WTA Finalists hit the red carpet, 'Mini-Jannik' joins Sinner's bag as Coco Gauff shows off Halloween costume

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the WTA Finals appears to be the event stealing the spotlight this week, and it already had its first big moment at the players' party, where the players – traditionally dressed in gala attire – posed for the official photos of the tournament. The event featured the 8 best players of the season, including Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. Additionally, World No. 3 Coco Gauff shared photos of her Halloween costume – while also preparing for her debut at the WTA Finals.

On the men's side, Jannik Sinner received a good luck charm in Paris, following the gift of a personalized doll from a fan, as he continues his campaign at the Paris Masters – after reaching the semi-finals. Elsewhere, Rafa Nadal shared photos of his trip through Japan with his family, while Alexandra Eala celebrated a new career milestone.

The 4-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner received a special gift from a fan during his campaign at the Paris Masters. The World No. 2 received a letter from one of his fans, who had made a small personalized doll of Sinner, complete with the yellow outfit he wore at the 2025 Australian Open – when he lifted his third major title. “That’s beautiful, wow. And a carrot!,” the Italian commented with a smile when he received the gift. “Thank you so much, I hope this brings me luck, so I’m gonna put it in the bag obviously and let’s see.”

Sinner is currently still active in the Paris Masters, after comfortably defeating Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-3. The Italian is preparing to face the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time in his career, and will face Alexander Zverev – in a rematch of last week's Vienna Open final. The German comes from overcoming a tight match against Daniil Medvedev.

Holger Rune, the World No. 12 at 22 years old, wants to accelerate his return to official competition as much as possible after tearing his Achilles tendon in his left leg on October 18 during the semi-final of the Stockholm Open 250 against Hugo Humbert. That is why, 13 days after the unfortunate incident, he has returned to a tennis court. Holger himself showed it through his social media.

Rune, sitting in a chair and only supporting his right leg, hits the ball with his racket so as not to lose his timing or arm strength. The Scandinavian is expected to return to the circuit mid-next season, although certain rumors even rule him out for the entire year, depending on how his recovery evolves.

One of the most important events of the year in the women's calendar is about to begin: the anticipated WTA Finals, which once again features the 8 best singles players of the season in Riyadh – in addition to the 8 best doubles teams. The lineup is ready to start the tournament this Sunday, with the usual Round Robin format: two groups of four players, where everyone plays everyone, and the top two advance to the semi-final round, and subsequently the final.

The stars posed for the official photos of the tournament: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys, and Jasmine Paolini. The tournament will start this Sunday with the Serena Williams group in singles and the Martina Navratilova group in the doubles draw.

While everything is ready for the start of the WTA Finals, one player who has been active on social media – more than usual – is the 6-time major champion Iga Świątek, the second seed of the tournament. The Pole arrives in Riyadh for her 4th consecutive appearance in the WTA Finals, after winning the title in 2023.

Perhaps this is the occasion where there is the least pressure on Świątek, who is guaranteed to finish the year as World No. 2, regardless of the results she, or her rivals, achieve in Riyadh. The Pole has seemed relaxed on social media in the days leading up to the start of the tournament, and this Saturday she shared some photos before her debut in the tournament this Sunday, where she will face the 7th seed Madison Keys – the Australian Open champion from the start of the season.

Meanwhile, the American Coco Gauff followed the day's tradition by showing off her Halloween costume for October 31st (November 1st is when the user stated they were competing/posting). The American wore a distinctive Freddy Krueger outfit – the character from the Nightmare on Elm Street movie series. The World No. 3 enjoyed Halloween, despite having to compete this week in Riyadh.

The defending champion will take to the court starting this Sunday, facing her compatriot Jessica Pegula – a finalist in 2023. Both are part of the Steffi Graf Group – along with Sabalenka and Paolini – from which two of the semi-finalists will emerge.

Rafa Nadal is on vacation in Japan with the whole family. In addition to his wife and children, he is accompanied by his parents, his sister, and his mother-in-law, Mery's mother. “Had a great time in Japan 🇯🇵 with my family! Loved exploring, learning about the culture, traditions and visiting some amazing places. Thank you for all the kindness and warm welcome!”

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, through his Instagram stories, has published videos of well-known areas of the country like the Shibuya crossing, famous for its high pedestrian traffic and its three crosswalks. The photographs show the former tennis player and his companions dressed in kimonos and touring different emblematic points of Japan, more specifically in the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto.

Alexandra Eala left a compilation of her last days of competition in 2025 on social media, after finishing her campaign at the Hong Kong Open. The 20-year-old Filipina concludes a remarkable year in terms of her ascent, going from No. 140 at the beginning of the year to securing a spot in the top-50 in the next WTA ranking update. The Filipina was in Hong Kong, defeating Katie Boulter, but was eliminated in the second round against the Canadian Victoria Mboko.

The former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty shared a tender photo of her children on her Instagram account. The Australian 3-time Grand Slam champion retired from the courts back in 2022 – at just 25 years old and being the World No. 1 at the time. Since her retirement, Barty has prioritized family life, and shared a recent photo of her two children together: her son Hayden – born in July 2023 – and her daughter Jordan, born just four months ago.