Raducanu unwinds in Asia, Fritz celebrates 28th birthday as Sabalenka stirs buzz with viral hat

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the season begins to draw to a close and the WTA Finals are getting closer to being held in Riyadh. Precisely the stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova – who will compete in the WTA Finals – shared updates before the tournament.

Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu shared some snapshots of her days on the Asian swing – after ending her season a couple of weeks ago. Additionally, Taylor Fritz celebrated his birthday with a victory at the Paris Masters, while the emotional moment was provided by the retirement of Nicolas Mahut in the doubles at the Paris Masters – pairing up with the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Emma Raducanu shared some highlights of her days on the Asian swing, after concluding her season a couple of weeks ago. The 2021 US Open champion said goodbye to the 2025 season after falling in the first round of the Ningbo Open to local star Zhu Lin. The Brit finished the year inside the top-30, with the chance to start the Australian Open next year as a seeded player.

Although injuries continued to trouble Raducanu, she had a much more consistent year, with good results and a 28-22 record, in addition to a semi-final appearance at the WTA 500 DC Open and a strong run to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open. Raducanu shared some photos of her relaxing days in Asia, after her season ended, and we will have to wait to see Raducanu back on the court until the start of the 2026 season. "recent highlights🕊️🧘🏻‍♀️had to ask to join in an ā yí‘s game in the park but followed her clear instructions!!😆"

Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff are already settled in Riyadh preparing for the WTA Finals 2025, where Gauff arrives as the defending champion, while her compatriot Anisimova will be the sole debutante at the tournament. In fact, 6 of the 8 participants competed last year – joined this year by Madison Keys, Australian Open champion, and Anisimova, 2-time Grand Slam runner-up and champion of two WTA 1000 events throughout the season (Doha, China Open).

Both players met on the training courts to send greetings to the fans as they enter the final week of preparation before the year-end tournament, which brings together the 8 best of the season. It will be a historic edition with 4 Americans – something that hasn't happened in 23 years, when the format included up to 16 players. “Hello guys, super excited to be here in Riyadh,” commented Anisimova in the video, while Gauff added “hopefully you guys could support us, and see you.”

The World No. 4 Taylor Fritz celebrated his birthday this Tuesday amidst his participation in the Paris Masters. The 2024 US Open runner-up fulfilled his goal by defeating Aleksandar Vukic to guarantee his passage to the second round, on his 28th birthday. The American No. 1 is already an established player, having been among the best on the Tour for several seasons.

This 2025 he has a 52-20 record and two titles – besides remaining inside the top-5 for practically the entire year. Fritz has a career record of 335-210 and 10 titles. The American awaits his third-round match in Paris Masters against the winner between Alexander Bublik (13th) and Corentin Moutet, in what is his last tournament before traveling to Turin. He is preparing to compete in the ATP Finals for the third time, after reaching the semi-finals in 2022 and the final in 2024.

Iga Swiatek shared several photos upon her arrival in Riyadh, as she prepares for the WTA Finals. The World No. 2 shared photos of her training, getting ready for her 4th consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals – after winning the title in 2023. The Pole also had free time to explore the city, spending some time with her team as they toured Riyadh alongside coach Wim Fissette and psychologist Daria Abramowicz.

The 6-time major champion played her last tournament at the Wuhan Open, where she was surprised in the quarter-finals by Jasmine Paolini, with a painful 1-6, 2-6 defeat. The Pole then decided not to play any more tournaments to arrive fully rested in Riyadh to compete for the WTA Finals, now without possibilities of finishing the year as World No. 1, but with the chance to seek the 4th title of the season and the 26th of her career.

It was his last tournament. At 43 years old, Nicolas Mahut completed his farewell tour at the Rolex Paris Masters. And for the occasion, he had a prestigious partner: Grigor Dimitrov. Unfortunately, the Franco-Bulgarian duo was no match for the Franco-Monegasque pair formed by Édouard Roger-Vasselin and Hugo Nys, losing 6-4, 5-7, and 10-4, despite putting up magnificent resistance. Thus, at 43, the Frenchman officially retires. All this follows a long and incredibly successful career.

A career marked by an unforgettable and legendary match: the famous first-round encounter against John Isner at Wimbledon 2010. Simply, the longest match in history. 11 hours and 5 minutes of an incredible battle spread over three days and concluded 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (3), 70-68 in favor of the American. Mahut retires with a total of 37 doubles titles – including 5 Grand Slams – besides having been World No. 1 in doubles and 2017 Davis Cup champion.

The world No. 1 once again shared some photos of her rest days prior to the WTA Finals, enjoying time with friends while spending the days at her residence in Dubai. The 4-time Grand Slam champion also shared photos with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis and her close friend – former world No. 2 – Paula Badosa. In one of the photos, the Belarusian is seen wearing a hat with the inscription: “Everyone watches women’s sports,” read Sabalenka's hat in one of her photos.

Sabalenka is preparing to compete in the WTA Finals for the 5th consecutive year, with her best result being the 2022 final. This time she defends the semi-finals reached in 2024, when she fell to eventual champion Coco Gauff. Sabalenka is expected to travel to Riyadh in the coming days, after the draw is defined, which will place her in the Steffi Graf Group, alongside Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini.