Gigi Hadid, Serena Williams take part in virtual tennis match

(L-R) Gigi Hadid, Serena Williams and Bella Hadid during HBO New York’s premiere of ‘Being Serena.’ (AFP)
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Updated 04 May 2020
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Gigi Hadid, Serena Williams take part in virtual tennis match

DUBAI: Dutch-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid and US tennis star Serena Williams lost a virtual tennis match for charity on Sunday.

They competed in the Mario Tennis Aces tournament, hosted by IMG, for the charity Feeding America.

The duo, who have been friends for a while, played doubles live on Facebook’s recently launched Facebook Gaming app, and lost against tennis player Madison Keys and British singer and songwriter Sean. 

“Sad we didn’t make it further, but happy and lucky to have gotten the opportunity to donate $25K to Feeding America today (sic),” the model, who is expecting a baby girl with her boyfriend Zayn Malik, wrote on Instagram.

During the Live, the 25-year-old spoke about how she has been preparing for the game. “I’ve been playing with my sister, my boyfriend and my friends, so they’ve been helping me play doubles,” she said.

The pregnant model also revealed that she suffered a minor injury while training for the virtual tennis match. “I thought we were playing swing mode originally so I was playing and I fully pulled my shoulder. I was training very hard.”

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REVIEW: ‘Shrinking’ season three flounders but Harrison Ford still shines

Updated 19 February 2026
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REVIEW: ‘Shrinking’ season three flounders but Harrison Ford still shines

DUBAI: In its first two seasons, “Shrinking” offered a smartly written, emotionally intelligent look at loss, therapy and the general messiness of human connection through the story of grieving therapist Jimmy (Jason Segel) — whose wife died in a tragic accident — and the village of flawed but recognizably human characters helping to heal him. Season three struggles to move forward with the same grace and thoughtfulness. It’s as though, encouraged by early praise, it has started believing its own hype.

For those familiar with co-creator Bill Lawrence’s other juggernaut, “Ted Lasso,” it’s a painfully familiar trajectory. That comedy also floundered in its third season. Emotional moments were resolved too quickly in favor of bits and once-complex characters were diluted into caricatures of themselves. “Shrinking” looks like it’s headed in the same direction.

The season’s central theme is “moving forward” — onward from grief, onward from guilt, and onward from the stifling comfort of the familiar. On paper, this is fertile ground for a show that deftly deals with human emotions. Jimmy is struggling with his daughter’s impending move to college and the loneliness of an empty nest, while also negotiating a delicate relationship with his own father (Jeff Daniels). Those around him are also in flux. 

But none of it lands meaningfully. The gags come a mile a minute and the actors overextend themselves trying to sound convincing. They’ve all been hollowed out to somehow sound bizarrely like each other.

Thankfully, there is still Harrison Ford as Paul, the gruff senior therapist grappling with Parkinson’s disease who is also Jimmy’s boss. His performance is devastatingly moving — one of his best — and the reason why the show can still be considered a required watch. Michael J. Fox also appears as a fellow Parkinson’s patient, and the pair are an absolute delight to watch together.

A fourth season has already been greenlit. Hopefully, despite its quest to keep moving forward, the show pauses long enough to find its center again. At its best, “Shrinking” is a deeply moving story about the pleasures and joys of community, and we could all use more of that.