What are players doing in the first week of the new season? A retired Ukrainian player says Djokovic has a better chance at a Grand Slam than Zverev.

Three minutes daily to catch up on all things tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Sunday, December 14, 2025. Welcome to the news midday report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

The 2026 season will begin in under three weeks. So, what tournaments are the top ATP players entering in the opening week? Some international fans have created a chart listing the schedules of the top 30 players to help followers stay informed. Among the top 30, 23 players have chosen to compete in the first week's events, mainly focusing on the United Cup mixed team event, ATP 250 Brisbane, and Hong Kong tournaments. The rest are either recovering from injuries, playing exhibition matches, or opting out of competition.

World No. 1 Alcaraz and No. 2 Sinner have decided to play an exhibition in South Korea on January 10 next year, then fly directly to Australia to prepare for the Australian Open, likely skipping warm-up tournaments. The ten-time Australian Open champion Djokovic will rest during the first week, and it remains undecided whether he will participate in other events.

Which tournaments have the other players chosen? Detailed information is included in the attached image; please click to enlarge and view.

Let's focus again on Djokovic. Recently, retired Ukrainian player Stakhovsky stated in an interview that he firmly believes Djokovic will win his 25th Grand Slam and thinks the Serbian has a better chance at Grand Slam titles than world No. 3, German Zverev. "Novak has a very high chance to win another Grand Slam. I have to say, his chances are greater than Zverev’s because he reached the semifinals in all four majors this year, so I believe he can win anywhere. His outstanding record in Australia gives him every reason to plan his preparation carefully and expect good results."

Many fans agree with Stakhovsky’s opinion. However, some believe that Djokovic nowadays might not outperform Zverev in best-of-five Grand Slam matches, considering the 10-year age gap, which gives the German a clear physical advantage.

Moving on to other news. Last night Beijing time, the Czech Republic held its 2025 tennis annual awards ceremony, with various honors distributed. Among them: Canary Award to Menšík; Best Male Player: Lehečka; Best Female Player: Nosková; Most Improved Player: Valentová; Best Newcomer: Jana Kovačková; Best Team: Czech Davis Cup team.

Now, let's check the match updates. In yesterday’s WTA125 Limoges doubles semifinals, the China-Spain duo Zhang Shuai/Bucșa made a strong comeback to defeat another international pairing Ramsden/Havrlíková 6-7(5), 6-1, 10-3, advancing to the final. They will face the French team Ponsé/Jacquemot for the championship.

Additionally, in the 2025 U.S. ITF Orange Bowl J500 girls’ singles semifinals, 15-year-old Chinese rising star Sun Xinran performed excellently, defeating top seed Brazilian Barros 6-2, 6-3. She is the second Chinese player to reach the Orange Bowl singles final since Zheng Qinwen in 2018. Tonight at 10 PM Beijing time, she will compete against Liutova for the title. Good luck to the young talent!

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The photo below shows a player training. Without any hints, can you identify who she is?

The correct answer was given by fans last time. Yes, the person in the picture is Dustin Brown, who holds dual Jamaican-German nationality.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Maverick)