Swiatek unboxes Wimbledon surprise, Sinner focuses in Dubai & Tauson’s birthday fashion statement

In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, we dive into the festive yet focused atmosphere of the ATP and WTA tours as the 2026 season approaches. From Jannik Sinner's intense preparation in Dubai for a historic Australian Open run to Iga Swiatek's unique Christmas gift from Wimbledon, the world's best are balancing holiday cheer with the preseason grind.

We also check in on the North American contingent, with crucial updates on Victoria Mboko, Bianca Andreescu, and Leylah Fernandez, alongside heartwarming charity moments from Marketa Vondrousova and birthday celebrations for Clara Tauson. Here is everything you missed on social media.

Jannik Sinner shared photos from his preseason in Dubai, where he has been training alongside Frenchman Alexandre Muller at the Patrick Mouratoglou Tennis Center, focusing his work there for the last week. The World No. 2, along with Carlos Alcaraz, are the only top players who will not play any warm-up tournaments before the start of the Australian Open, opting instead to work quietly with their teams during the preseason.

The Italian will officially return to the courts the week of January 19 to begin his title defense at the Australian Open, where he holds a streak of 14 consecutive wins with titles in 2024 and 2025. Sinner will seek to become only the second player in the Open Era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles, a feat only achieved by Novak Djokovic so far—and on two occasions (2011-2013, 2019-2021). "Preseason ✔️🌴🎾 Wishing you all the best for Christmas 🎄," Sinner posted after his last training session.

Iga Swiatek received a special gift just before Christmas, which she shared on her social media: a set of Wimbledon towels with her name inscribed as the 2025 Ladies Singles Champion. The 6-time major champion admitted during her time at SW19 that she takes advantage of her visits to Grand Slam tournaments to snag some new towels, and Wimbledon decided to gift her some extra personalized ones for the holidays.

"It's a topic no one ever talks about. We love our towels. Every time I come back from a Slam I think I have like 10 friends and 10 family members wanting towels,” Swiatek commented in a press conference during her time at the All England Club. “So, sorry guys. Sorry Wimbledon. I don’t know if I’m supposed to do that!"

Bianca Andreescu shared a fun video with her dog Coco, singing and dancing to a trend on social media. However, the former US Open champion has not yet confirmed any tournaments for the start of the year and does not appear on the Australian Open entry list. After dropping outside the Top 200 in the rankings, it is still unconfirmed if she will play the qualifying rounds—something that will be clarified in the coming weeks.

The Canadian has given no signs of where she will start her 2026 season, although she managed to finish last year on the court, playing several tournaments during the Asian swing in October following a three-month layout due to her latest injury. The 25-year-old player has only three Australian Open appearances in her career—constantly affected by injuries—and fell in the third round in all of them.

Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova headlined the first charity event for her Foundation, sharing photos on social media of her experience spending an afternoon with children in Prague. “Our very first charity event as a foundation 🤍a day filled with kids’ laughter, tennis balls flying everywhere, tired legs and hearts fuller than we could ever imagine. we laughed, we played, we hugged — and we were reminded that sometimes the smallest moments mean the most,” the 2023 Wimbledon champion posted.

She added: “Every single donation will go exactly where it’s needed most, to support children who truly need it❤️ from the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who came, supported us and donated to a great cause. and to everyone who helped make this day possible — you know who you are.”

Clara Tauson shared some photos on social media from her birthday celebration during the off-season, joking about a funny gift she received: a hoodie with the phrase ‘It’s okay to cry on court’. The Danish player turned 23 after finishing a remarkable season as World No. 12, having secured her third title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, reached the final of the WTA 1000 in Dubai, and the semifinals at the Canadian Open, among other great results.

Victoria Mboko continues to work hard in her off-season ahead of the 2026 season, following a huge close to the year where she won her first WTA-level titles: the WTA 100 Canadian Open and the WTA 250 Hong Kong Open in the final week of competition, which propelled her to World No. 19. The 19-year-old will start the 2026 season in a new position in the rankings and is preparing for her debut at the United Cup—where she will join Felix Auger-Aliassime to defend Canada—in addition to playing the Adelaide International and the Australian Open. This will mark her debut in the first Grand Slam of the year as one of the tournament's 32 seeds.

The former US Open runner-up continues her practices in high spirits, showing a close-up training session that highlighted her great sense of humor while preparing for the 2026 season. The left-hander is seen joking around with her father—former footballer Jorge Fernandez—and her hitting partner Federico Salomone. The 23-year-old player will start the season with a packed schedule, featuring appearances in Brisbane, Adelaide, and then the Australian Open, where she will be the 22nd seed in the draw.