Alcaraz hits the courts in Melbourne, Venus Williams back on Aussie stage as Kostyuk posts final warm-ups

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, ATP and WTA players continue their preparations for the Australian Open, with less than 24 hours remaining before the tournament gets underway. Carlos Alcaraz led the warm-up photos ahead of the season’s first major, sharing images from his intense training sessions at Melbourne Park, though he is far from the only player stepping on the accelerator ahead of the year’s opening Grand Slam.

Marta Kostyuk, arriving full of confidence after reaching the final in Brisbane, was another player to post training updates on social media. She was joined by stars such as former champion Sofia Kenin, former Top 10 player Denis Shapovalov, and seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, all set and ready at Melbourne Park ahead of their upcoming tournament debuts.

Carlos Alcaraz is already looking ahead to his participation at the Australian Open and shared several photos following his first press conference at Melbourne Park ahead of the season’s opening major.

The World No. 1 has been in high spirits in the lead-up to the Happy Slam, posting images from his appearance at the One Point Slam — where he was eliminated by Maria Sakkari — as well as snapshots from his training sessions as he prepares to chase another Grand Slam title.

The six-time major champion arrives in Melbourne with the ambition of lifting his first Australian Open trophy and completing the Career Grand Slam, with the added chance of becoming the youngest player in history to win all four Grand Slam titles. The 22-year-old star is set to make his debut in the tournament against local wildcard Adam Walton, with their match scheduled for Sunday.

Marta Kostyuk also shared images from her preparation for the Australian Open, training in Melbourne after an excellent start to the season at the Brisbane International.

The Ukrainian reached the first final of her season in Brisbane, recording three consecutive Top 10 wins before falling to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets (4–6, 3–6) in the final. Along the way, she defeated Amanda Anisimova (No. 4), Mirra Andreeva (No. 8), and Jessica Pegula (No. 6) — all in straight sets.

The 23-year-old still secured a significant rise in the WTA rankings, returning to the Top 20 following her strong early-season run, which marked her first final since 2024.

Kostyuk will open her Australian Open campaign against France’s Elsa Jacquemot, with a potential second-round clash against the winner of Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Yulia Putintseva.

Venus Williams is back at the Australian Open for the first major of the year, marking her first appearance since 2021, when she reached the second round before falling to Sara Errani (1–6, 0–6).

The two-time Australian Open runner-up is making her 21st appearance at the tournament, with her best results coming in the 2003 and 2017 finals, both losses to her sister Serena Williams. Now 45 years old, Williams arrives after competing in the warm-up events at the ASB Classic (loss to Magda Linette) and the Hobart International (loss to Tatjana Maria).

The seven-time Grand Slam champion will face a tough opening-round test against Serbia’s Olga Danilović. “First time back at the @australianopen in 5 years, and everything feels the same 🤍,” the former World No. 1 posted on social media as she fine-tunes the final details ahead of her Sunday debut.

Former Top 10 player Denis Shapovalov is another star gearing up for the Australian Open, sharing photos from his training sessions in Melbourne and recent photoshoots as he prepares for the season’s first major.

The former World No. 10 continues his search for a return to the elite and enters the Happy Slam as the 21st seed, where he will face Chinese wildcard Yunchaokete Bu in the opening round.

Shapovalov will be aiming to improve on his 2025 Australian Open result, where he exited in the second round. Despite once being tipped as a future major contender, the Canadian has advanced past the first week only once in his last three seasons (fourth round at Wimbledon 2023) and has reached beyond the third round just once in his last 14 Grand Slam appearances. As a seeded player once again, Shapovalov will look to reverse that trend in Melbourne.

Alexander Zverev continues his preparation for the first major of the year, where he faces the difficult task of defending the final he reached in 2025, finishing runner-up to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

The World No. 3 shared photos from a visit to the InterContinental Hotel, where he took part in a promotional photoshoot for his sponsors, before returning to the courts at Melbourne Park.

Zverev has already trained on Rod Laver Arena as part of his preparations. The three-time Grand Slam runner-up will once again be chasing his maiden major title, aiming to challenge the recent dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner.

Belinda Bencic was among those celebrating this week after returning to the WTA Top 10 for the first time in over two years — and for the first time since her return to competition.

The Swiss star became the first mother to reach the Top 10 since Serena Williams, following an outstanding campaign at the United Cup, where she recorded five consecutive singles wins on the way to the final, including a victory over six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Świątek.

Bencic led Switzerland throughout the event, winning all five singles matches and four doubles matches, falling only in the decisive tie against Poland.

Although Switzerland missed out on the title, the points earned secured Bencic’s return to the Top 10, and she will arrive at the Australian Open as a strong contender, opening against Britain’s Katie Boulter.

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin continues her preparations for the season’s first major and shared images from her training sessions on social media, appearing confident ahead of Melbourne.

The American stunned the tennis world six years ago, winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2020 Australian Open by defeating Garbiñe Muguruza in the final after coming back from a set down, becoming the youngest champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008.

Kenin enters the tournament as the 27th seed and will face compatriot Peyton Stearns in the opening round, with no previous meetings between the two.