Many tennis stars posted photo sets to bid farewell to 2025, as the Chinese team has fully assembled; Khachanov mentioned that the third player is this duo.

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Thursday, January 1st, 2026. Wishing all tennis fans a happy New Year, good health, and all the best! Welcome to the news midday report provided by "Tennis Home."

Last night Beijing time, the bells rang in the new year of 2026. At this joyful moment of transition, many tennis greats and stars such as Djokovic, Nadal, Alcaraz, and Swiatek shared photo sets or tweets to say goodbye to 2025, welcome 2026, and wish a smooth new season and a happy New Year to tennis fans!

As the new year arrived, the Chinese team participating in the season-opening United Cup mixed team tennis event completed their assembly in Sydney, Australia. Before the competition began, all Chinese players visited Sydney Zoo to relax and prepare for the upcoming matches. At the zoo, the Chinese team also unexpectedly met the Canadian team, who were there to relax and visit as well, and they greeted each other warmly.

The Chinese and Canadian teams are placed in the same group and will face each other on the second day of the competition. Meanwhile, the Japanese and British teams toured Rottnest Island and took photos with the quokkas, creating a rather relaxed atmosphere before the matches.

Additionally, Chinese player Wu Yibing, competing in the ATP 250 Hong Kong tournament, has arrived in Hong Kong with his team to prepare for this season-opening event.

The upcoming Australian season will feature multiple tournaments. Besides the United Cup mixed team event and the first Grand Slam of the year—the Australian Open—there are also two WTA 500 events in Brisbane and Adelaide, and two WTA 250 events in Auckland and Hobart. The WTA 500 Brisbane tournament runs from January 4th to 11th, simultaneously with the WTA 250 Auckland event; the WTA 500 Adelaide event follows from January 12th to 17th, overlapping with the WTA 250 Hobart tournament. The grand finale of the Australian season, the Australian Open, will be held from January 18th to February 1st.

Moreover, the Australian Open officially announced the exhibition match schedule for China’s top player Zheng Qinwen and Kazakhstan’s leading player Rybakina. This Australian Open series event will take place at 5 PM local time on January 13th at Rod Laver Arena.

Now let's turn to the topic of the third-best male player in tennis. After Alcaraz and Sinner shared all the Grand Slam titles over the past two years, the discussion about who can break their duopoly has been heated. Recently, tennis veteran Kafelnikov told CLAY magazine in an interview that in his mind, the third player is one of these two young men. "Rune is no longer on my radar. You have to look at players like the American kid coached by Chang—Lerner-Chien—he has potential, and Fonseca too. If they listen to their coaches, they have a bright future."

Regarding Kafelnikov’s opinion, some fans agree while others doubt it. "Little Chien is too short, which will definitely limit his development. He might reach the level of Spain’s consistent player Ferrer, but beating Alcaraz or Sinner? That seems unrealistic!" What do you think—does Kafelnikov’s judgment hold true?

Finally, let's play a guessing game. This photo shows a player skiing. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

In the last guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. Yes, the person in the picture is the Czech star Lehecka.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)