Alcaraz, Sinner and Medvedev deliver priceless One Point Slam reactions, Sabalenka and Swiatek train together as Andreescu prepares comeback

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the One Point Slam stole the spotlight, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner among the participants, while priceless player reactions circulated across social media to everything unfolding at the event. Alexander Zverev, Frances Tiafoe and Daniil Medvedev were also among those caught on camera having fun courtside.

Meanwhile, training sessions continue on the main courts, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek hitting together ahead of the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz were also back on court, while Bianca Andreescu shared photos of her low-key preparation for a return to competition, as she gears up for a W35 event, away from the spotlight of the season’s first major after failing to qualify.

The One Point Slam stole the spotlight this Wednesday during Australian Open Fan Week. The exhibition event, which awarded one million Australian dollars (around €570,000), was ultimately won by amateur tennis player Jordan Smith, who defeated Jannik Sinner and Amanda Anisimova along the way, in front of nearly 15,000 spectators. In the final, Smith overcame WTA world No. 117 Joanna Garland in a single point that will go down in history, with Garland committing a backhand error that decided the million-dollar prize.

The event was followed with special interest by ATP players, with Carlos Alcaraz clearly among those enjoying it the most. The world No. 1 was also part of the tournament, although a double fault eliminated him early. Still, he showed his sense of humour and produced memorable reactions from the sidelines — similar to Sinner, Zverev, Medvedev and Rublev, who were all caught on camera having fun during the competition.

A particularly entertaining moment also took place inside the Melbourne Park locker rooms, where six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe followed the One Point Slam final between Smith and Garland closely, reacting with shouts and laughter to the local amateur’s victory.

As Australian Open preparations continued, a special moment took place between — arguably — the two main title contenders: world No. 1 and two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka and world No. 2 and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek.

Both players crossed paths at Rod Laver Arena during Wednesday morning’s practice session and shared a cordial greeting at the net following a joint training ahead of the tournament’s start.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek also shared a snapshot from her day at Melbourne Park. After training with Sabalenka in the morning, she returned to the court in the afternoon to take part in the One Point Slam. Swiatek surprised ATP No. 22 Flavio Cobolli but was later eliminated by world No. 71 Pedro Martinez in a long rally where the Pole initially dominated with cross-court forehands before struggling against Martinez’s slice, which forced an error. “I had so much fun during 1 Point Slam ☺️☺️ Thanks @australianopen for having me,” Swiatek wrote.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka made the most of the moments following her training session, filming a reel for social media alongside her coach Anton Dubrov.

The 2025 Australian Open runner-up will be looking to return to the top in Melbourne after falling in last year’s final to Madison Keys — a loss that ended her 20-match winning streak at Melbourne Park and stopped her from defending her titles from 2023 and 2024.

This time around, Sabalenka arrives as the leading favourite for the title, especially after lifting the trophy at the Brisbane International last week, extending the outstanding level she has maintained for quite some time.

Bianca Andreescu is preparing for her return to competition after two months away from the courts, following her last appearance at the Japan Open. The former US Open champion failed to qualify for the Australian Open and did not receive a wildcard, forcing her to resume competition at lower-level tournaments while currently ranked just No. 227, after a 2025 season in which she played only a handful of events.

The Canadian shared photos from her latest training session as she gears up for her upcoming tournaments — at levels below what fans are used to seeing her play. The former world No. 4 will compete at the W35 Weston next week in the United States — running parallel to the Australian Open — before moving on to the W75 Vero Beach the following week.

As training sessions continue ahead of the Australian Open, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic was also back on court as he prepares for another attempt at adding to his historic major tally.

The Serbian, a 10-time Australian Open champion, fell in the semifinals in the previous two editions — retiring due to injury in 2025 after just one set against Alexander Zverev.

The former world No. 1 recently opted to skip the Adelaide International, a tournament he was originally confirmed to play, in order to focus on his physical recovery following a shoulder injury suffered late in the 2025 season.

Also taking to the court was world No. 9 Taylor Fritz, who is looking to rebound from an inconsistent run at the United Cup. Despite Team USA reaching the semifinals, Fritz struggled individually, managing just one win in four matches, with his three defeats coming against opponents outside the top 30 (Tsitsipas, Báez and Hurkacz).

The 2024 US Open runner-up dealt with tendinitis issues midway through the tournament, sparking speculation about a possible withdrawal, but ultimately managed to stay in competition. Fritz will need to rebuild physically in search of a strong showing at Melbourne Park, with the added goal of reclaiming the American No. 1 spot, which was taken by Ben Shelton a week earlier, leaving Fritz one position behind at No. 9.

Belinda Bencic shared several photos on social media from her time at the United Cup, where she was named MVP of the tournament after recording five consecutive singles wins and four victories in mixed doubles. Across ten matches played, Bencic suffered just one defeat — in the mixed doubles final, where she partnered Jakub Paul and lost to Polish specialists Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski.

That loss ultimately cost Switzerland the title, with Stan Wawrinka serving as team captain and first singles player, as they finished the tournament as runners-up. “My favorite moments🫶🏻 loved to be a part of our team for these past 10 days 🥈 4th picture is my favorite and sums up all I would write here,” the former Olympic gold medallist posted on Instagram.