Andreescu training, De Minaur's vacation vibes, Leylah Fernandez’s gift wrapping, and Nadal inspiration in Jeddah

As the 2025 season wraps up, the tennis world is a mix of intense preparation and festive relaxation that we review in a new Daily Dose of Social Media. From Jeddah to gym sessions, the stars of the ATP and WTA tours are keeping busy during the off-season. While the Next Gen ATP Finals grab the headlines on the court, legends and current contenders are making waves off it.

Rafael Nadal continues his ambassadorial duties in Saudi Arabia, inspiring the future stars, while players like Leylah Fernandez and Alex de Minaur share glimpses of their downtime and holiday spirit. Whether it's training for a comeback like Sloane Stephens and Bianca Andreescu, or celebrating gold medals like Alexandra Eala, the tennis community remains active as the countdown to 2026 begins.

Rafael Nadal has been present this week in Jeddah during the Next Gen ATP Finals, acting in his role as ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. The 22-time Grand Slam champion participated in several events during the tournament, including tennis clinics with children and meetings with the players competing in the event. Nadal was part of a U-14 awards ceremony and led a clay-court training session for young Saudi prospects, in addition to watching the Next Gen action from the stands.

“As I have said, my goal is to inspire the next generation, in Saudi Arabia and around the world. Working with the STF [Saudi Tennis Federation] to develop the huge potential for tennis in the Kingdom, which has already made impressive progress, is a key element,” Nadal mentioned a few days ago upon his arrival in Jeddah. “The reason I am back is to see the development at every level and to contribute to that goal. I am very proud to help more children pick up a racquet, compete, or simply discover something new to be passionate about.”

“Enjoying the first hours in Jeddah at the @nextgenfinals! Nice opportunity to watch some great matches and spend time with the young players from sauditennis. It’s great to see how tennis keeps growing here 👏🏻”

Leylah Fernandez shared a "Holiday Gifting" video, showing how she wraps her Christmas presents during the off-season days ahead of the year-end celebrations. The former US Open runner-up once again displayed her great charisma off the court, this time showing a more intimate side while preparing gifts for her inner circle.

“Wrapping presents for my loved ones 🥰” she wrote on her Instagram account. “Pssssst: don’t tell my family what gifts I’ve prepared for them just yet 🫣 this stays between us 🙈🤪”

Sloane Stephens is another player already in Christmas mode, sharing several photos of her preparations for the year-end celebrations. The 2017 US Open champion is preparing for her return to the courts in 2026 after taking a career break following a streak of poor results, which saw her suffer 12 consecutive defeats up to her last match on the WTA Tour. After pausing in March, the American returned at the Guadalajara Open in September—her only WTA tournament played alongside ITF Tampico a few weeks later—though she fell in the first round of both.

Amanda Anisimova dropped photos from her gym sessions on social media, featuring her nephews Jackson and Kylo. They have been seen previously at the player's celebrations and are close to her inner circle; she has been photographed with them during important moments several times. In fact, both were close by on-court following her defeat in the Wimbledon final against Iga Swiatek—which was nonetheless Anisimova's first major final and a special occasion for her family who traveled to London to support the current World No. 4.

Alex de Minaur delighted fans with photos from his recent vacation days in Spain, this time with a special companion: his dog, with whom he took several cute photos that stole the spotlight on social media. "Captain Enzo on duty," wrote the World No. 7 in the caption. The post received over 20,000 likes from fans and various comments from colleagues, including Brit Katie Swan: "The only suitable replacement for the front seat," joked the Billie Jean King Cup teammate of Katie Boulter—De Minaur's fiancée.

The celebrations continue on social media for Alexandra Eala after winning the gold medal at the SEA Games. The Filipina became the third tennis player from her country to claim the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games, ending the year in ideal fashion. It has been a breakthrough season for Eala, having cracked the Top 50, reached her first WTA final in Eastbourne, and made her first WTA 1000 semifinals—beating three Grand Slam champions along the way, including two Top 5 players like Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek. In a video on social media, Eala is seen joking with her team in a fun video showing off her gold medal in Thailand.

Bianca Andreescu continues preparing for her return to the courts, recently sharing a video of her training session ahead of the 2026 season. The former US Open champion is getting physically ready after a year where, unfortunately, injuries reappeared and prevented her from performing with regularity.

She suffered a regrettable injury in the middle of her first-round match at the Canadian Open against Barbora Krejcikova following a fall. Although she managed to push through and secure the victory, she had to withdraw before taking the court for the second round. The former World No. 4 missed a good part of the season, although she found some consistency in the final part of the year, playing several tournaments during the Asia swing.

In any case, Andreescu currently sits at World No. 228 and has not yet confirmed her return tournaments. Consequently, there is no clarity on whether she will play any tournaments during the Australian Swing—where she could perhaps hope for a wildcard from the Australian Open—something that will be confirmed during the coming weeks.