Alcaraz begins new chapter with Cobolli, Swiatek invests in youth, Sabalenka’s pink homecoming and Eala’s golden celebrations

In a new Daily Dose of social media, we take a look at the latest updates from the tennis world as the 2025 season draws to a close and players prepare for what's ahead. This edition highlights Alex Eala’s historic gold medal at the SEA Games in Thailand and Carlos Alcaraz’s new training chapter in Murcia alongside Flavio Cobolli following his split with Juan Carlos Ferrero. We also take a look at the meaningful community work being done by Ash Barty in Australia and Iga Swiatek in Poland, proving that the impact of these champions extends far beyond the baseline.

From Aryna Sabalenka's "pink" homecoming in Dubai to Holger Rune's grueling recovery process following Achilles surgery, the stars are sharing every step of their journey. We also celebrate a milestone birthday for Barbora Krejcikova as she looks to bounce back from a tough injury-ridden season. Whether it’s holiday exhibitions or intense off-season preparation for the Australian Open, this dose covers the highlights you might have missed on your feed.

Carlos Alcaraz is already training in Spain without the presence of his now former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, following their split a few days ago. The world No. 1 has a high-level training partner in Italian Flavio Cobolli, who is in Murcia accompanying the 6-time major champion for off-season work. Photos and videos on social media have showcased their great relationship off the court.

The Italian was a key figure in the recent Davis Cup, securing the definitive victory against Spain's Jaume Munar to give Italy their third consecutive Davis Cup title. Cobolli—currently world No. 22—enjoyed his time with Alcaraz while preparing for his first tournament of the new year, the United Cup, where he will join Jasmine Paolini in Australia to face France and Switzerland in Group C.

Alexandra Eala shone at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games held in Thailand. The world No. 53 dominated local favorite Mananchaya Sawangkaew (6-1, 6-2) in the final to claim the gold medal. The Filipina, who was a revelation at the Miami WTA 1000 earlier in the 2025 season, became the third player from her country to triumph in this competition.

Social media was filled with images of Eala's celebration after the victory, including her emotional reaction following match point and dancing celebrations with Team Philippines. The world No. 53 also received shoutouts from the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she trained as a junior. Eala ends the year with another great triumph and will begin preparing for the 2026 season, debuting at the ASB Classic in Auckland on January 5th. She will be the 4th seed in a draw that includes Elina Svitolina, Emma Navarro, and Iva Jovic.

Holger Rune continues his recovery work following the Achilles tendon rupture that required surgery and forced a pause in his career. The Dane suffered the injury during the Stockholm Open semifinals against Ugo Humbert. A long recovery is expected; he will miss at least the first half of the 2026 season, and could potentially remain off the court for the entire year depending on his progress.

“It is now 2 months since my achilles surgery and I am leaving Qatar today, after almost one month of rehab at Aspetar hospital. I am deeply grateful for the guidance and the progress I have made the past month. Without the knowledge from the dedicated team here, I don’t think this strong progression would have been possible. Thank you to everyone involved, also the ones behind the scenes 🙏🏼 and to family, team, and fans 🙌🏼 let’s keep loading into phase 3 🦾”

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is back at her residence in Dubai after a brief trip to the United States, sharing photos of her return under the caption “Wrapped in Pink.” The 4-time major champion visited the USA for an express trip to play the Atlanta Cup exhibition against Naomi Osaka and to promote her upcoming "Battle of the Sexes" exhibition against Nick Kyrgios on December 28th at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

After that, Sabalenka will have one final week of off-season before starting 2026 at the Brisbane International, where she is the defending champion. Following Brisbane, she will travel to Melbourne to prepare for the Australian Open, where she won titles in 2023 and 2024 but fell in the 2025 final to Madison Keys.

Iga Swiatek, along with her Foundation, awarded scholarships to five young Polish athletes as part of the pilot edition of the Iga Swiatek Foundation Scholarship Program. The winners come from various disciplines, including hurdles, golf, swimming, speed skating, and tennis. The 6-time major champion participated in the awards ceremony, where the foundation committed to 12 months of financial and expert support, including members of Swiatek’s team like physiotherapist Maciej Ryszczuk and sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz.

The Pole attended the event and personally presented the awards to the young students. This marks the first set of scholarships from the foundation, which was established in July 2025 to promote sports among youth in Poland.

Two-time Grand Slam singles champion Barbora Krejcikova celebrated her 30th birthday this Thursday, December 18th. The Czech has won a total of 12 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, and is also an Olympic gold medalist alongside her long-time partner Katerina Siniakova.

Krejcikova had a difficult season marked by injuries, which caused her ranking to drop significantly in recent months, closing the year as world No. 65. Her last appearance was at the WTA 125 Limoges Open, where she was unfortunately forced to retire due to injury during her first-round match against Anastasija Sevastova (4-6, 6-3, 0-1).

Former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty recently appeared as an ambassador for Queensland's First 5 Forever program, championing early childhood development by promoting talking, reading, singing, and playing with kids in their first five years to build strong foundations for learning. It is a role she embraces as a new mum and auntie to support literacy and cultural connection in communities. The 3-time major champion shared on social media her latest visit with the Australian NGO, where she spent time with children in Cherbourg, Queensland.

“There’s something special about being on Country and seeing generations of family, Elders and community come together for their children. Thank you to the Winifred Fisher Indigenous Knowledge Centre for welcoming First 5 Forever ambassador Ash Barty to Wakka Wakka Country to experience this work the Cherbourg way.”