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A close friend of Carlos Alcaraz has labelled the Spanish superstar ‘humble’ and a ‘wonderful person’ after detailing an insightful meeting with the six-time Grand Slam champion.

Alcaraz was most recently rewarded for his excellent behaviour on court with the 2025 Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, edging out Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, and Grigor Dimitrov.

The 22-year-old ended last season as the year-end number one after adding two more Grand Slams to his haul – at the French Open and US Open.

However, as with most of the world’s top athletes, access to their inner circle is, often, limited to the outside world.

Natalia Beciu, who is an Ibiza PR and events organiser and also known to be a close friend of Alcaraz, recently recalled an endearing story in which the youngster showed his true colours.

“I had a couple of friends with me, and I introduced my friend, whom he had never met in person,” Beciu said to La Formula del Exito podcast.

“And he said, ‘Of course, I remember you perfectly! Hey, thank you so much!’ Because she was the friend I had brought with me to see him at Wimbledon. And he had given us the tickets.

“And he was like, ‘Wow, I remember you perfectly! How are you? Hey, did you enjoy the match?’

“It had been a year! And the guy said, ‘Thank you so much for coming to Wimbledon to see me.’”

Beciu is no stranger to dealing with the world’s biggest celebrities, including recently organising Barcelona star Lamie Yamal’s birthday party, emphasising that the world No 1’s humility is greater than most.

Ibiza is one of Alcaraz’s favourite destinations, usually choosing to spend his off-season on the Spanish island with friends, including Beciu.

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“He is humble and noble. He is a wonderful person, extremely disciplined,” she later noted.

“I think he is a great guy. We are friends. He is a very good person. I think he deserves everything that is happening to him.

“Of course, it is the result of a lot of effort on his part. And that’s it. You’ll always hear me saying only good things about him. Because he’s one of the few people in the world whose humility and politeness have moved me.

“He’s one of those people who walks into a room, and when he leaves, he’s made it a better place.

“He can walk into a room, and I might have 45 friends in that room, and he stops to greet each and every one of them. You can think that’s normal, but it depends.

“I am much more antisocial and would find it a bit tedious. He greets each person individually, gives them time, and remembers everything. He has a great memory and pays attention to details.”

Alcaraz began his 2026 season with an exhibition against Jannik Sinner in South Korea, prevailing 7-5, 7-6(7) over the Italian.

The Spaniard will seek to become the youngest-ever male singles player to complete the Career Grand Slam – winning all four Grand Slam events – at the Australian Open, competing in Melbourne from January 18 – February 1.

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Rising stars Iva Jovic and Alex Eala’s runs at the ASB Classic came to an end in the last four, but both will be happy with their performance in Auckland over the past week.

The 18-year-old Jovic was seeded third at the WTA 250 event in New Zealand and she beat Gabriela Knutson, Sara Bejlek and Sofia Costoulas to reach her second top-level semi-final, but she was denied a second career final as she was beaten by top seed Elina Svitolina.

The American, who won her maiden singles trophy at the Guadalajara Open last September, went down 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 against former world No 3 Svitolina, who is into her 23rd WTA Tour final.

Eala, meanwhile, was the fourth seed and she battled past veterans Donna Vekic and Magda Linette, as well as youngster Petra Marcinko to reach the last four.

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The Filipino star took on Wang Xinyu for a place in the final and she found herself serving for the match in the second set, but the seventh seed saved a match point and went on to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-4.

It is the end of the road for the two youngsters, but both have picked up ranking points and a decent cheque for their efforts.

WTA Ranking Points Earned

Jovic started the ASB Classic at No 35 in the rankings, but her run to the last four has seen her move up five places in the Live Rankings to a new career-high of No 30.

The teenager has earned 97 points for her efforts – a semi-final place is worth 98 points, but players also have to defend their points from the corresponding period 12 months ago. Luckily for Jovic, she dropped only one point.

Eala, meanwhile, started at No 53 and she is up four places to a new high of No 49 on the back of earning 83 points (she was defending points from a lower-level event in January 2025).

WTA Prize Money Earned

Jovic finished the 2025 season with $1,125,748 in career prize money, but she will add $12,331 to that total for her run to the semi-final.

Eala had earned $1,363,685 before the 2026 season started and she will also pick up a check of $12,331.

But there is better news for the pair as they teamed up in the women’s doubles and reached the semi-final, which is worth $4,390 that they will share.

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Emma Raducanu will be the top seed at the Hobart International following Elise Mertens’ withdrawal and she has managed to land a cushy draw in the process.

