Bublik ‘resists’ the trick shot; Badosa & Fernandez grateful in Brisbane as Venus offers training peek

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the first week of competition continues to unfold—across both the ATP and the WTA—with Alexander Bublik already delivering his first peculiar moment of the season. This time, it came after he thought better of attempting a shot with the handle of his racquet, showing how his decision-making has changed and evolved over the years as he pushes for a possible breakthrough into the top 10 by the end of the week.

Elsewhere, it was time for reflection from those eliminated early, with Leylah Fernandez and Paula Badosa thanking fans for their support in Brisbane, while Venus Williams offered a glimpse into her training sessions at the ASB Classic as she prepares for her next challenge in Hobart. At the same time, Team Czechia shared a light-hearted moment at the United Cup with the Headphone Challenge featuring Barbora Krejcikova and Jakub Mensik.

Alexander Bublik already delivered his first eye-catching moment of the season during his opening match at the Hong Kong Open. The world No. 11 made a strong debut with a straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp, 6–3, 6–3, producing a peculiar moment when he approached the net during a rally.

The Kazakh was preparing for a smash to close the point when he appeared tempted to strike the ball with the handle of his racquet—an unorthodox trick he had famously pulled off years ago against Casper Ruud in Miami 2022.

This time, however, Bublik seemed to resist following his playful instincts—so characteristic of his unique style—and opted to play it safe, finishing the point with a conventional smash. A wise decision for the 28-year-old, who appears unwilling to take unnecessary risks as he remains in a tight race to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career. To achieve that, he needs to lift the title in Hong Kong this week, where he is the second seed and awaits a quarter-final clash against local wildcard Juncheng Shang.

Venus Williams shared a video of her recent training sessions in Auckland while competing at the ASB Classic, marking her first appearance on the Aussie swing in the last five years. The seven-time Grand Slam champion still has a couple of commitments ahead in the coming weeks, with the Australian Open firmly set as her main objective.

The 45-year-old played doubles this week alongside Elina Svitolina—falling in the first round—and put up a solid fight against fifth seed Magda Linette in singles, eventually losing a tight three-set battle. Despite the defeat, Williams once again showed that she still has enough fuel to compete at the highest level. She now prepares for her next events at the Hobart International next week, followed by the Australian Open, marking her return to the tournament after a five-year absence.

Paula Badosa shared a heartfelt post on social media following her second-round defeat at the Brisbane International against Elena Rybakina. The Spaniard was playing her first tournament of the season after a long and difficult period, having spent nearly six months barely able to step on court, with her only appearance coming at the China Open in October—where she was also forced to retire due to injury.

It has been a challenging stretch for the former world No. 2, who nevertheless managed to return to competition in convincing fashion, opening with a win before being eliminated by Rybakina. “Progress isn’t always loud I guess… sometimes it’s just showing up again. We keep moving and improving,” she posted.

Badosa now travels quickly to her next event at the Adelaide International, another demanding draw featuring up to eight players inside the top 15. It will be her final warm-up before the Australian Open, where Badosa is projected as the 24th seed and faces the task of defending her 2025 semi-final points if she wants to avoid a significant ranking drop.

Leylah Fernandez took to social media to thank fans for their support during her time in Brisbane, where she kicked off her season with a heavy defeat to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. Fernandez arrived as the tournament’s 13th seed and with positive momentum after a strong end to last year, which included a title at the Japan Women’s Open and nine wins in her final 11 matches.

However, the start of 2026 proved far from ideal, as she was surprisingly outplayed by Yastremska, who claimed a comfortable 6–1, 6–2 victory. Still, the Canadian of Ecuadorian origin shared an Instagram post expressing her gratitude to the fans who came out to support her, as well as those who attended the meet-and-greet sessions ahead of the tournament. “Thanks to everyone who came to meet me and support me here in Brisbane,” the 2021 US Open runner-up wrote. “Your support means the world to me and meeting you guys was the highlight of my week!”

As previously seen with Team Poland and Team Italy, the Czech team also shared a fun Headphone Challenge moment on the United Cup’s social media channels. Two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova teamed up with young prospect Jakub Mensik in the challenge, which involves guessing words while wearing noise-cancelling headphones. Mensik impressed with his performance, drawing laughs from Krejcikova throughout the exchange.

The positive chemistry among the Czech players also translated on court, with a solid round-robin campaign that saw them reach the quarter-finals, where they were surprisingly eliminated by Belgium following wins from Zizou Bergs over Mensik and Elise Mertens over Krejcikova. Both players now turn their focus to upcoming events: Mensik heads to Auckland for the ASB Classic, while Krejcikova looks to regain momentum and ranking points in Hobart after a sharp drop outside the top 60 due to injuries during the past season.