Daily Dose of Social Media: Rybakina and Halep reunite in Dubai practice, Shapovalov hits umpire

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the most significant activities and entertainment from ATP and WTA players. Elena Rybakina and Simona Halep stole the spotlight on social media after a video surfaced of them training together in Dubai, with both players aiming to return to top form.

On the other hand, Naomi Osaka shared a photoshoot from her days in Tokyo despite her injury, and Denis Shapovalov is once again at the center of controversy after hitting the umpire in his quarterfinal match at the Basel Open. All this and more in a new day on the main social platforms.

Elena Rybakina reunited with Simona Halep in Dubai for a training session as she prepares for the WTA Finals. It was a practice session between two strong Tour names who are aiming to regain their form. Although Rybakina remains in the top-5, she hasn’t competed regularly, completing only two matches since Wimbledon and going two months without official tournaments.

A video surfaced on social media a day ago showing Rybakina training in Dubai, and her meeting with Halep seems to confirm her participation in the upcoming WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Halep will play at the Hong Kong Open starting Monday as she continues to work her way back to peak form. Halep has struggled with injuries since her doping ban was lifted in March, and this will be only her fourth tournament of the season. In early October, she secured her first Tour win in over two years after defeating Arina Rodionova.

Denis Shapovalov accidentally hit the umpire with a ball during his quarterfinal match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Basel Open. In a tense encounter, the French player took the victory 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(3). The tense moment occurred in the first set when, while returning Mpetshi Perricard’s serve, Shapovalov unintentionally hit the umpire with the ball.

Shapovalov immediately ran over to apologize, and the umpire, understanding it was entirely accidental, took it with humor, so no penalty was given to the former World No. 10.

Shapovalov likely remembered a similar incident in 2017, when at age 17 in the Davis Cup, he was disqualified for hitting the umpire with a ball. The young Canadian was tasked with deciding the series against Great Britain in a decisive fifth match against Kyle Edmund. After an unforced error, he hit a ball in frustration, which unfortunately struck the umpire, costing Canada the match and the series.

Holger Rune held a Q&A session during his participation in the Basel Open. The fourth seed has had a remarkable run in the tournament, achieving impressive victories against Nicolas Jarry, Dominic Stricker, and David Goffin, and has reached the semifinals, where he will face the inspired Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who has already hit 70 aces in just three matches.

This time, the 21-year-old Danish player spoke in more detail about off-court topics, from what he does first thing in the morning to his biggest challenges outside of tennis. "The first thing I do when I get up is brush my teeth, have breakfast, and talk with my family," mentioned the former World No. 4.

Rune also chose the athlete he would like to play doubles with: "I would go for Cristiano Ronaldo; I think he's a massive inspiration, and his dedication is incredible. I would love to share a moment with him," he commented. The Danish player also spoke about the great experience he had writing his books and his favorite outfit throughout his career, among other things.

Naomi Osaka makes a comeback in a compilation of photos on Instagram shortly after announcing the end of her season. The four-time Grand Slam champion suffered an unfortunate injury during the China Open when she was about to start the third set of her round-of-16 match against Coco Gauff, forcing her to retire.

Although Osaka ruled out a serious injury, she wasn't at 100% to compete in the Japan Open and preferred to end her season early. Nevertheless, she is already focusing on the 2025 season and is virtually assured of finishing the year at least within the top 60 after rising more than 750 positions in the WTA Ranking.

In the latest photos of Osaka, she can be seen enjoying her time in Tokyo during the last week. Although she did not participate in the tournament, the former World No. 1 decided to travel nonetheless to take part in promotional activities and be present from outside the court in her home country, where she was one of the most anticipated stars for the tournament.

Rafael Nadal and his father Sebastian attended a luxurious event in Saudi Arabia, mingling with global stars. The 22-time Grand Slam champion appeared in photos shared by American jeweler Jacob Arabo, alongside NFL legend Tom Brady, Academy Award-winning actor Will Smith, and entrepreneur David Grutman.

Nadal is enjoying some time in Saudi Arabia following his participation in the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament, where he faced Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic for the last time as a professional (both matches ended in defeats). The former world No. 1 is preparing for his farewell at the upcoming Davis Cup Finals, where he will join Team Spain to face the Netherlands. Nadal will team up with Alcaraz, Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreño Busta, and Marcel Granollers.

Ben Shelton's match against Andrey Rublev took an unexpected turn when a thick fog rolled onto the court during the players' warm-up. The American experienced a bizarre moment as he prepared to face the Russian in the Basel Open. Shelton provided a hilarious scene as he tried to clear the fog with his towel while walking around the court. His opponent, Rublev, took it in good humor, laughing from the other side of the court.

The match eventually swung in favor of the 6th seed, with Rublev winning 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 to advance to the semifinals, where he’ll meet Arthur Fils. The Frenchman defeated Shelton less than a month ago in the Japan Open quarterfinals in a tight match, with Fils prevailing 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2).