World No 19 Mertens was set to be the No 1 seed as she was originally the highest-ranked player in the field, but she pulled out of the WTA 250 event as she is still in action in the United Cup with Belgium.

That meant world No 29 Raducanu earned a promotion and the draw gods have smiled down on her as she has avoided the big-name players in the draw, including tennis great Venus Williams and two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova, and defending champion McCartney Kessler.

The British No 1 will face Camila Osorio in the opening round, but the world No 76 from Colombia will be no pushover as she is a three-time WTA singles title winner with her most recent trophy coming at the Copa Colsanitas in April 2025.

Raducanu, by contrast, has won only one title and that, of course, was the big one at the US Open in 2021.

The pair have met before as they faced each other in the round of 16 in Washington in 2022 with Raducanu winning via two tie-breakers.

Should the 23-year-old get past Osorio, who has peaked at No 33 in the WTA Rankings, then she will face either Elsa Jacquemot from France or Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the second round while she is projected to meet fifth seed Jessica Bouzas Maneiro from Spain in the quarter-finals.

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Third seed and world No 33 Iva Jovic – who has reached the semi-finals of this week’s ASB Classic in Auckland – is the second-highest ranked player in the top half and she opens her campaign against Janice Tjen.

The 18-year-old American is projected to meet eighth seed Magda Linette in the quarter-final and if the seedings hold it should be a Raducanu against Jovic semi-final.

Defending champion and world No 31 Kessler headlines the bottom half and she starts off against Olga Danilovic before a possible tasty match against former world No 2 Krejcikova. However, the Czech herself has a tough opener against Peyton Stearns.

Emiliana Arango is seeded seventh and likely on a collision course with Kessler.

The top section of the bottom half has some interesting match-ups as sixth seed Tatjana Maria has landed a plum draw as she faces former world No 1 Williams, who has been handed a wildcard.

The section has four qualifier/lucky loser spots with world No 37 Ann Li also featuring. The fourth-seeded American will face a lucky loser/qualifier in her opener and if she wins that she will face another qualifier/lucky loser.

Hobart International Projected Quarter-Final

Raducanu v Bouzas Maneiro
Jovic v Linette
Maria v Li
Arango v Kessler

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The United Cup consistently attracts the very best players in the world to compete for their respective countries — and two of the biggest names in women’s tennis are now set to face off in the competition.

For the second consecutive year, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff will do battle when Poland takes on the United States in the mixed team event, with the two nations set to do battle in Saturday’s semi-final encounter.

The match-up between Swiatek and Gauff, both reigning Grand Slam champions, promises to be the biggest of the event so far, and here we look at all you need to know ahead of the blockbuster showdown.

How did we get here?

Poland and the United States have both had unblemished campaigns through the mixed team event so far, with neither nation losing a tie.

Competing in Sydney throughout the event, Poland beat both Germany and the Netherlands without losing a single individual rubber to top their group, before a hard-fought 2-1 win over Australia in Friday’s quarter-final.

Swiatek battled from a set down to beat Eva Lys of Germany in her opening match of the event, but has since made light work of the Netherlands’ Suzan Lamens and Australia’s Maya Joint.

Looking to defend their title in the event, the United States kicked off their campaign in Perth with a 3-0 group-stage win versus Argentina and a 2-1 victory versus Spain, before a 2-1 quarter-final triumph over Greece.

Gauff has so far contested every women’s singles and mixed doubles match for her country in the team event, with a 5-1 win-loss record in her six matches.

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In singles, she easily beat Argentina’s Solana Sierra before a shock defeat to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, though she bounced back with a strong win over Maria Sakkari of Greece in the last eight.

Saturday’s semi-final will be the United States’ first clash in three days, having now travelled from Perth to Sydney.

Head-to-head

World No 2 Swiatek has a strong 11-4 head-to-head advantage over world No 4 Gauff, though that does not tell the full story of their rivalry.

The Pole dominated their rivalry early on, moving to an 11-1 lead in their head-to-head, with all of her wins coming in straight sets.

However, Gauff has turned the tables in recent years with three straight victories — including one in the 2025 United Cup.

After a surprise round-robin win over Swiatek at the 2024 WTA Finals, Gauff then beat the Pole in straight sets in the final of the United Cup last January, with the United States beating Poland to triumph.

Their most recent encounter came in the semi-final of the Madrid Open in May 2025, with Gauff thrashing Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in just 64 minutes.

What did Gauff say?

Gauff was instrumental in the United States beating Greece in their quarter-final on Wednesday, beating Sakkari in her singles rubber before returning to court to seal victory in the deciding mixed doubles rubber alongside Christian Harrison.

