Served 5 Setter
Sinner Skips Davis Cup, Ronaldo Invests in Tennis, Saudi Masters 1000 Announcement, & More.
Happy Friday, everyone!
This week on the Served 5 Setter: A major announcement from the ATP Tour that warranted a Breaking News Quick Served Episode, Davis Cup drama involving Jannik Sinner, and what’s next for Novak Djokovic in 2025? Plus, a soccer legend is investing in Brazilian tennis and details on an insane pro pickleball winning streak.
Watch or listen now to stay ahead of the game. Keep scrolling for bonus stories that didn’t make the episode!
Rybakina Clinches Last WTA Finals Spot
Elena Rybakina officially clinched the last spot for this year’s WTA Finals after defeating Victoria Mboko 6-3, 7-6 (4) at the Pan Pacific Open on Friday. Entering Tokyo trailing Mirra Andreeva by just 14 points in the Race to Riyadh, World No. 7 Rybakina needed to reach the semifinals to secure her place at the year-end championship. Mission accomplished.
This will be Rybakina’s third consecutive WTA Finals appearance, where she aims to advance beyond the Round Robin stage for the first time.
She joins the elite field of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini. Andreeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova are the alternates. The tournament runs from November 1-8.
Gauff Named “Most Marketable” Tennis Player of 2025
Speaking of Coco Gauff, the two-time major winner leads the list of tennis players in SportsPro’s 2025 Top 50 Most Marketable Athletes Rankings. Gauff is tenth on the list, joining the company of international superstars like Lewis Hamilton, Simone Biles, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lebron James in the Top 10.
The rankings measure athletes’ brand strength, audience reach, and economic influence, making Gauff’s rise another example of her expanding impact both on and off the court. The timing couldn’t be better: the reigning French Open champion just stared in a new ad for the upcoming ‘Wicked: For Good’ movie.
Other tennis stars featured in Top 50 list include Novak Djokovic (15), Carlos Alcaraz (18), Jannik Sinner (21), Aryna Sabalenka (27), and Iga Swiatek (40).
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Alcaraz’s 2023 Wimbledon Racket Sells for Record $173K
The customized Babolat racket Carlos Alcaraz used to win the 2023 Wimbledon final sold at auction this week for $173,000, making it the most expensive racket ever sold. His epic five-set victory over Novak Djokovic marked the Spaniard’s first Wimbledon title and his second Grand Slam.
This sale surpassed the previous record held by Rafa Nadal’s 2017 French Open racket, which sold for $157,300 earlier this year. Both auctions were handled by Prestige Memorabilia.
Matt Cashin, founder of Prestige Memorabilia, told Tennis.com, “Carlos Alcaraz is bringing so much attention to this sport and that’s also being reflected with his collectible sales. Tennis is witnessing the rise of a generational champion and collectors recognize that.”
Tommy Paul Out of Paris, Season Likely Over
Tommy Paul withdrew from next week’s Paris Masters on Thursday, marking another setback in his injury-plagued 2025 season. The 28-year-old hasn’t competed since the US Open, where he battled a left foot injury. The current World No. 20 isn’t scheduled to play any events after Paris, effectively ending his season.
The American reached new heights early in the year, breaking into the Top 10 for the first time and making quarterfinal runs at both the Australian Open and Roland-Garros. But a combination of foot and abdominal injuries derailed his progress and forced him to pull out of the Davis Cup, Laver Cup, and the Shanghai Masters.
Paul joins Novak Djokovic as top players who withdrew from the final 1000-level event of the season.
Among the 48 players to win 20+ ATP titles in the Open Era, Daniil Medvedev is the only one to win each title in a different city.
Elena Rybakina is the only player on the WTA Tour to have more than 10 wins respectively at Grand Slam, WTA-1000, and WTA-500 events this season.
Jannik Sinner now leads the ATP Tour in 6-0 sets this season, overtaking Carlos Alcaraz with nine “bagels” in 2025.
In the 5 Setter Podcast we asked: Who holds the record for the longest professional singles match win streak in tennis history?
The answer: Martina Navratilova. The Hall of Famer won 74 consecutive matches in 1984 which included 13 consecutive titles.
Weekend Draw
The top two seeds, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, both lost in the Round of 16, leaving Casper Ruud as the highest seed to reach the quarterfinals. He’ll face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Friday.
Jannik Sinner meets Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals on Friday in Vienna. Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur, seeded second and third, also advanced to the elite eight.
No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina will meet No. 6 Linda Noskova in the semifinals after both players advanced on Friday. American Sofia Kenin will face No. 5 seed Belinda Bencic in the other final four match.
Lulu Sun and Claire Liu, both ranked outside the Top 100, are into the semifinals and each look to win their first WTA title. No. 2 seed Ann Li awaits the winner of Katie Volynets and Shuai Zhang.
All finals will be played on Sunday, October 26.
Full international WTA & ATP broadcast list.
We Want To Know…
…as we near the end of the season, what was your favorite match of 2025? Drop your take here!
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Garbine Mugurutha is the tournament director of the WTA Finals. I love that for her and for us! So nice to see a recently retired player diving into post-pro career success 🤓