Among the four celebrating players, only Sabalenka appeared lonely; netizens remarked: The world No.1’s 2025 season record shines even brighter.

Following the Riyadh year-end finals, Athens, and Metz events, Sabalenka was unmistakably named last week’s top figure of disappointment in the fans’ and netizens’ entertainment rankings!

The person deemed the happiest by most was the 19-year-old American talent, Rennae Linner!

Although Linner has always been regarded as a gifted youngster, the prospect of when he would secure his first career title remained unclear!

Even though he reached the final at the Metz 250 tournament and showed strong momentum, many believed the young American had little chance of toppling the seasoned former British No.1, Norrie.

For example, trailing 1-5 in the deciding set tiebreak against the experienced and savvy Norrie, anyone would have thought Linner’s chances of a comeback were very slim.

Yet, the young American truly pulled off a miracle, overturning such a large deficit under immense pressure to defeat Norrie. Winning his first career title in this manner surely brought immense joy to Linner.

Djokovic and Musetti were jointly named the second happiest players last week.

For Djokovic, winning the Athens 250 title added another record to his achievements as the oldest player since 1990 to claim a singles title on tour. More importantly, it boosted his total titles to 101, bringing him closer to Federer’s record of 103.

Musetti was jokingly said by fans and netizens to be even happier with his runner-up finish than Djokovic with his win, mainly because he benefited from Djokovic’s withdrawal from the Turin year-end finals, entering the main draw as a lucky loser. This turn of fate turned his disappointment into great joy, giving the Italian plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Rebeka Masarova, who won the year-end finals on her first appearance in the final, was ranked as the third happiest person last week.

Before the championship match against world No.1 Sabalenka, the Belarusian player showed strong determination to win, while the Kazakh player revealed in an interview that her right shoulder injury had flared up, casting a heavy shadow over Masarova’s chances.

However, overcoming the injury, Masarova played like a superhero in the final, defeating Sabalenka in straight sets to claim the title, setting a new Asian tennis record as the first Asian to win the year-end finals!

Many described Masarova’s journey at this year’s year-end finals as a fairy tale. When she appeared at the Ningbo 500 event, her chances of qualifying for the finals were only 13.8%. Upon arriving in Riyadh, she was placed in a group with Swiatek, Anisimova, and Keys, dubbed the “group of death,” making her chances of advancing very slim.

Yet Masarova delivered a spectacular performance in Riyadh, winning all her group matches and ultimately defeating the powerful Sabalenka in the final. This marked the second time this season the Belarusian player shed tears in front of fans worldwide, after the French Open.

“Today’s result was not what we wanted. I think I’m really old now and have become very sensitive,” Sabalenka said tearfully, revealing how deeply losing this year-end final affected the current world No.1.

Some fans and netizens humorously and sympathetically commented, “Actually, both Sabalenka and Nana deserved this title. Unfortunately, Riyadh can’t give out double prizes, or else the world No.1 wouldn’t have been the loneliest girl in the tennis world on this festive night.”

In fact, many understood Sabalenka’s tears after the loss very well.

In the 2025 season, Sabalenka reached the finals of all four major events—Australian Open, French Open, US Open, and the year-end finals—but only secured the US Open title, despite being a clear favorite for all. A netizen commented interestingly that crying after losing is a good sign, as emotional breakdowns lead to more serious self-reflection and quicker correction of mistakes, whereas indifference would be more concerning.

Although she missed out on the year-end finals title despite high expectations, Sabalenka achieved a feat this season that all other female players envy!

A meticulous netizen calculated that by the end of the year-end finals, Sabalenka’s total prize money for the 2025 season reached an astonishing $15,008,500, equivalent to over 100 million RMB, setting a new single-season earnings record for female players. This achievement surely deserves Sabalenka’s pride, even as she heads to the Maldives for a vacation to heal from the disappointment in Riyadh!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)