Rybakina lifts the crown; Kerber and Jabeur light up Riyadh; Djokovic celebrates in Athens as Challenger marathon breaks records

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the moments that stole the spotlight on the ATP and WTA, particularly with Elena Rybakina's victory over Aryna Sabalenka for the WTA Finals title in Riyadh. At the same tournament, Angelique Kerber and Ons Jabeur caught attention, though this time in their role as ambassadors during the week.

Separately, Novak Djokovic claimed his 101st title and took to social media to celebrate the victory in his new city of residence in Athens. Finally, the Challenger Tour provided a historic moment after Tomás Barrios won the longest match in its history.

Elena Rybakina was the big star of the day after defeating Aryna Sabalenka, winning the WTA Finals 6-3, 7-6(0), and taking home the largest individual prize money in women's tennis history: $5.23 million. Rybakina had a near-perfect tournament, with five consecutive wins—four of them against Top-5 players—to claim her biggest title since Wimbledon 2022.

The Kazakh was active on social media, where she sent a greeting to the fans who supported her during her journey in Riyadh. She also shared the moment of the match point that gave her the win and the title in an imposing performance against Sabalenka. "Hi everyone, it was an incredible week here in Riyadh. I’m so happy with this trophy, amazing achievement for me and thank you so much for the support, the atmosphere here was amazing, a lot of kids, and yeah, it was great and hopefully I can be back next year."

Aryna Sabalenka concluded her season after being defeated by Rybakina, but true to her style, she showed good humor on social media despite the loss in the final. The 4-time major champion arguably had the best season of her career, with a 63-12 record (84%) and 4 titles in 9 finals reached, in addition to a notable 23-3 record in Grand Slam tournaments.

The World No. 1 ends the season with a comfortable lead atop the rankings, allowing her to head into the start of the next season without too much pressure to maintain the top spot. Sabalenka shared her appreciation on social media for the fans who supported her in Riyadh, as well as for her team. "What a tournament ♥️ This wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for but I’m grateful to have made it to the finals. Thank you to the fans for making me feel so welcome here, this stadium has such a special atmosphere. And thank you to my team, you all left me speechless on the court. 🤣 But seriously, I’m really grateful for you all. We have so much to be proud of 🤝"

Novak Djokovic was another player who shouted champion this Saturday, after defeating the Italian Lorenzo Musetti for his 101st title following a 3-hour battle at the Hellenic Championships. The former World No. 1 fought a great battle against Musetti and ultimately prevailed at the Hellenic Championship, a tournament owned by his family that recently moved from Belgrade to Athens, marking its first edition in the capital of Greece.

Djokovic—who recently changed his residence to that city—was practically a local all week and capped a notable week with his second title of the season. Shortly afterward, he announced he would not participate in the ATP Finals—leaving the spot open for Lorenzo Musetti, precisely the player he defeated in the final, who will now join the top 8 players of the season in Turin (excluding Nole) for the tournament starting this Monday.

"I dedicate this win to the wonderful people of Greece. You support me, you support tennis, you’ve made me feel at home 🙏🏼. A win that feels even more special with so much family here. Huge gratitude also to everyone who made this beautiful new tournament so special. To @lore_musetti, what an epic battle. Congratulations on an incredible performance and tournament. 👏 Keep it going, your future is bright. Idemooo 🏆 🇬🇷"

Jasmine Paolini took to social media to share her reflections and photos from her time at the WTA Finals in Riyadh for the second consecutive year. The Italian was the only player who competed in both the singles and doubles draws—where she partnered with her compatriot Sara Errani, the tournament's top seed. However, Paolini had little to celebrate: she was eliminated from singles with a 0-3 record, and in doubles with a 1-2 record, her only win coming on the first day against 8th seeds Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs.

Paolini nevertheless ends the year as the highest-ranked player combined across singles and doubles: World No. 8 in singles and No. 3 in doubles. "Finishing my week here in Saudi Arabia after the @wtafinalsriyadh. I’m really happy about qualifying, even though a virus kept me from performing the way I wanted. Still, it’s been an experience. Huge thanks to the @wta, the tournament, my doubles partner @saraerrani87, and my team for all the support this week. I’ll take some time to rest and recover, and I’ll be back soon. 🇮🇹”

If something characterized this week in Riyadh, it was the massive presence of big names from the WTA's past, with several former World No. 1s and emblematic players participating in tournament activities or even in coin tosses. While Garbiñe Muguruza served as the Tournament Director, some of the ambassadors included former World No. 2 and 3-time major finalist Ons Jabeur, or the already retired former No. 1s Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep.

The German player, Kerber, specifically shared a post on her social media today with several photos from her time in Riyadh. The winner of 3 Grand Slam titles played the tournament five times, reaching the final in 2016 (losing to Dominika Cibulkova). "What a week at the WTA Finals! 💜 So fun to experience everything courtside this time… and yes, I still miss competing 😅 Grateful for all the memories and new experiences - and that my little boy got his first ever accreditation at a tennis tournament."

By the other hand, Jabeur also shared some words after her second year as ambassador of the tournament. “Riyadh, you’ve been truly inspiring! Honoured to witness the power and passion of the @wtafinalsriyadh ❤️Thank you for having me! 💥🎾 #WTAFinals”

A historic moment was witnessed this weekend at the Lima Challenger after a match lasting 4 hours and 24 minutes—the longest in the history of a Challenger tournament. The protagonists were the Chilean Tomás Barrios Vera (No. 122), who defeated the Argentine Juan Bautista Torres (No. 381) with a score of 7-6(2), 6-7(6-8), and 7-6(12-10).

Such an extensive match managed to set a new record. The clash between the South Americans broke a 14-year-old record. In Barranquilla 2011, Italian Flavio Cipolla and Colombian Robert Farah played for four hours and 23 minutes. The new record is, therefore, by one minute more. You can see the moment of Barrios' victory below.