Overview
- The United Cup opens Friday in Perth and Sydney with top-10 players such as Coco Gauff, Iga Świątek, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Jasmine Paolini and Felix Auger-Aliassime, plus veteran Stan Wawrinka.
- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka begins her season as Brisbane’s defending champion after a Dubai exhibition with Nick Kyrgios.
- Recent Brisbane practice sessions featured Amanda Anisimova and Elena Rybakina hitting together, with Daniil Medvedev also on court at Pat Rafter Arena.
- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will skip early events to play a Jan. 10 exhibition in Incheon, after which they are expected to prepare in Melbourne, with Alcaraz entering his first major since splitting with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
- Novak Djokovic is slated for the Adelaide International from Jan. 12–17 as additional warm-ups run in Hobart, Auckland and Hong Kong, with ATP events implementing a new 10-minute heat break for best-of-three men’s matches.