At that time, Team United States were unaware of who their semi-final opponent was going to be, with Poland and Australia’s quarter-final clash still two days away at that point.

However, the world No 4 was still asked about the possibility of a 16th career meeting against the Pole.

She said: “I mean, obviously, we’ve played each other a lot of times. Last year [at the United Cup], I had a good match against her.

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to the battle. I feel like when I’m playing great tennis, it puts a lot of pressure on them. Yeah, I’m looking forward to that.”

What did Swiatek say?

Swiatek was directly asked about her match-up with Gauff after Poland sealed victory over Australia in a decisive mixed doubles tie.

Earlier in the day, the reigning Wimbledon champion had sealed an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 over Joint.

She said: “Well, honestly, I had no idea we were playing the US. I just got to know, actually when I saw we had mixed doubles under control.

“I’m going to prepare the plan tomorrow [Saturday]. For sure, it’s a good match, like exciting for the fans I think. But I’ll focus on my singles. Obviously, we know each other’s game pretty well with Coco.

“The key for me will be just to focus on myself, try to implement the stuff that I worked on during the pre-season and be brave with the decisions. Yeah, we’ll see.”

Predicted line-up: United States vs Poland

Men’s singles: Taylor Fritz vs Hubert Hurkacz
Women’s singles: Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek
Mixed doubles: Coco Gauff/Christian Harrison vs Iga Swiatek/Hubert Hurkacz

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Aryna Sabalenka will once again be the top seed for the Australian Open while defending champion Madison Keys just makes the top 10 following her quarter-final exit from the Brisbane International.

World No 1 and two-time Melbourne champion Sabalenka was always assured of being the first name on the draw sheet for the season-opening Grand Slam as she has a lead of more than 2,000 points over Iga Swiatek in the WTA Rankings.

Six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek will headline the bottom half of the draw as she, in turn, is nearly 2,000 points ahead of Coco Gauff in the Live Rankings.

Reigning French Open champion Gauff has now been confirmed as the third seed for the Australian Open following Amanda Anisimova’s third-round loss in Brisbane while Elena Rybakina and Jessica Pegula will be the next two names on the sheet.

Although Pegula is still in action in Brisbane, she is unable to move up from No 6 ahead of the January 12 cutoff date for the seedings.

In fact, only a couple of places in the top 10 are still to be decided with Mirra Andreeva, currently at No 8, in with a chance of moving up one spot to No 7 while world No 11 Belinda Bencic – currently competing at the United Cup could still pip Ekaterina Alexandrova to 10th place.

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2025 Newcomer of the Year Victoria Mboko is set to be seeded 17th, one place behind four-time Grand Slam winner and former world No 1 Naomi Osaka – the player she beat in the Canadian Open final last August.

Mboko, though, can still drop a place as Karolina Muchova, currently at No 19, will move up a few spots if she reaches the final in Brisbane while No 20 Elise Mertens is also still alive at the United Cup.

The Australian Open has already hit by the withdrawal of two players who were set to be seeded as 2024 runner-up Zheng Qinwen – who was set to be seeded 25th – is out with an elbow injury while No 31 Veronika Kudermetova is also out.

That means those below them will all earn a bump with Emma Raducanu one of the beneficiaries as the British No 1 is set to be seeded 28th instead of 29th.

But Raducanu could drop back to 29th as Iva Jovic (No 30) will move ahead of her if the young American wins her semi-final match at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Of course, there could still be more withdrawals from seeded players that will give those just outside the cutoff a chance to move up.

Current Top 32 Based on Live Rankings
1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Iga Swiatek
3. Coco Gauff
4. Amanda Anisimova
5. Elena Rybakina
6. Jessica Pegula
7. Jasmine Paolini
8. Mirra Andreeva
9. Madison Keys
10. Ekaterina Alexandrova
11. Belinda Bencic
12. Elina Svitolina
13. Linda Noskova
14. Clara Tauson
15. Emma Navarro
16. Naomi Osaka
17. Victoria Mboko
18. Ludmilla Samsonova
19. Karolina Muchova
20. Elise Mertens
21. Leylah Fernandez
22. Diana Shnaider
23. Jeļena Ostapenko
24. Paula Badosa
25. Marta Kostyuk
26. Dayana Yastremska
27. Sofia Kenin
28. Emma Raducanu
29. Iva Jovic
30. Maya Joint
31. Anna Kalinskaya
32. Marketa Vondrousova

Next Five
33. Lois Boisson
34. Mccartney Kessler
35. Jaqueline Cristian
36. Ann Li
37. Eva Lys

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Alex Eala claimed her first win over Magda Linette at the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic and with it she unlocked a new high in the WTA Rankings.

