Kudermetova ranks Russian stars, Gauff shares holiday spirit as Paolini prepares for Olympic torch relay

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the off-season continues for ATP and WTA stars around the world. Veronika Kudermetova appeared at an ice hockey game in Russia and ranked Russian stars—including Daniil Medvedev, Maria Sharapova, and Mirra Andreeva. Also, Coco Gauff posted photos showing her Christmas spirit.

On the other hand, Jasmine Paolini is now ready to carry the Olympic torch for the Winter Games as a flagbearer and met with an Olympic cycling medalist. At the same time, Leylah Fernandez met with a golf legend as the stars of the UTS Grand Final already posed for official photos alongside the trophy that will define its owner this weekend.

Leylah Fernandez met none other than the British golfer, former World No. 1, Justin Rose, who plays on the PGA Tour and European Tour. In a meeting facilitated by one of the shared sponsors of both athletes, Fernandez shared time on the tennis court with the Rio 2016 gold medalist and one of the most distinguished golfers of the last decade.

“What a joy and honor to meet fellow @morgan.stanley ambassador & professional player @justinprose99. It was a privilege to chat sports, mindset and goals with one of the greatest in sports. I left our meeting inspired and with a new perspective. Thank you for all the stories, advice and fun moments shared on courts!”

The Canadian finished the season as World No. 22 and lifted her first WTA 500 title at the DC Open. The former US Open runner-up will start the 2026 season in a good position, with her spot as a seed already secured at the Australian Open, significantly higher than the start of 2025, when she was barely ranked No. 38. Fernandez also included some photos in the post where she was responding to a Q&A round on Instagram, including photos with her sister—also tennis player Bianca Fernandez—and a fun video enjoying 'Dance Dance Revolution'.

Stan Wawrinka is already preparing for the 2026 season, which he will start at the United Cup, joining World No. 11 Belinda Bencic in the mixed-nations tournament. The three-time Grand Slam champion continues his career at the age of 40—currently being the oldest player on the Tour—and is still extending his notable career. After finishing 2025 at World No. 157, the Swiss is carrying out his training at a tennis academy in Stockholm.

Coco Gauff is starting to anticipate the end-of-year holiday season and shared a carousel of photos on her Instagram, posing next to a Christmas tree. The two-time Grand Slam champion failed to defend the WTA Finals title at the end of the season, but remains at No. 3—although still with a wide difference compared to Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, who have remained in the Top 2 for the last three seasons.

Jasmine Paolini is preparing for her mission as a torchbearer for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and appeared in a photo alongside Italian cyclist Filippo Ganna, Olympic champion at Tokyo 2020, at the start of the route in Greece. Paolini herself already holds an Olympic gold medal, won in 2024 in women's doubles alongside the experienced Sara Errani—her usual doubles partner on the Tour.

The Italian will be one of the 10,001 torchbearers who will carry the Olympic Torch around Italy. The route begins with the Olympic flame traveling from Greece to Italy, covering more than 12,000 km to Rome. The route spans over two months, encompassing the entire Italian coast, Corsica, and Sicily, and visiting 60 cities and towns. It is scheduled to arrive in co-host city Cortina d'Ampezzo on January 26, culminating at Milan's San Siro football stadium on February 6.

The eight UTS competitors are ready to start the tournament that will be held in London—the Grand Final—after several UTS editions were played in 2025. Players like Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, and Alex de Minaur will participate in search of the lightning bolt trophy that awards the best UTS player of the season. However, the tournament suffered a withdrawal one week ago from Jack Draper—a local star who hoped to make his return to the courts in this exhibition tournament over the weekend. Unfortunately, his injury forced him to extend his rest period and withdraw from the tournament, which will not feature any local players this time. The eight UTS stars already posed for the official photo with the trophy ahead of the tournament's start.

Doubles World No. 2 Taylor Townsend shared a video recapping her great year on the Tour, with some good results in singles—such as the fourth round of the US Open or the third round at the Miami Open and Cincinnati. However, her best results came in doubles alongside Katerina Siniakova, winning four titles—including her second Grand Slam at the Australian Open—and reaching the World No. 1 spot in the category for a few weeks.

Former World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit appeared on social media with some tender family photos, alongside her boyfriend, footballer Brent Lepistu, and their one-year-old son. The Estonian tennis player played her last match on the Tour at Wimbledon 2023, before ending her career, forced by a degenerative back injury that prevented her from maintaining the rhythm of high-performance competition. At 28, she ended her career as the best female tennis player in Estonian history with six WTA titles, in addition to reaching 11 other finals, characterized as one of the most effective players on indoor hardcourts during her best years.

Former World No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova recently surprised fans by appearing at an ice hockey game, supporting AK Bars Kazan in Russia. The club is a member of the Kharlamov Division of the Continental Hockey League, and Kudermetova participated in the coin toss at the start of the match. She also participated in a video where she ranked the best Russian tennis players in history, with interesting decisions, placing Daniil Medvedev as No. 2—ahead of Marat Safin—and teenager Mirra Andreeva at No. 10.