilled to announce my ownership role in the first Canadian WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo,” Williams said in a statement. “This moment is not just about basketball; it is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity. I am excited to partner with Larry and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy.”

Ben Shelton is now training at Tennis Paradise, aiming to continue his strong 2024 season, which has placed him in the ATP Race top 5, meaning he is one of the five players who have accumulated the most points this year – behind Sinner, Zverev, Auger-Aliassime, and Alcaraz.

The American will look to take advantage of playing at home during the Sunshine Double to continue racking up solid results, and why not, challenge for a surprise title at Indian Wells. Shelton reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, where he earned most of his points this season. The American has shown that it’s in big tournaments where he performs best, having reached a Grand Slam semifinal at the 2023 US Open and two Masters 1000 quarterfinals. At Indian Wells, he defends the 4th round he reached in 2024, where he lost to third seed Jannik Sinner.

Naomi Osaka recently appeared in a video training in the California desert, quickly traveling from Las Vegas after her exhibition match against Aryna Sabalenka at the MGM Rewards Slam in the Michelob Ultra Arena. The 4-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by the current World No. 1, with Sabalenka taking the victory 6-4, 6-3 in a match that both players treated as preparation for Indian Wells.

The Japanese player knows what it's like to lift the trophy after winning the title in 2018, defeating Daria Kasatkina in the final, which marked the first final with two players under 21 years old since 2001 (Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams). On the other hand, Sabalenka’s best result at Indian Wells came in 2023, when she reached the final but lost to Elena Rybakina, who avenged her Australian Open loss from a week earlier.

Mirra Andreeva and Daria Kasatkina reunited once again, this time in a fun WTA "Inside the Tour" video. The two Russian players are training at Tennis Paradise while preparing for the upcoming Indian Wells. They were seen chatting and having fun on the court after a joint training session. Both players have often shown their strong off-court relationship, especially in Kasatkina’s YouTube Vlog, where Andreeva has captured attention with her unique personality.

In a recent WTA video, the two Russians were seen sharing time in California, along with former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martínez, who is now Andreeva's coach. Andreeva recently became the new Russian No. 1 after winning her first WTA 1000 title in Dubai, surpassing Kasatkina. This Monday, they both appeared in 11th and 12th place in the WTA Rankings.

Aryna Sabalenka was the star of the night at the WTA Rally the World launch event. The WTA decided to make a future-facing change, launching their new branch with the aim of expanding the growth of women’s tennis both in terms of audience and economically, becoming an increasingly important player in the sports and entertainment industries.

At the launch event, World No. 1 Sabalenka emphasized the new model's focus on giving more space to other entertainment industries. “I think that lately tennis has been so much into fashion and different industries, so I think having all of these incredible people out here tonight, I think it’s very important to help tennis get into fashion, music, and all of those industries because tennis is so beautiful, and so unique, and I think we deserve to be seen.”

Emma Navarro’s joy knew no bounds after securing her first WTA 500 title at the Merida Open. The American World No. 8 achieved the most important title of her career by defeating Colombia’s qualifier Emiliana Arango in the final with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 scoreline. The 23-year-old player ensured she would remain in the top 10 after a negative streak at the Australian Open, having won only one of her last four matches before Merida.

A video circulating on social media captured the special moment between Navarro and her father. The celebration after the 23-year-old’s victory was a sight to behold. Both father and daughter took to the podium wearing traditional Mexican ‘sombreros’ as a nod to the local culture. The joyful occasion was marked by a charming victory dance.