Rising star Eala had “difficulties” against the Polish veterans in the past as she lost both their previous meetings in straight sets, but she broke her duck in style at the WTA 250 event as she secured a 6-3, 6-2 victory on the hard courts of Auckland.

The 20-year-old, though, must have thought “here we go again” when Linette broke in the opening game of the match, but she hit back in the very next game and then broke for a second time in game six before serving out the set.

The Filipino then raced into 4-0 lead in the second set with back-to-back breaks before the fifth seed managed to get one break back. However, she broke for a third time in game seven and then served the match out to love.

“Obviously Magda, being such an experienced player, I’ve had difficulties playing against her before. So I’m happy that I’m seeing my level increase and improve,” Eala said after the win.

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The fourth seed added: “I did my best. I do what I can and if I see an opening, I think it’s important that I go for it. Today was difficult.”

WTA Rankings Breakthrough

Just over a year ago, Eala was at No 136 in the rankings but she started the ASB Classic at No 53 following an incredible 2025 campaign that saw her reach her first final at the Eastbourne International before losing against Maya Joint while she also reached the semi-final of the WTA 1000 Miami Open.

Her latest win has seen her rise five places in the Live Rankings to a new career-high of No 48.

And there is an even bigger reward up for grabs if she wins her semi-final, but she will need to get past China’s Wang Xinyu.

The seventh-seeded Wang, who sits at No 57 in the WTA Rankings, booked her place in the last four when Great Britain’s Fran Jones retired. The 24-year-old was leading 6-4, 4-3 when the Brit retired.

Victory over Wang – who has peaked at No 32 in the rankings – could see Eala jump to as high as No 43 in the rankings while a win for the Chinese star will see her pass the Filipino.

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Novak Djokovic will begin his 2026 season at the Australian Open after he withdrew from the Adelaide International, but what is the great Serb’s history of playing warm-up events before the Melbourne major?

The world No 4 pulled out of the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, which will be held the week before Australian Open main draw action gets underway on January 18.

“Unfortunately I’m not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week,” the 38-year-old said in a statement.

Djokovic will arrive at this year’s Australian Open, where he is seeking a record-extending 11th title and 25th major overall, without having played since beating Lorenzo Musetti in the Athens final on November 8.

When was the last time Novak Djokovic played Australian Open without a warm-up event?

This will be the first time that Djokovic will enter the Australian Open as his first tournament of the season since 2018.

The 2018 Australian Open was Djokovic’s first event in six months as he had cut short his 2017 campaign after Wimbledon due to a right elbow injury.

In Melbourne, Djokovic defeated 63rd-ranked Donald Young in straight sets in the first round, 39th-ranked Gael Monfils in four sets in the second round, and 22nd-ranked Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets in the third round.

The Serbian then suffered a shock 6-7(4), 5-7, 6-7(3) loss to world No 58 Chung Hyeon, who was one of the brightest talents on the ATP Tour at the time, in the last 16.

Following that defeat, Djokovic underwent surgery on his right elbow, which was still affecting him, and he did not return to the tour until Indian Wells in March.

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What is Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open record with and without playing a warm-up event?

Starting with 2008, when Djokovic won his maiden Australian Open crown, the Serb has played the Melbourne major 17 times (he missed the 2022 edition).

During this span, Djokovic has played a tournament before the Australian Open 10 times and began his season at the Grand Slam on seven occasions.

Djokovic has secured six of his Australian Open titles after playing a warm-up event and four when he has began his year in Melbourne.

The former world No 1’s last Australian Open triumph without playing a tune-up tournament was in 2013.

Novak Djokovic’s record at the Australian Open when he played a warm-up event (since 2008) 

• 2009 – lost in the quarter-finals
• 2015 – won the title
• 2016 – won the title
• 2017 – lost in the second round
• 2019 – won the title
• 2020 – won the title
• 2021 – won the title
• 2023 – won the title
• 2024 – lost in the semi-finals
• 2025 – lost in the semi-finals (retired mid-match with injury)

Djokovic played the Brisbane International in 2009 and 2025, the Qatar Open in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, the ATP Cup in 2020 and 2021, the Adelaide International in 2023, and the United Cup in 2024.

Novak Djokovic’s record at the Australian Open when he did not play a warm-up event (since 2008)

• 2008 – won the title
• 2010 – lost in the quarter-finals
• 2011 – won the title
• 2012 – won the title
• 2013 – won the title
• 2014 – lost in the quarter-finals
• 2018 – lost in the fourth round

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The rise of Amanda Anisimova was one of the biggest talking points of 2025, but the American ace has had a far from ideal start to 2026.

