Victoria Mboko left the Qatar TotalEnergies Open buoyed by a first-step victory and a clear aim: play as many top-ranked opponents as possible. The 19-year-old Canadian has climbed to No. 13 on the back of title runs in Montréal and Hong Kong and recently met world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open.

Asked about players she wanted to face, Mboko did not避r away from a childhood aspiration even as she acknowledged the current reality. She answered plainly.

Q. It’s your first year on the tour, second year on the tour, on the main tour. Is there any player that you’re particularly keen to play against, ones that you watched growing up that you want to match up against on the tour right now?

VICTORIA MBOKO: Well, one person that I always looked up to was Serena Williams, but she’s retired now. I feel like I kind of already played people who I was wanting to play growing up. I mean, playing world No. 1 has always been a dream of mine, whether you win or lose it.

But, yeah, I think just playing as many top-10 players as I can is pretty cool. That’s always a different experience for me. Yeah, there’s not someone in particular.

Meanwhile, speculation about Serena Williams has remained active since last fall. Williams has re-entered the World Anti-Doping Agency testing pool and was the subject of reports suggesting she might make a major announcement during this past Super Bowl weekend. No official confirmation of a comeback has been made. Reports indicate she could be cleared to return as early as this spring, which would create the possibility, however remote, of Mboko meeting her childhood idol on tour sooner than expected.

For now, Mboko is focused on the progression that has accelerated her ranking and the valuable lessons that come from facing the sport’s best.

Carlos Alcaraz’s title at the 2026 Australian Open delivered a run of milestones that altered his place in the sport. He won the title after rallying from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic in the final, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, and earlier edged Alexander Zverev in a semifinal epic in which he battled back from the brink of defeat and overcame cramps. He had stormed past his first five opponents in straight sets en route to the title.

That triumph completed his Career Grand Slam. He is the ninth man in tennis history to do so and the youngest ever to complete the set at 22 years and 8 months, surpassing the previous mark set by Don Budge at 22 years and 11 months. He is also the first man to complete a Career Slam at the Australian Open. The list of players who previously completed the Career Slam includes Fred Perry, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The victory was his seventh Grand Slam title. His major tally now reads one Australian Open (2026), two Roland Garros titles (2024, 2025), two Wimbledons (2023, 2024) and two US Opens (2022, 2025). He has won seven of the 20 Grand Slams he has contested and seven of the last 13 majors he has played, stretches that date to the 2022 US Open. He missed the 2023 Australian Open with a leg injury.

The win produced several other markers. He became the youngest man ever to reach seven major titles, moved to 7-1 in Grand Slam finals with his sole loss coming to Jannik Sinner in last year’s Wimbledon final, and became the first player to beat Djokovic in an Australian Open final. Since the tournament switched to hard courts in 1988, he is the sixth man to claim back-to-back hard-court majors at the US Open and Australian Open.

Statistically he improved an already stellar résumé. His Grand Slam career record rose to 91-13 for an 87.5 percent winning percentage. He now has 25 career titles, bringing his total of wins over Top 10 opponents to 55 after victories over Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic at this event. His 25th title pushed him past Sinner and Zverev (24) and left him second among active men in career titles behind Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz also surpassed 13,000 ranking points for the first time, moving from 12,050 to 13,650.

Eliot Spizzirri credits the work he did away from the spotlight for his early 2026 momentum. The 24-year-old began the year 4–2 and at a new career-high of world No. 71, after a statement run to the third round of the Australian Open that followed an intensive offseason training block.

Documentary cameras were granted access as Spizzirri and his team prepared in Boca Raton, training there with coaches Patrick Hirscht and Christopher Williams during tennis’ limited offseason. He is one of the subjects of Off Season, Ground Pass Podcast’s cinematic YouTube docu-series, which explores the reset players undertake between campaigns. Episode 1, titled “Rest,” finds Spizzirri training in Boca Raton, home to Evert Academy and an offseason base for many American and international players.

“I like the lifestyle a lot. My dad’s here. I think at the end of this year I’ll have to buy my own place,” he says, laughing. “Living with my parents at 25? I don’t think that’s in the cards.”

The series is narrated by former ATP player turned analyst Chris Eubanks, directed by Anastasia Folorunso, and shot by cinematographer Emily Kordovich. “He’s just a workhorse,” Eubanks said of Spizzirri. “He’s a guy who’s not an easy out. When you step foot on court with him, it doesn’t matter what lead you have—he’s never going to give up.”

Spizzirri began the season ranked world No. 89. He qualified in Auckland and reached the quarterfinals of that ATP 250 event, recording wins over Cristian Garin, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, Adrian Mannarino, and Nuno Borges. He then made a splash in his Australian Open main-draw debut, upsetting No. 32 seed João Fonseca and defeating Yibing Wu to reach the third round of a major for the first time. He took a set from world No. 2 and two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in Melbourne; Sinner did not drop a set to anyone else at the tournament apart from Novak Djokovic.

Spizzirri is next scheduled to compete in qualifying at the Delray Beach Open, aiming to reach the ATP 250 main draw when the tournament begins on February 16. Off Season premiered on YouTube on January 18, with new episodes every other Sunday; the next installment arrives February 15.