Tennis News Roundup: Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka-led WTA Finals under fire after 'sad' photoshoot; Carlos Alcaraz shakes off Paris Masters loss with much-needed break in Spain

Countdown begins, as the WTA Finals are just a few hours away. The top eight players from the singles and doubles categories will battle it out for the year-end title, with big stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff starting off as some of the favorites.

On that note, let us take a look at some of the top stories of the day:

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#1. Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and others feature in 'sad' WTA Finals photoshoot

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and Jasmine Paolini featured in the WTA Finals photoshoot in vibrant outfits. However, fans were not impressed with the way the players looked and complained that the photoshoot looked rather 'sad.'

The official account of the WTA posted a picture of all the players on X (formerly Twitter). Fans shared their displeased reactions in the comments, with one fan writing,

"They all look sad,older than they are and this photo gives no emotion."

The event will start on November 1 and will continue till November 8.

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#2. Carlos alcaraz takes much-needed break after Paris loss

Carlos Alcaraz recently suffered a heartbreak in the second round of the Paris Masters as he was defeated by Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. However, ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin, the Spaniard took some time off from the sport and enjoyed a soccer match.

The six-time Grand Slam champion was spotted in the match between Real Murcia and Antequera Cf in the Copa Del Rey, as seen in a clip shared by Tennis Letter on X (formerly Twitter).

"Carlos Alcaraz enjoying a little time off watching the Real Murcia game. Supporting his home team", they posted.

Alcaraz's team eventually bagged the win, defeating Antequera Cf in the penalties.

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#3. Aryna Sabalenka talks about lessons learned from Novak Djokovic after a double date with the Serb and his wife

Aryna Sabalenka revealed that she and her boyfriend, Gerogios Frangulia, went on a double date with Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena Djokovic, recently. However, she also added how, in addition to their friendly relationship, she looks up to him and also was enlightened by him in many aspects.

In a recent interview, Aryna Sabalenka said,

"How to stay settled and how to look at everything as you're looking from the outside on the situation on the court, off the court. Just to, like, be able to sit back and look at everything. Kind of like it's not you looking, it's someone else looking at your situation. I think that's the best lesson that you could take from Novak."

The world No. 1 also revealed that the double-date was an impromptu plan they came up with during a practice session.

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#4. Alexander Bublik loses temper during Paris Masters

Alexander Bublik recently had an outburst during one of his matches against Taylor Fritz at the Paris Masters earlier today. He lashed out at his team during an exchange after a game, as he was seemingly unhappy with the instructions given to him.

In the exchange Bublik was heard saying,

"If I hit every backhand winner I’m going to win a slam but I don’t want to win a slam, I want to have a retirement."

Unhappy with what his team suggested, Bublik proceeded to say,

"Guys f**k off"

He ultimately won the match against the American and qualified for the quarterfinals in Paris.

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#5. Fans unhappy with poor promotion of WTA finals in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has previously faced criticism as the host of the WTA Finals multiple times. Fans once again voiced their disappointment as the organizers were accused of poorly promoting the tournament in the country, which features popular WTA stars like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka.

Fans shared their thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) after the photoshoot images took a long time to be released. A fan wrote:

“This is so f**king embarrassing and disrespectful towards fans and especially players! This photoshoot took place 7-8 hours ago and still nothing! WTA Finals used to be a prestigious event.”

Last year also the event took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Coco Gauff took the champion's crown.

Edited by Tushhita Barua