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.”

Coco Gauff spent media day insisting a new sports drama is worth the attention of her peers and her mother. Since arriving for the Australian Open she has been urging colleagues to sample Heated Rivalry, the six-episode adaptation that debuted at the start of the November off-season and dramatizes a long-running romance between fictional hockey stars Shane Hollandar and Illya Rozanov.

“I’m their number one fan, I think,” Gauff said when asked about her enthusiastic social posts. One of those posts read, “heated rivalry…. lemme give you your 10s 🫡 👏🏾” and her praise has been steady across conversations on tour.

Gauff described how the show first caught her attention: “I just kind of saw people talking about a hockey show, a gay hockey show. That interested me,” she said during her Australian Open Media Day press conference. “I was like, ‘Oh, six episodes, perfect.’ I just dove, like, right in.

“Obviously, there’s some nice spicy scenes. It’s such a beautiful love story, I think. I think that was like the main thing.”

Her endorsement has not been private. Gauff has recommended the series to teammates and other players, naming Jess Pegula and [Giuliana Olmos] among those she has told to watch. She also relayed a family reaction: “She gave it an 8 out of a 10, which is really high because she watches a bunch of shows.” Gauff added, “Yeah, I wanted the world to know about this show. I’ve been telling everyone. I told Jess Pegula and [Giuliana Olmos] to watch it today. We’ll see how much of the WTA I can convince to watch the show.”

Fans within the tennis community are joining the conversation, including Morgan Riddle, Naomi Osaka and others. On the common debate over which character to prefer, Gauff declared her allegiance plainly: “My favorite is Ilya on the show, for sure.”