Naomi Osaka back in action, Ronaldo’s appearance at the Battle of the Sexes, Alcaraz shows new tattoo as Wozniacki and Musetti embrace family life

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the tennis world continues to enjoy the final days of the off-season, with players sharing personal milestones, festive moments, and early preparations for the 2026 campaign. Carlos Alcaraz drew attention after unveiling a new tattoo celebrating his US Open triumph, while Venus Williams offered a glimpse into her wedding celebrations in Florida. Elsewhere, Caroline Wozniacki, Lorenzo Musetti, and their growing families shared intimate holiday moments as the year draws to a close.

On the professional side, several stars are already shifting focus back to competition, with Naomi Osaka settling into Perth ahead of her United Cup debut and Paula Badosa returning to the spotlight through a magazine cover shoot during her pre-season block in Dubai. Madison Keys is ramping up her preparation as she eyes a demanding Australian summer, while football icon Ronaldo Nazário made a surprise appearance at a major tennis exhibition event, underlining the sport’s global appeal during the off-season.

Carlos Alcaraz revealed his new tattoo on social media after winning the US Open title, continuing a tradition he has followed after lifting each of his Grand Slam trophies. The world No. 1 added a tattoo honouring New York City, featuring the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge, after defeating Jannik Sinner in four sets in the 2025 US Open final and reclaiming the top spot in the ATP rankings for the first time in two years.

Alcaraz recently parted ways with his long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and is now working exclusively with Spanish coach Samuel López, who joined his team at the beginning of the 2025 season.

Caroline Wozniacki shared new photos from her Christmas celebrations with her children, this time posing with her youngest son Max, who was born in July 2025. The former world No. 1 is currently taking another break from her career following the birth of her third child, and at 35 years old, questions remain over whether she will eventually return to competition or if this marks her definitive retirement from professional tennis.

Wozniacki initially retired in early 2020 and returned three and a half years later after giving birth to her first two children. She recorded several strong performances on tour, including two fourth-round appearances at the US Open and a quarterfinal run at Indian Wells in 2024. She ultimately ended her 2025 season after the US Open and announced her pregnancy shortly afterwards.

Lorenzo Musetti also shared family photos from his Christmas celebrations alongside his partner Veronica Confalonieri and their two children, all dressed in festive outfits. The Italian, currently world No. 8, is a father of two: Ludovic, born in March 2024, and Leandro, who was born at the end of November 2025.

The one-handed backhand specialist will begin his 2026 season at the ATP 250 Hong Kong Open, where he will be the top seed. It will be his only warm-up tournament ahead of the Australian Open, where his best performance to date was a third-round appearance in 2025, when he was eliminated by Ben Shelton.

Venus Williams shared new photos from her recent wedding celebrations with Andrea Preti, held a week ago in Palm Beach, Florida. The event brought together friends and family and marked her second wedding celebration, following an initial ceremony held months earlier in Italy. The former world No. 1 posted several images from the ceremony, the party, and even moments on a tennis court.

“The Preti’s 💍💍💕,” wrote the seven-time Grand Slam champion on social media alongside several new photos from the wedding.

Football legend Ronaldo Nazario — a well-known tennis fan — shared photos from his visit to the Battle of the Sexes event in Dubai. He was one of the VIP guests and was pictured alongside Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka. He also received a standing ovation from the crowd when television cameras focused on him sitting in the stands next to his wife, Celina Locks.

The 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil is a frequent spectator at tennis tournaments around the world and has also taken part in promotional campaigns with players such as João Fonseca and Carlos Alcaraz.

Paula Badosa appeared in a photo shoot for A World Magazine, posing in several outfits from Dubai as the January cover star. The former world No. 2 completed the shoot during her pre-season training block in Dubai, where she is preparing to return to competition at the start of the new season.

Currently ranked world No. 25, Badosa will open her year at the Brisbane International before travelling to Adelaide, using both tournaments as preparation for the Australian Open. The former Indian Wells champion reached the semifinals in Melbourne last year and faces an important points defence if she wants to avoid a sharp drop in the rankings. During 2025, Badosa missed several months of competition due to recurring back injury setbacks, which kept her out of up to six WTA 1000 events, forced her to retire from two tournaments while in play, and ultimately ruled her out of the US Open.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has arrived in Perth as she prepares for the start of her 2026 season, which will include her debut at the United Cup. She will team up with Shintaro Mochizuki to represent Japan in the mixed national competition.

The former world No. 1 will face Maria Sakkari of Greece and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain during the round-robin stage, as Japan looks to secure enough wins to advance. Osaka finished the 2025 season ranked world No. 16 and will be aiming to continue building momentum early in the year after reaching the final of the WTA 1000 Canadian Open and the semifinals of the US Open. The two-time Australian Open champion will return to Melbourne as a seeded player for the first time since 2022, when she was the defending champion.

Madison Keys is also pushing hard in her preparations for the new season. While she has not yet travelled to Australia, the American continues training at the USTA before heading back to Oceania, where she will defend a significant number of points early in the year — including her titles at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open.

Keys is exposed to a potentially major rankings drop that could push her out of the top 15 if she fails to make at least a deep run in Australia. While she does not arrive as one of the main title favourites, the defending champion will be looking to assert herself. She is scheduled to compete at the Brisbane International and the Adelaide International before arriving in Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year.