Anisimova was shocked 6-4, 6-3 by Marta Kostyuk in her second match at the Brisbane International on Thursday, with the second seed’s defeat opening up the bottom half of the draw at the WTA 500 event.

And, her loss to Kostyuk also has implications for herself and compatriot Coco Gauff in the WTA Rankings.

Official WTA Rankings

Heading into action this week, Anisimova had overtaken Gauff in the WTA Rankings to become the US No 1 for the first time in her career.

With Gauff’s 2025 United Cup points coming off her ranking, she officially holds 6,273 points  — just behind Anisimova, who moved to a new career-high of world No 3, on 6,287 points.

Anisimova had zero points dropping off her WTA Ranking this week, and had the chance to earn up to a maximum of 500 ranking points in Brisbane, where she was the second seed.

Gauff is also in action at the United Cup this week and, much like in 2025, ranking points are on offer for everyone involved.

However, the points available are dependent on the ranking of your opponent and the stage of the tournament your team reaches, making things a little more difficult to predict.

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As it stands

Anisimova was hugely impressive in a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Kimberly Birrell on Wednesday, though her loss to Kostyuk in round three on Thursday brings her campaign at the WTA 500 event to an end.

And, that means that Gauff will move back up to world No 3 — and regain her status as the US No 1 — next Monday.

Gauff was already provisionally back ahead of Anisimova in the WTA Live Rankings ahead of the latter’s match in Brisbane, with the 21-year-old back in United Cup action for the second straight year.

Though she lost to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain in round-robin action, she also beat Argentina’s Solana Sierra, and picked up a big quarter-final win over Maria Sakkari of Greece on Wednesday.

With the United States now in the semi-final of the team competition, Gauff has the chance to earn more ranking points across the rest of the mixed team — potentially allowing her to extend her lead over her compatriot.

Will it impact the Australian Open draw?

Next week’s WTA Rankings will set the seedings for the opening Grand Slam event of the year: the Australian Open.

Action in Melbourne will begin on Sunday, January 18, and both Gauff and Anisimova will be among the leading title contenders in the women’s singles draw.

However, the impending ranking switch between the two will not impact the hand they are dealt when the draw is made.

The third and fourth-seeded players are both in the same seeding group and will be drawn in the same half as one of the top two seeds at the event.

That means that Gauff and Anisimova will either draw No 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka or No 2 Iga Swiatek in their half, and that would have remained the case even if Anisimova had stayed ahead in the WTA Rankings.

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Emma Raducanu has added a tournament to her schedule after losing her opening match of the 2026 season at the United Cup.

The 2021 US Open champion has signed up for the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, Romania — an indoor hard-court WTA 250 tournament.

It will begin on January 31 — the same day as the Australian Open women’s singles final — and conclude on February 7.

Raducanu competed at the inaugural edition of the Transylvania Open in October 2021 and reached the quarter-finals.

The Brit’s father, Ion Raducanu, is from Bucharest, Romania’s capital, and she speaks Romanian fluently.

Who else will feature at the Transylvania Open?

Raducanu, who is ranked 29th in the world, is set to be the top seed in Cluj-Napoca as she is currently the highest-ranked player on the entry list.

Romanian duo Jacqueline Cristian (No 38) and Sorana Cirstea (No 41) are the only other top 50 players who have entered.

World No 55 Anastasia Potapova, who is the reigning Transylvania Open champion, will compete again this year.

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Given Raducanu will be the top seed, she may not get a much better opportunity to secure her second career title.

The 22-year-old has not reached a final since her stunning triumph at the 2021 US Open.

What did Emma Raducanu say after losing to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup?

In her first match since October 14, Raducanu began her campaign with a 3-6, 6-3, 1-6 defeat to world No 51 Maria Sakkari in Perth as Great Britain exited the United Cup.

Raducanu, who spent time recovering from a foot injury during the off-season, was positive about her display given her lack of preparation.

“I am pretty happy with how I was able to play a match of three sets,” the former world No 10 told reporters.

“Considering I played five or six games in practice, it’s a big effort for me.

“It’s been a good two and a bit months where I didn’t play. It’s been difficult to kind of increase the load and add the unpredictability of the tennis.

“I think today, being able to produce that, having not played, is just giving me confidence to what I can do when I do practise more.

“Initially you feel a little bit alien on the court, in the first set, just playing points again. I know now I just need to get my head down, keep working.”

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