Daily Dose of Social Media: Zheng Qinwen arrives to Melbourne for Australian Open as Jannik Sinner shares his ‘last shot’ of the season

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we follow the footsteps of ATP and WTA stars as 2025 kicks off. Zheng Qinwen showcased her recent arrival in Melbourne to prepare for the Australian Open, while Elena Rybakina shared a video celebrating New Year's Eve in Perth.

Meanwhile, the stars competing in the United Cup revealed their biggest rivals, including Karolina Muchova, Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and others. At the same time, from Italy, Jannik Sinner shared his last shot of 2024 as he gears up for a new season.

Zheng Qinwen arrives in Melbourne

Zheng Qinwen is already in Melbourne preparing for her participation in the Australian Open. The finalist of the last edition shared photos on social media of her first training session in Australia. The Paris 2024 gold medallist arrives as one of the favourites after a stellar finish to 2024—recording 31 wins and 6 losses since Wimbledon and reaching her first Grand Slam final at the Aussie Open.

The World No. 5 was initially confirmed to represent China in the United Cup but withdrew shortly before the tournament's start, citing the need for additional rest to arrive in peak physical condition for the year’s first major. This time, she will be without her coach Pere Riba, who is undergoing hip surgery this month. Instead, Zheng has chosen Argentine coach Dante Bottini as a replacement during the tournament. Bottini has previously worked with Kei Nishikori, Nicolas Jarry, and Grigor Dimitrov

“Last practice of 2024 Hello Australia ☺️Get ready with the team,” posted Zheng on her Instagram account.

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Rybakina rings in the New Year in Perth

Elena Rybakina appeared in a video celebrating the New Year in Perth alongside her sister, Anna Rybakina, with fireworks lighting up the background. The Kazakh player is in Australia competing in the United Cup, where she has led Team Kazakhstan to the quarterfinals. Currently, the Kazakh team remains in Perth, preparing to face defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev.

If they advance, Rybakina and her teammates will travel to Sydney to contest the semifinals. The 2022 Wimbledon champion is scheduled to head to Melbourne after completing her United Cup campaign to prepare for the Australian Open. Seeded sixth, Rybakina will aim to improve on her 2024 performance, where she reached the second round.

Sinner shares his last shot of 2024

Jannik Sinner shared a video of his final shot of the season to bid farewell to 2024. The World No. 1 spent several weeks training in Dubai during the off-season before returning to Italy to celebrate the holidays with his family. While in Italy, the Italian maintained his training routine and posted a video of his last serve of the year during a session with his team in San Candido.

The two-time Grand Slam champion has a few weeks of preparation ahead, as his first tournament of the year will be the Australian Open starting on January 14. Sinner heads into the event as the top contender to defend his title following an incredible 2024 season, boasting a 73-6 record and adding eight titles to his résumé. A year ago, he began the season with a streak of 16 consecutive wins, and he will undoubtedly aim to continue the stellar form that secured his spot at the top of the rankings.

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Arthur Fils steals the spotlight at the Hong Kong Open Players’ Party

Arthur Fils starred in the behind-the-scenes coverage of the Players’ Party at the Hong Kong Open. The ATP 250 tournament, which kicks off the season, has already completed its first round, with Andrey Rublev and Lorenzo Musetti as the top contenders for the title.

“We are at the Players’ Party, come with me behind the scenes,” began Arthur Fils, addressing the camera. He quickly approached World No. 8 Andrey Rublev to ask who was the best dressed of the night: “You’re nicely dressed,” replied the 26-year-old Russian.

The Frenchman then repeated the question to 18-year-old rising star Shang Juncheng, who agreed with Rublev, stating that Fils was indeed the best dressed at the event.

“What’s your bold prediction for the year?” Fils asked Karen Khachanov later on. “I’ll say Musetti,” responded the Russian.

Watch the full video of Fils at the Players’ Party below.

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Katie Boulter reflects on breakthrough 2024 Season

Katie Boulter shared a series of photos highlighting her 2024 season to mark its conclusion. The British No. 1 entered the top 50 for the first time this year, ending the season as World No. 24. Boulter claimed two titles—at the WTA 500 San Diego and the WTA 250 Nottingham Open—and wrapped up the year as a finalist at the Hong Kong Open, where she lost to Russia's Diana Shnaider.

This week, Boulter is competing in Sydney at the United Cup in Group F against Argentina and Australia. In her opening tie against the South Americans, Boulter led the team to victory with a win over Nadia Podoroska and later triumphed in the mixed doubles alongside Charles Broom against Maria Lourdes Carlé and Tomás Martín Etcheverry.

The Europeans must now fight for a quarterfinal spot on January 1 against Australia, whose team features Alex de Minaur—Boulter’s fiancé. Boulter will face Olivia Gadecki in the opener, followed by de Minaur's match against Billy Harris, who stepped in last minute to replace Jack Draper. The day will conclude with the mixed doubles, where Boulter and Broom will challenge doubles specialists Ellen Perez and Matthew Ebden.

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Biggest rivals revealed by United Cup teams

United Cup teams shared which countries they consider their biggest rivals in the tournament. As the mixed-gender nations event nears the end of the Round Robin stage, five teams—USA, Kazakhstan, Italy, Germany, and China—have already secured spots in the quarterfinals. Three spots remain up for grabs, with key group matches on January 1, including the Czech Republic facing Poland and Great Britain taking on Australia.

For Team Czech Republic, former 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova commented: “Norway and Poland are very tricky and tough players to play, so it’s going to be both of them.”

Team Australia picked Great Britain as their rival, joking about the presence of Alex de Minaur, recently engaged to British No. 1 Katie Boulter. A similar response came from Team Great Britain, who named Australia as their biggest rival while glancing at Boulter.

“How are you going to feel if you beat him though?” production staff asked World No. 26 Boulter. “Oh, we did that last year. I’ll be fine,” she replied with a laugh. Watch all team answers on the next video:

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