Venus Williams shares engagement photos, Swiatek returns to training for United Cup as Siniakova is honored at home
In a new Daily Dose of Social Media, the off-season continues for the ATP and WTA stars, and this time it was the 7-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams who stole the spotlight, after sharing some romantic photos of her engagement with her fiancé Andrea Preti.Meanwhile, Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula shared fun photos of their days off during the off-season, while 6-time Major champion Iga Swiatek is already back in training, barely two weeks after her last competition in the Billie Jean King Cup. Another player enjoying free time—though forced by his severe injury—is Holger Rune, who shared photos from his visit to Qatar for the Grand Prix last weekend.
Venus Williams shares intimate engagement photos
Venus Williams, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, shared photos on social media with her fiancé, Andrea Preti, with whom she has been in a relationship for about a year and a half, and whose engagement she had commented on a few months ago. This time, ‘Queen V’ posted several pictures from what appears to be an engagement photoshoot, including the date: “Engaged 1/31/25💫”
In the summer of 2024, she was first photographed with Andrea Preti during a vacation in Italy, and engagement rumors began shortly after she was seen training with a ring in Rome. She herself confirmed the rumors a year after their relationship became public, and now she has opened her personal album for a photo session that seems to precede the wedding, though Venus has not yet clarified the date for their marriage.
Doubles world No. 1 Siniakova honored in Czech hometown
The doubles world No. 1, Katerina Siniakova, is spending a few days in her hometown of Hradec Králové, where she was honored during a men’s tennis tournament organized by the ITF. The 10-time Grand Slam champion in doubles also received an homage from the city’s mayor, Pavlína Springerová, and was recognized as an honorary citizen.
“These moments are scarce and truly exceptional,” said the Czech tennis player. “I am so happy to have the opportunity to visit my family and spend two or three free days there a year. It’s an exception. The fact that I can be here for a few days during the tournament is almost a miracle.”
Iga Swiatek returns to training ahead of United Cup challenge
Iga Swiatek is already back on the courts preparing for the 2026 season, after enjoying a couple of weeks of rest. The six-time Major champion had appeared in photos on social media a few days ago enjoying her beach vacation, but this time she has shown signs of her return, getting back to training after a long 2025 season.
The Pole was still competing as recently as two weeks ago, when she played in the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs with Poland, securing their passage to the next round of the 2026 edition of the tournament, with Swiatek winning both of her singles matches. Iga’s next challenge will be the United Cup, where she will seek revenge after losing two finals, and she will once again team up with Hubert Hurkacz in pursuit of the trophy for Poland. The tournament starts on January 2nd in the cities of Sydney and Perth.
Rune visits Qatar F1 Grand Prix amidst long recovery from Achilles surgery
Holger Rune continues to wait for his return to the courts and shared a series of photos from his visit to Doha, Qatar, over the weekend for the F1 Grand Prix. The former world No. 4 suffered a serious injury late in the season that forced him to undergo surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. Rune will have a long recovery period, which experts suggest could range from nine months to a year, and it would not be a surprise if we do not see Rune play at all in 2026.
The Dane was having a decent season, winning the Barcelona Open title and reaching the final at Indian Wells. He maintained possibilities of finishing the year in the Top 10 until the final weeks, when the injury forced him to end 2025 and say goodbye to the courts for a long time. Specifically, in his Instagram post, a user asked Rune if he could anticipate his return date, to which the 22-year-old replied: “Too early to set a date yet for this.”
Emma Navarro enjoys down time, shares photos from Vegas and home
Emma Navarro is enjoying her free time during the off-season and shared a photo wrap-up for her fans, showing everything from her days at home to the time she spent in Las Vegas a few days ago at an event organized by one of her sponsors. The American finished the season having dropped a few positions compared to 2024, settling at world No. 15 and becoming the American No. 5.
Navarro secured one WTA 500 title at the Merida Open but could not even reach the semi-finals in any other tournament during the season. She captioned her post with a reflective quote: “some believe in destiny and some believe in fate, but i believe that happiness is something we create”
Jessica Pegula shares downtime photos with fellow American stars
World No. 6 Jessica Pegula is another player enjoying her free time, and she shared several photos from her recent days off, including some with a couple of her colleagues. The American’s shared photos also feature Desirae Krawczyk and the former Australian Open runner-up Jennifer Brady—both of whom are also co-hosts of The Players Box podcast. Another player appearing in the photos is former doubles world No. 11 Alexa Guarachi, who retired a couple of seasons ago.
Pegula finished 2025 as the American No. 3—behind Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff. She secured three titles (Charleston, Bad Homburg, and Austin) and reached three other finals (Miami, Wuhan, and Adelaide). At 31, she once again proved to be one of the most consistent players on the Tour and qualified for the WTA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, where she reached the semi-finals before being eliminated by the eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
