Tennis News Roundup: Iga Swiatek called out after 'disrespectful' gesture at WTA Finals after crushing loss; Question about Novak Djokovic's ATP Finals spot gets important update

Fans online denounce Iga Swiatek for not shaking the chair umpire's hand after her embarrassing WTA Finals loss to Elena Rybakina. The president of the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) has assured fans that Novak Djokovic will play the ATP Finals.

Jannik Sinner self-contradicts while expressing happiness at replacing Carlos Alcaraz as the World No. 1 after winning the Paris Masters. Russian player Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova says she was wrong about Alcaraz's pretentiousness before meeting him. Martina Navratilova calls out US President Donald Trump for saying he looks much better than New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

On that note, let's explore the stories of the day:

#1. Fans slam Iga Swiatek for cold-shouldering umpire after WTA Finals loss to Elena Rybakina

Despite winning the first set of her round-robin WTA Finals clash with Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek lost 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 on Monday, November 3. Fans online came down heavily on the Pole, who skipped shaking the chair umpire's hand after the match.

This was the second match for both the 'Serena Williams Group' players. Earlier, Swiatek and Rybakina had secured comfortable wins against Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova, respectively.

As soon as the last point was completed, the two players greeted each other at the net. Rybakina proceeded for the traditional handshake with the chair umpire. However, a visibly frustrated Swiatek headed straight to her bench. Fans criticized her for this, especially since there were no errors or bad calls in the match.

"How disrespectful not to shake the hand with the chair umpire. Like at the Olympics after the loss against Zheng," a user wrote. "I get being upset with yourself but the umpire has nothing to do with you sending forehands out to Mars. It’s just disrespectful; be as mad as you like but respect the rules of the game," another fan wrote. "Ms Trimetazidine has recently shown herself to be a very sore loser," one fan commented.

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#2. Top official confirms Novak Djokovic's ATP Finals participation, putting withdrawal rumors to rest

2025 Shanghai Rolex Masters - Source: Getty

Since his US Open semifinal loss to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic has played only one tournament - the Shanghai Masters - where he lost to Valentin Vacherot in the last four amid physical struggles.

Djokovic will begin his ATP 250 Hellenic Championship campaign in Athens on Tuesday, November 4. However, fans have been worried about whether the Serb would withdraw from the year-end championship, as he did last year due to injuries.

Speaking on Rai Gr Parlamento radio, Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP), confirmed the former World No. 1's participation in the ATP Finals.

“We have had confirmation that Djokovic will be there in Turin,” Binaghi said.

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#3. Jannik Sinner goes against his statement about replacing Carlos Alcaraz as the World No. 1

Jannik Sinner, who, before the Paris Masters, said it was "impossible" to regain the No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz this year, has now said he was aware of the possibility. Alcaraz faced a shocking early exit in Paris against Cameron Norrie, while Sinner emerged victorious to dethrone the Spaniard from the top spot in the ATP rankings.

In a press conference ahead of the Paris Masters, Sinner said:

"It’s impossible. Honestly, I’m not thinking about this at the moment. It’s going to be a goal for next year. This year it’s not in my hands."

However, after winning his fifth ATP 1000 title, the Italian said he knew he had a chance.

"Well, it's not only in my hands, but I'm of course happy. I knew from the beginning of the week that there is this chance. But as I said, you know, before the final, before every tournament or before every match, I try to put the best performance I can on the court, and then whatever comes, comes. And this is how I went on court," he said.

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#4. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova reveals negative first impression of Carlos Alcaraz

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova recently recalled her first impression of Carlos Alcaraz, saying he came across as pretentious because he smiled "all the time." However, the Russian player realized that the Spaniard had a jovial nature.

Appearing on the "Box" podcast, Pavlyuchenkova said she could not believe a person could smile all the time.

"After that I really took a liking to Alcaraz. Because somehow, well, I don’t really know, I didn’t really like his manner, because it seemed to me that he had a bit of a pretence, he smiles all the time. I thought, ‘How is that possible?’. I compare myself, I have just drama there all the time when I play. I thought, ‘How is it possible? He smiles at his team all the time, it’s too much,'" Pavlyuchenkova said (39:00).

Pavlyuchenkova's last match came at the US Open, where Victoria Azarenka beat her in the second round. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is gearing up for the ATP Finals.

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#5. Martina Navratilova says "insanse" is an understatement for Donald Trump

During an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes last Friday, US President Donald Trump said he looks much better than Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani. Trump has even warned people that he will cut the city's funding if they elect Mamdani.

When asked about being compared to the 34-year-old, Trump said:

"Well, I think I'm a much better looking person than him, right?"

Political commentator Brian Krassenstein shared the clip on X and wrote:

"BREAKING: Trump just claimed he’s better looking than Mamdani. Yes he’s insane."

This is when Martina Navratilova stepped in. Although she agreed with Krassenstein, the tennis legend opined that the US President was worse than just "insane."

"Insane is the least of it," Navratilova wrote.

Edited by Parag Jain