Daily Dose of Social Media: Swiatek and Halep share frosty handshake, Sabalenka reacts to crying baby in Rybakina clash

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we take a look at some of the most important activities from the ATP and WTA stars of the day. While the World Tennis League is grabbing attention these days, the first day featured the return of Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep, who shared a tense handshake after their doubles match, just days after the Romanian criticized the different treatment she received in her doping case compared to the Polish player.

On the other hand, the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina had a fun moment when the Belarusian jokingly responded to a child's crying in the crowd during the most tense moment of the match. Meanwhile, Naomi Osaka updates her fans during her off-season.

‘That’s exactly how I feel!’: Sabalenka wins after comical interruption

Sabalenka experienced a funny moment during her match against Elena Rybakina at the World Tennis League. The 27-year-old Belarusian defeated the Kazakh player 7-6(3) in the women’s singles showdown between the Falcons and Hawks.

The World No. 1 led 5-0 but allowed the 2022 Wimbledon champion to fight back, leveling the score at 5-5 (and later 6-6) to push the match into a tie-break. However, Sabalenka managed to assert her dominance in the closing stages, sealing the victory with a 7-6(3) scoreline.

A peculiar moment occurred during the tie-break when a baby started crying in the crowd just as Sabalenka was about to serve. This prompted a spontaneous reaction from the Belarusian: “That’s exactly how I feel right now.” The interruption seemed to work in her favour, as she went on to win six of the next seven points, securing a hard-fought victory against one of her fiercest rivals on tour.

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Azarenka celebrates son Leo’s 8th birthday

Victoria Azarenka celebrates her son Leo’s 8th birthday during the off-season. The former World No. 1 travels with her son year-round across the Tour's tournaments, and he has been a regular companion during promotional events and exhibitions on the WTA Tour. Azarenka shared a photo on Instagram of the two smiling in matching pyjamas.

Leo is the son of former hockey player Billy McKeague, Azarenka’s ex-partner. After their separation in 2017, they endured a lengthy custody battle that even led the Belarusian to pause her career, refusing to travel without her son. Azarenka eventually gained custody and returned to the Tour in 2018. After a few years of rediscovering her form, Azarenka has remained at the top level, staying in the top 20 for at least 15 of her 18 professional seasons.

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Frosty exchange: Swiatek and Halep’s tense handshake

Iga Swiatek was happy to return to the court this Thursday at the World Tennis League but had a tense handshake with Simona Halep. The five-time Grand Slam champion was called to lead Team Eagles, alongside Paula Badosa, Alexander Shevchenko, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Swiatek first played doubles with Badosa but lost 5-7 to the duo of Simona Halep and Jasmine Paolini.

After the match, Paolini warmly greeted both rivals, while Halep hugged Badosa but offered Swiatek only a quick handshake, avoiding eye contact.

Recently, Halep criticised the handling of Swiatek’s doping case, pointing out a "big difference" in treatment and judgment compared to her own case. "I'm sitting and trying to understand, but it's really impossible for me to understand something like this. I stand and ask myself, why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgment? I can’t find and I don’t think there can be a logical answer. It can only be bad will from ITIA, the organization that has done absolutely everything to destroy me despite the evidence," Simona Halep wrote.

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Later, Swiatek stepped onto the court for her first singles match, where she defeated World No. 4 Paolini 7-5. In the overtime tie-break that closed the series, the Italian took the win, securing a 25-20 victory for Team Kites.

Despite the outcome, the Polish star took positives from her first day back in competition at this exhibition event, which serves as a prelude to the United Cup starting on 29 December to kick off the 2025 season.

Swiatek shared snapshots from her first day on her social media. “Day 1 in Abu Dhabi ✅ Having fun, playing some tennis and closing the gym,” she posted on Instagram.

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Osaka shares training progress as she rebuilds for 2025

Naomi Osaka shared footage of her recent training session in the gym as she prepares for the new season. The 4-time Grand Slam champion posted a video of her strength workout inside the gym, alongside another showing her doing on-court exercises with her team. The Japanese star recently added the renowned Patrick Mouratoglou, former coach of Serena Williams and Simona Halep, to her team.

Osaka will kick off her season in Auckland, New Zealand, where she is the 7th seed in the tournament. The World No. 58 will play her only warm-up event there before heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open, a tournament she won in 2019 and 2021. In Auckland, she faces a challenging draw with players like Emma Raducanu, Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, and Lulu Sun in what promises to be an open and competitive field.

Radwanska joins Linette’s corner to kickstart new season

Magda Linette announced on social media that she will add former World No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska as her coach for the upcoming season. The World No. 38 welcomes one of the brightest talents of recent years, the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up, who retired in 2018 at 29 due to health issues.

Radwanska, now 35, worked closely with Linette during the last United Cup, where she served as Team Poland’s captain, also leading Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz. It seems Linette is aiming to reclaim a spot in the upper echelons of the rankings after achieving a career-high top-20 position in 2023. Radwanska will join as the second coach of the former Australian Open semifinalist.