Osaka and Sinner cross paths in pickleball fun, Bublik stars in new ATP docuseries as Fritz & Swiatek fine-tune ahead of Aussie Open

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, with just two days to go until the start of the Australian Open, players are putting the final touches on their preparations for the first major of the year. A champions’ showdown took place in Melbourne at a luxury hotel, where Jannik Sinner and Naomi Osaka crossed paths for a pickleball match during a promotional event.

Meanwhile, the ATP unveiled the trailer for its upcoming docuseries episode focused on Alexander Bublik, “The Ringmaster,” while several stars shared images from their most recent training sessions, including Iga Swiatek, Taylor Fritz and Andrey Rublev alongside his coach, former world No. 1 Marat Safin.

Former World No. 5 Andrey Rublev continues his preparation for the Australian Open alongside his coach — former World No. 1 Marat Safin — who hopes to guide Rublev back towards the top of the rankings and help him become competitive again at the biggest tournaments. Rublev will be looking for revenge after a disappointing 2025 Australian Open campaign, where he was eliminated in the first round by 18-year-old Joao Fonseca, who was just beginning his journey on the Tour and playing his first main draw at the event.

This time around, Rublev (No. 14) has a solid opportunity in Melbourne, considering he is one of the few top players not defending points. Every win would help him climb the rankings, especially at a moment when the top 10 does not seem too far away.

The Russian will open his campaign on Sunday against Matteo Arnaldi (No. 65), in one of the first matches of the tournament.

A clash of Australian Open champions took place at a hotel in Melbourne, as Jannik Sinner (champion in 2023 and 2024) and Naomi Osaka (2019 and 2021) faced off in a fun pickleball match ahead of the first Major of the year.

Both players were in great spirits as they met at the Melbourne hotel for a luxury event. Sinner and Osaka had already teamed up a few days earlier to play ping pong, but this time they picked up pickleball paddles.

The Italian arrives as a two-time defending champion on a 15-match winning streak, having claimed three consecutive titles at the end of 2025. He will make his debut on Sunday, January 18, against Frenchman Hugo Gaston. On the other side, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka will face young Croatian Antonia Ruzic in her opening match.

Alexander Bublik celebrated his arrival into the top 10 for the first time in his career this week, after capturing the ATP 250 Hong Kong Open title by defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. The Kazakh has now won five titles in the past 52 weeks — enough to become the newest member of the top 10, overtaking Jack Draper.

Following a simply remarkable year, the ATP shared on its official social media the teaser for “Alexander Bublik: The Ringmaster” as part of the ATP Originals docuseries. The project is one of the ATP’s key initiatives for the 2026 season, aiming to spotlight more players on Tour rather than focusing exclusively on Sinner and Alcaraz.

The video captures Bublik’s unique style, sense of humour and personality, featuring interviews with the player, members of his team and even rivals such as Ben Shelton, Reilly Opelka and Karen Khachanov.

“Alexander Bublik, full-time father, part-time tennis player,” reads the introduction of the 28-year-old.

Taylor Fritz continues his preparations for the Australian Open with intense training sessions, looking to bounce back after a disappointing United Cup campaign. Although Team USA reached the semifinals, Fritz struggled individually, winning just one of his four matches and losing three times to opponents ranked outside the top 30.

The American has been dealing with physical issues, having reported tendinitis during his time in Sydney, which sparked speculation about a possible withdrawal. Nevertheless, Fritz shared a training video showing himself in good shape as he prepares to return to Melbourne Park, aiming to improve on his 2025 performance, when he was eliminated in the third round by Gaël Monfils. This time, Fritz is the ninth seed and will open against Valentin Royer.

Iga Swiatek continues her preparations for the Australian Open and held another training session today, sharing several photos on social media. “Adding some final touches here and there. 🎾” wrote the six-time Grand Slam champion in the caption, as she was seen hitting from the baseline at Melbourne Park.

World No. 2 Swiatek arrives after a bittersweet United Cup, where Poland finally lifted the title after falling in the finals in 2024 and 2025. However, Swiatek was not at her best individually, losing her final two singles matches against Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic. In Australia, she will look to regain confidence ahead of her opening match on Sunday, January 18, against China’s Yue Yuan.

Jasmine Paolini was among the players who took part in the One Point Slam event earlier this week, after several days in Melbourne preparing for the Happy Slam.

The two-time Grand Slam runner-up reached the second round of the exhibition but eventually fell to American McCartney Kessler. As always, Paolini showed her good humour and shared a photo of her reaction after the loss. “A huge thank you to @tennisaustralia for an outstanding event, something you rarely get to see. Congratulations on the $1 million, Jordan!! 🎾🏆”

The Italian faces a challenging opening match on Sunday against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich, a former top-30 player coming through qualifying with three consecutive wins and plenty of confidence. Paolini will aim to improve on her 2025 Australian Open run, where she reached the third round before being surprised by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.