Daria Kasatkina arrives at the Australian Open determined to adopt a calmer outlook after a draining 2025 and her formal switch to Australian citizenship.

The 28-year-old Tolyatti native framed the change as a conscious effort to embrace a local attitude she has long watched from afar. “They’re, like, ‘Don’t worry about it, just don’t worry about it.’ I’m, like, ‘No, I’m worrying about it. What are you talking about?’” she said with a laugh on Saturday.

Kasatkina closed her season in early October after reaching a “breaking point.” She described 2025 as a period of burnout following years of pressure related to events beyond her control. “I was trying to get out of this, like, hole basically. It’s never easy,” she said.

She has been through intense personal transitions in recent years: coming out as LGBTQ+ with partner Natalia Zabiiako, publicly opposing Russia’s 2023 invasion into Ukraine and announcing plans to represent Australia last spring. Those pressures, she said, contributed to inconsistent results and a fall from No. 9 to No. 38 in the rankings. Now ranked No. 48, Kasatkina is treating 2026 as a rebuild.

“This calm way of thinking, it’s actually something I’m missing,” she said, explaining why she is trying to “give ‘no worries’ a crack.” She described Australians as encouraging and accepting: “They’re just like, ‘Give it a crack, that’s okay,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘Makes sense, actually. Okay, take a coffee and just relax? I’m like, Okay, I’ll take a coffee, and I will relax.’ Okay, guys!”

The change has also helped her trust the support around her. “Talking to the people here, I really love it,” she said. “It’s like I always had a feeling that…when you talk with a person and he’s, like, you know, just really positive and supportive, you’re like, ‘Something is wrong here, something is not right. I don’t understand what, but something is not right.’ Now I’m just, like, ‘Okay, they’re just like this, Daria. Accept they’re just good people, okay? Just take it, and live with that.’”

“Finally, I can just breathe. I can live and just do my job and not to be worried about the things which are not in my control. Daria Kasatkina”

Kasatkina will open against Czech qualifier Nina Bartunkova, and could face Belinda Bencic later, a player she has known since junior days. Win or lose, she says this is “a fun pressure” compared with recent seasons.

Venus Williams is back at the Australian Open for a remarkable 22nd main-draw appearance, this time arriving as a married woman after a Palm Beach ceremony last month with Andrea Preti. The former world No. 1 discussed the meaning of celebration and commitment at her Media Day press conference, with Preti watching from the seats.

“Well, the day is a celebration,” Williams said. “The commitment comes long before. It’s kind of like getting here. It’s the celebration of arriving and getting to actually play. The training happens long before.

“It’s just our opportunity to celebrate with family and friends and to create lasting memories.”

Williams confirmed her engagement at the start of her summer comeback at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, where Preti accompanied her to her first tournament in more than a year. At 45 years old, she won a round in both singles and doubles at that event. After a September ceremony, the couple were officially wed in a week-long celebration close to home in Palm Beach, Florida.

“I can’t describe how beautiful, calm, sacred, exciting, and exalting it was,” Venus told Vogue in December. “It was just a dream.”

Between planning the celebration with Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events and preparing for Melbourne, Williams accepted a wild card and drew Olga Danilovic in the first round. On the training that preceded her return she said, “Yeah, I was training nonstop those three months. There were periods where I was super busy so I’d have to take a week off here or three days off there, but for the most part I was training and trying to get myself back in the groove.”

Since accepting the wild card, Williams lost two tight matches at the ASB Classic and Hobart International. She made her Australian Open debut in 1998 and, at 45, insisted her outlook remains unchanged.

“I’m definitely the same person. I definitely, like, I had my head on straight. It’s still on pretty straight.

“That’s the thing about sport is you keep stepping up to the line, and while there is nothing to prove, it’s all about the attitude and the effort. No one can control that. Controlling that part is really the win.”

Amanda Anisimova arrives at the Australian Open buoyed by a breakthrough 2025 season and a career-high ranking of No. 4. The 24-year-old American, who captured two WTA 1000 titles and reached two Grand Slam finals last year, has kept her on-court preparations steady and made just one visible change ahead of the first major of 2026.

“Well, it’s like pretty personal,” Anisimova joked of her decision to go back to blonde after a winning season as a brunette.

“So, like, I would go dark and I really liked it. But then after like a month it would look really bad. Either my roots would grow out or it would look orange. Didn’t really suit me.

“I was just tired of, yeah, the maintenance. I’m someone who likes to keep changing things up. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I went dark again in a year. We’ll see how it goes.”

Her 2026 campaign began at the Brisbane International, where she won a round before losing to eventual finalist Marta Kostyuk. Anisimova closed 2025 with momentum, including a semifinal at the WTA Finals, and used a brief off-season to rest and refine her game.

“It’s good to have a chunk of time when you’re just able to be at home and relax a bit,” she said dryly of her “productive” time off. “I think that’s also really healthy for us.

“I just tried to understand what I wanted to work on with the five weeks I had, and how we were going to get the most out of the training. I made sure to not take my time at home for granted. Every single day I really tried to appreciate just the time that I had because it was pretty short.”

Drawn in the same quarter as fellow Americans Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, the defending champion, Anisimova could meet 2020 winner Sofia Kenin as early as the third round. She acknowledged the benefit of recent big-match experience.

“Just being in those positions for the first time, I think the second time around is always going to be a little easier. At least I have been in those spots that I kind of know what to expect.

“At the same time, it’s a new Grand Slam. I’m just really taking it one match at a time. Yeah, everyone is going to be very difficult to face here, but I’m looking forward to it.”