From Naomi Osaka's thoughtful view on balancing motherhood with competition to Maria Sakkari's motivation to return to tennis' elite, the first Media Day at the United Cup in Perth gave us a glimpse of some players' offseasons and 2026 aspirations ahead of competition beginning Jan. 2. PERTH, Australia -- Prior to Japan's press conference at the first media day of the United Cup in Perth, Naomi Osaka noticed Switzerland's Belinda Bencic with her 1-year-old daughter on the court. "I thought that was really, really cute, and it made me think of my daughter, as well," Osaka said. This offseason, Osaka prioritized spending time with her daughter, Shai. After a 2025 season that saw Osaka rise from No. "It's definitely really tough," Osaka said on finding that balance. "This offseason was quite difficult for me as well because you try to be there for her all the time. Since giving birth in July 2023, Osaka discussed how parenthood has shifted her mindset on the court. Prior, she said she was pretty hard on herself, often defining herself by wins and losses, but she's come to understand the broader perspective that has helped her shift her thinking positively. "If you knew me before, I would take everything so seriously. I'm just taking it like every day is a new opportunity to do better. At the same time, I know that my biggest role isn't a tennis player, it's to be a mom to my daughter. Playing in Group E featuring Greece and Great Britain, Osaka will face Maria Sakkari on Jan. 2 and Emma Raducanu on Jan. 4 in her first two singles matches of the 2026 season. A post shared by United Cup (@unitedcuptennis) Around this time last year, Maria Sakkari was competing in the United Cup after an offseason filled with rehab from a shoulder injury that cut her 2024 season short. In May 2025, her ranking fell to No. Frankly, Sakkari felt the season was difficult. I'm not going to lie," Sakkari said. "It wasn't easy to handle, but at the same time, I feel like I learned a lot. I just had some time to recover and just think about the things I want to improve for this season. "I had five weeks of very good practice and had time to put in a lot of work and just think of the things that I want to work on. It went really well, but the results will show how good of a work we did put [in]." Though holding a 3-2 advantage in the head-to-head with Osaka, they haven't faced since 2021, while Sakkari vies for her first career win over Raducanu. Emma, I have a negative record against her obviously I'm aware of that, but she's a solid player. Both of them are very tough to play. Argentina's Solana Sierra and Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro will face World No. It's a tall, but opportunistic task for both players who made strides over the 2025 season. Bouzas Maneiro enters Perth at a career-high rank of No. "I believe that I can won more matches against other players and top players in the world. That was of the main point for me last year." Bouzas Maneiro said she's expecting to advance further in tournaments more consistently, and continue to compete against the world's best. "[I'll] play against two amazing players," Bouzas Maneiro said. "[I've known] Solana since years ago, we practiced a lot together so I know that it's going to be a tough match. Of course, we will be ready for it. A post shared by United Cup (@unitedcuptennis) 66, catapulted by a Round of 16 run at Wimbledon, where she was the first lucky loser to do so. She also won a WTA 125 title in Mallorca, Spain and WTT 75 title in Bellinzona, Switzerland, boosting her to the No. "I think it was a great year for me," said Sierra, who is making her debut at the United Cup. I'm really excited to start the year here. I think it's a really good preparation." She's competed in qualifying the past two years, but lost both her first-round qualifiers. I will try my best on every tournament." The United Cup offers a unique way for players to begin their seasons with a team competition, where one loss in singles or mixed-doubles might not eliminate them from the competition. It's our third time in Perth, which we really enjoy playing here of course. Osaka has watched the United Cup on television the past couple of years, and said she's always wanted to play in it. "I think for me, just it being such a good team atmosphere. I've always kind of watched United Cup on the TV," Osaka said. "I've wanted to play for a long time. "That's another important part of playing United Cup, being able to play the best players in the world straight off the bat, which I think is a privilege. From Naomi Osaka's thoughtful view on balancing motherhood with competition to Maria Sakkari's motivation to return to tennis' elite, the first Media Day at the United Cup in Perth gave us a glimpse of some players' offseasons and 2026 aspirations ahead of competition beginning Jan. 2.

This year the event again features 18 countries across six groups in Sydney and Perth. ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch at the United Cup with a preview of the Brisbane International presented by ANZ and the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open to come later in the week. Taylor Fritz has been a consistent presence for his country at the mixed-teams event and he returns with Coco Gauff to defend their trophy. Individually, Fritz has tallied a 9-3 singles record at the United Cup since 2023, including victories against Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. 2) Auger-Aliassime among Top-10 talent: There are eight ATP singles players who are in or have been in the world's Top 10 competing in the United Cup. The current Top-10 stars are Germany's Zverev, Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, the United States' Fritz and Australia's Alex de Minaur. 5 Auger-Aliassime in particular arrives at the United Cup with momentum. Auger-Aliassime made a Masters 1000 final in Paris and won three ATP Tour titles in 2025 in addition to his run to the US Open semi-finals. The 25-year-old and 19-year-old Victoria Mboko headline their country's lineup in Sydney, where they visited with koalas and kangaroos at the zoo Wednesday. 3s Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) and Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland), and Poland's Hurkacz will also be in action. De Minaur will take on Ruud in Group D and Zverev will face Hurkacz in Group F, with both matches in Sydney at Ken Rosewall Arena. 3) De Minaur flies Australian flag: De Minaur loves playing at home, especially in his native Sydney, where he won his first ATP Tour title in 2019 as a 19-year-old. But it will be De Minaur who spearheads the charge at an event where he has beaten Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Zverev and Fritz. The 20-year-old will need to be sharp from the first ball in Sydney, where he will play De Minaur and Ruud in Group D. 5) Hurkacz returns: Big-serving Pole Hurkacz has helped Poland reach the United Cup final twice and will try to do so again in 2026. But this also marks the 28-year-old's first tournament since June in ‘s-Hertogenbosch due to a knee injury. 6 will seek revenge against Zverev, who beat him in the 2024 United Cup final. He will also play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, against whom he owns a 3-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage. Your data will be used in accordance with the ATP Privacy Policy and WTA Privacy Policy. Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! We'll send you newsletters keeping you informed about news, tournaments, competitions, ticketing, partner offers and more. Your data will be used in accordance with the ATP Privacy Policy and WTA Privacy Policy. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices