Zheng Qinwen begins her 2026 season at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Monday, marking her first tournament appearance since a first-round exit at Wimbledon and just one event played since that loss. The former world No. 4 spent much of 2025 managing an elbow injury that forced her to miss last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open, where she was not fit to compete.

“I feel great to be back on the tour,” Zheng said on Saturday. “I especially missed the tournaments and the competition. I missed the way you have to put your blood into a match.”

Her most recent outing came at the China Open in Beijing, where she retired in the third round against Linda Noskova. After withdrawing from the first major tournament of the season, Zheng outlined the demands of Grand Slam level play and her recovery timeline.

“Although my recovery is progressing well and my offseason has gone smoothly, to play a Grand Slam requires players to maintain an extreme competitive condition,” Zheng explained after withdrawing from the first major tournament of the season. “Currently, I have not yet reached my best condition that I have set for myself.”

Before the elbow problem, Zheng produced strong results on clay, reaching the semifinals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. At Rome she recorded a notable win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on her run to the semifinals. She was the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.

“It’s been a while,” Zheng said. “I never thought this injury would take me so long and a surgery. It was much longer than I thought. But I’m back and in better shape. I just hope I can do well at this tournament and give my best on court.”

Zheng’s return in Doha will be watched for signs of how close she is to the form that carried her to deep runs at major events and big clay tournaments in the season before the injury.

Coco Gauff used media day at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open to discuss more than tennis, revealing she finished Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights between her run to the Australian Open quarterfinals and her return to Doha. The 1847 novel and Emerald Fennell’s upcoming film adaptation starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie prompted a blunt read and a clear reaction from the American.

“I’m really curious how they’re going to do the movie, because I saw that they’re marketing it as the greatest love story, and after reading it, it’s not a great love story,” Gauff said. “So I don’t really know if this is about to be like, I feel like it’s just going to be the director’s take on the movie, based off the marketing. We’ll see.

“It was a good book, but it definitely is not the greatest love story. It’s a lot of toxicity and abuse going on in that book.”

The experience apparently nudged Gauff toward more classic reads. “I’ve never read a book in the 1800s before, so I had to reread a couple pages sometimes to understand the English. But I think it was good, I think I’ll do it some more to challenge myself.” She also showed off a Heated Rivalry hat she received as a gift at the end of the press conference.

On court in Doha, Gauff is entered in both singles and doubles, the latter alongside Victoria Mboko. As the No. 4 seed she remains focused on her tournament preparation but allowed room for other parts of the winter calendar.

“My friend’s boyfriend is on the Seahawks, so I’m rooting for the Seahawks strictly because of her,” she said, casting her lot with Seattle ahead of their meeting with the New England Patriots.

Gauff also flagged the Super Bowl halftime show as her viewing priority. “I’m excited to see Bad Bunny perform. Hopefully Cardi B can come out. So, I’m more interested in the halftime show this year, just because I don’t really have a dog in the fight for the Super Bowl. I’ll probably be sleeping, and I’ll just watch the halftime show in the morning.”

Iga Swiatek shared a clip from Familiada, the Polish take on Family Feud, that placed her at the top of a public survey of the country’s most successful athletes. The clip showed Swiatek receiving 26 votes, ahead of Robert Lewandowski, who was listed second.

Ahead of her return to the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, Swiatek addressed the item at Media Day. “It’s hard to answer that one, honestly,” she said, adding context to how the survey compared athletes from different sports. The organizers’ ranking prompted a wider online conversation. “There was a big discussion on the internet,” she added. “I was surprised I was first and Robert was second, so that’s what was a little funny because to me, he’s still a legend. It’s a funny show, so we can all laugh about it.” The draft also notes Lewandowski as a two-time winner of FIFA’s Best Men’s Player Award.

Away from the television clip, Swiatek has kept her focus on the court. She reached the Australian Open quarterfinals and has been preparing for the Middle East swing, where she has enjoyed success in prior seasons. The three-time Doha champion said she has been working on her serve, forehand, and footwork while adjusting to the tournament’s slower conditions. “You can’t wait for the ball to come to you here.”

Swiatek also spent time off court exploring the city with rival Amanda Anisimova. The pair visited the Museum of Islamic Art. “These museums are so fresh and you can see that they’re new and in beautiful places next to the water. We took some nice photos and saw some nice pieces of art.”

The Familiada clip offered a light moment during a week otherwise devoted to match preparation and tuning the game to Doha conditions. Swiatek’s comments blended humour about the survey with a clear focus on the technical work ahead of the tournament.