The 2026 tennis season is well underway, with tournaments in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Hong Kong and Auckland all kicking off over the past few days. If you’ve gone cold turkey on tennis over the last six weeks and are just getting back into it now, there are a few key stories you will have missed over the off-season. Read on for a breakdown of all the major updates, from coaching changes to relationship updates, injuries and dramas.
Also, don’t miss our video on the most recent sponsorship changes and racquet switches on the tour.
Alcaraz and Ferrero split
By far the biggest news of the tennis off-season was the bombshell dropped by Carlos Alcaraz and Juan Carlos Ferrero in mid December.
The two announced by way of social media on December 17 that they would be ending their seven-year partnership, effectively immediately. Each made rather cryptic posts, implying that the break up was not their idea:
“Thank you for making my childhood dreams a reality. We have reached the top, and I feel that if our sporting paths have to part, it should be from up there,” said Alcaraz.
“Today is a difficult day. Saying goodbye is never easy. I wish I could have continued,” said Ferrero.
The news set tennis media ablaze with speculation about why two duo – who have won six Grand Slams together – would split. At this stage it seems as though Alcaraz’s family, his father in particular, had a strong hand in the coaching change. He and Ferrero are reported to have had arguments in the past, likely due to Ferrero’s strict focus on just tennis and his desire not to travel all the time.
Alcaraz will be coached by just Samuel Lopez this year, who has been on his team as co-coach for the past year.
Battle of the Sexes drama
The second-biggest story of the off-season was the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition between Nick Kyrgios and Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai on December 28. It was a fairly uneventful match – Kyrgios won 6-3, 6-3 – but tennis Twitter absolutely raged about it.
There are a few reasons why the event got everyone’s heckles up. Mainly, it was the name. The original Battle of the Sexes in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs was a landmark occasion for women’s tennis – King won, and helped move the women’s game forward.
This match wasn’t that. The court dimensions were even adjusted to have Sabalenka’s side nine percent smaller, and it made the whole thing seem very farcical. Kyrgios was his usual arrogant, showman-like self, and it didn’t exactly honor the history of the Battle of the Sexes.
In saying that, there was nothing really wrong with it. You could tell both were having fun and not taking the occasion too seriously. Had it been labelled as anything else, it would have just been one of the many exhibitions that took place in December.
Sabalenka herself agreed, saying: “I honestly don’t understand how people were able to find something negative in this event. It was a great fight and it brought more eyes on tennis.”
Serena making a comeback?
Earlier in the off-season, keen tennis fans spotted a bizarre detail: Serena Williams had re-entered the ITIA’s mandatory drug testing pool. This sparked an immediate frenzy regarding the former world No 1’s potential return to professional play. Williams took to X to shut down the rumors, posting: “This wildfire is crazy. I am not coming back.”
Omg yall I’m NOT coming back. This wildfire is crazy-
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) December 2, 2025
Despite the denial, Serena’s presence in the pool means she would be eligible to play doubles as early as June 2026 – in time for Wimbledon and definitely the US Open. Given Venus is still alive and well on the tour, could we see the two of them in action sometime in 2026?
End-of-season awards
Both the ATP and WTA Tours distributed their 2025 honors in mid-December. Here’s who took out what:
- Player of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz (ATP) and Aryna Sabalenka (WTA).
- Fans’ Favorite: Jannik Sinner won for the third consecutive year.
- Breakthrough of the Year: Valentin Vacherot, following his Shanghai Masters title.
- Most Improved Player: Amanda Anisimova, who jumped from outside the top 300 to the top five.
- Comeback Player of the Year: Belinda Bencic, following her return from maternity leave.
- Coach of the Year: Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez.
Wawrinka announces retirement
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka announced during the off-season that 2026 would be his final year of professional tennis. The Swiss veteran shared his decision on December 19, saying: “Every book needs an ending. It’s time to write the final chapter of my career as a professional tennis player.” He joins Gael Monfils as the other notable name calling time after the upcoming season.
Love is in the air
As always, there was plenty of movement on the romantic front for tennis players as they took a few weeks away from the game. There were two notable marriages, with Venus Williams and Andrea Preti holding a second, week-long celebration in Palm Beach (they’d already married in a ceremony in Italy). Casper Ruud also married Maria Galligani in an understated ceremony in Oslo.
A good number of players proposed or were proposed to as well, with Maria Sakkari, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Sebastian Korda, and Cameron Norrie all announcing engagements over the break.
Injury hangover
On a less positive front, there’s been plenty of injury news in the final days of the off-season, as several players have announced they aren’t quite ready to return to action.
- Joao Fonseca: The Brazilian teenager withdrew from Brisbane due to a persistent lower back injury.
- Taylor Fritz: Admitted his knee injury is worse than originally feared, casting doubt on his Australian Open prospects. Still played at the United Cup, but said he basically spent the entire off-season trying to rehab it.
- Jack Draper: Already withdrawn from the entire Australian swing due to bone stress in his left arm.
- Arthur Fils: Also announced he won’t be competing in Australia, due to his back injury suffered in 2025.
