Daily Dose of Social Media: Christmas snapshots - Nadal, Swiatek, Alcaraz, Wozniacki and more share holiday moments

The tennis world is gearing up for the start of the 2025 season, while ATP and WTA stars took the opportunity to send their best wishes for the holiday season. Rafa Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Caroline Wozniacki, Daria Kasatkina, and Iga Swiatek were among those who shared their greetings. In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we look back at the highlights from the day before the festivities.

Gauff and Fritz receive warm koala welcome ahead of United Cup

Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz have arrived in Australia for the upcoming United Cup and received a special gift upon landing. Both players touched down in Perth, where Team USA enters as the first seed, being the only team in the tournament with two top-5 players. The official social media accounts of the event showcased the arrival of both players at the airport, where they were welcomed with a koala plushie as a gift.

The United Cup will commence its third edition on December 27, kicking off the 2025 season. The Americans face tough opponents in the group stage, starting with Canada, represented by Leylah Fernandez and Félix Auger-Aliassime. They will then conclude the group stage against Croatia, featuring Borna Coric and Donna Vekic.

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Draper’s GOAT pick: Djokovic tops the list, Nadal holds his heart

Jack Draper recently revealed his pick for tennis's GOAT during an interview with Sky Sports. The British No. 1 considered the members of the Big-3—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic—alongside 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. "My heart is with Rafa Nadal," Draper began. "But who do I think is the best tennis player of all time…"

The world No. 15 chose to place Serena Williams in a category of her own: "She’s the female GOAT, I think we can put that down. A separate one for her, because she’s incredible."

Draper added: "When I was growing up, every kit, every new look was him. He was just so iconic. Obviously, being a left-hander like myself," he continued. "My heart is with Nadal, but for me, the GOAT is obviously Novak Djokovic."

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Aryna Sabalenka arrives in Australia

Aryna Sabalenka is already in Australia, preparing to kick off the 2025 season. The world No. 1 recently participated in the World Tennis League exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi and promptly traveled to Brisbane for the first tournament of the season, starting on 28 December.

“I’m super happy to be back in Australia. It feels like home, and I’m super excited to start playing here in Brisbane,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“Obviously, we’re all here for one beautiful trophy, so I’ll do my best to make sure I can hold the beautiful trophy by the end of the week,” she added. “I love the atmosphere, I love the fans. I feel all the support, and that’s the best about Brisbane.”

Sabalenka starts the season with significant ranking points to defend, having reached the final in Brisbane last year (losing to Elena Rybakina) and winning the Australian Open. In January alone, she must defend 2,300 points, creating urgency to deliver strong results quickly. This is especially critical as Iga Swiatek, her closest rival, does not have many points to defend in Melbourne. If the Belarusian fails to repeat her title, Swiatek has a good chance of reclaiming the No. 1 ranking.

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Tennis stars spread holiday cheer: Nadal, Alcaraz, Swiatek and Wozniacki celebrate Christmas

Several tennis players shared photos in the last few hours, wishing fans a Merry Christmas. Among them, Carlos Alcaraz posted photos of his gym workout as he prepares for the new season. The 21-year-old will play his first tournament at the Australian Open in mid-January, but he’s using this time to get in shape, with no breaks even during the holidays. “We keep working, happy holidays everyone,” he posted.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, posed in front of a large Christmas tree at the Rafa Nadal Academy. The Spanish former world No. 1 retired from tennis just a month ago but has had a busy schedule. Last week, he was in Jeddah as a tennis ambassador for Saudi Arabia, participated in various activities with children, and was an honoured guest at the Next Gen ATP Finals, where Joao Fonseca defeated Learner Tien in the final. Nadal quickly returned to Spain to spend the holidays with his family and took the opportunity to visit his academy’s facilities.

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Former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki shared a humorous Christmas post featuring her children taking a photo with Santa Claus. The Danish player balances her career with family life and has limited her schedule to just a few tournaments since her return. Her last appearance was at the US Open in early September, and she will only return to action in mid-January at the Australian Open.

During the Christmas celebrations, Wozniacki shared a photo of her children, Olivia (3 years old) and James (2 years old), with Santa Claus, comparing it to a similar picture from the previous year. In both photos, Wozniacki’s son looks quite unhappy, a situation the former Australian Open champion took humorously, receiving comments from Ajla Tomljanovic and Kim Clijsters, among others. “Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Maybe next year Santa won’t seem so scary 🤪😂 (second picture is from last year).”

World No. 9 Daria Kasatkina appeared in a video under the snow with a creative light display, alongside her girlfriend, Russian figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, with whom she has been in a relationship for a couple of years. The Russian will waste no time starting her season, debuting at the Brisbane International on 28 December, where she will be the 4th seed in a demanding draw featuring eight players from the top 15. She will then compete in Adelaide a week later before heading to Melbourne, marking a very busy January for the 27-year-old player. “Merry Christmas everyone ☃️❄️🎄💛,” posted Zabiiako.

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Iga Swiatek shared a sweet photo of herself celebrating Christmas during her childhood. The Polish player is seen smiling next to Santa Claus in the picture. “🎄Wesołych Świąt 🙃 🎄Merry Christmas 🙃,” she posted. The world No. 2 recently arrived in Sydney to compete in the United Cup alongside Team Poland, where she will partner with Hubert Hurkacz in pursuit of the title. A year ago, they reached the final, but Hurkacz missed a match point against Zverev, ultimately costing the series in the decisive mixed doubles match.