Djokovic abruptly leaves the group, Fonseca withdraws before the match, Zhang Shuai wins and Wang Meiren also triumphs, Xu Yang's duo suffers a whitewash.

Three minutes daily to catch up on global tennis news. Hello tennis fans, today is Monday, January 5, 2026. Welcome to the news midday report brought to you by "Tennis Home."

Last night Beijing time, Serbian tennis legend Djokovic unexpectedly posted three messages on his personal social media, declaring his official exit from the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which he co-founded. Djokovic cited concerns about the association’s transparency, management style, and how his own voice and image were portrayed. "After careful consideration, I have decided to fully withdraw from the Professional Tennis Players Association. This decision stems from my long-standing concerns over the association’s transparency, operational management, and the manner in which my views and image have been represented. Together with Pospisil, I co-founded the PTPA with the aim of creating a stronger and independent voice for players, a mission I have always been proud of. However, it is now clear that my values and principles no longer align with the current direction of the association. I will continue to focus on my tennis career and family, contributing to the sport in a way that aligns with my principles and original intentions. I wish all players and stakeholders the best in the future. For me, this chapter ends here."

After seeing this news, many fans were puzzled. "Why would an association founded by himself eventually deviate from his original wishes? Shouldn't the founder be able to decide the association’s mission and direction? With his influence, it should have been possible!" "He created the group himself, yet ended up leaving it — that’s hard to understand!"

Let’s turn our attention to the 2026 United Cup mixed team tennis event. Last night Beijing time, the United Cup completed its third day of competition. In Group C, Switzerland relied on Bencic’s two points in singles and mixed doubles to defeat Italy 2-1, achieving two wins and becoming the first team to advance to the quarterfinals. In Group B, the score between China and Canada was well known; given the obvious strength difference, the 0-3 loss was expected.

In Group E, the match between the UK and Japan was decided in mixed doubles, with the UK ultimately winning 2-1 to claim their first victory in the group stage.

At 7:30 this morning Beijing time, the fourth day of the United Cup group stage began. In Group D, the Czech Republic faced Norway, with Krejcikova defeating Helgo 6-4, 6-3 to give the Czech team the first point.

Let’s also look at other tournaments. This afternoon Beijing time, the ATP250 Hong Kong Open will kick off. On the first day, Chinese player Wu Yibing will face Hungarian star Marosan, with the match starting around 6 PM. Young player Zhou Yi will play two matches in one day, first competing in the singles qualifying final round, then the doubles first round. Good luck!

The ATP250/WTA500 Brisbane tournament continues this morning Beijing time. On the men’s side, Russian star Medvedev and Monaco’s Vacherot will compete; meanwhile, rising Brazilian player Fonseca has withdrawn from the event due to an unresolved back injury.

On the women’s side, in the recently concluded first-round singles match, Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai battled the American Krueger over three sets, eventually winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to advance to round two. In the previous day’s doubles first round, both Chinese pairs lost and were eliminated in their debut matches. Specifically, Zhang Shuai/Samsonova lost 6-7(2), 6-7(3) to Sabalenka/Badosa; Jiang Xinyu/Zhan Haoqing were defeated 2-6, 3-6 by Alexandrova/Andreyeva.

At the WTA250 Auckland event, China’s second-ranked player Wang Xinyu came from behind to beat American McNally 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, securing her first win of the season. In doubles, the Chinese team of Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan dominated with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Barry/Xie Shuxian, earning a strong start. In another match, Tang Qianhui/Santamaria lost 3-6, 5-7 to Aoyama/Shinette, exiting in their first round.

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The photo below shows a player training shirtless. He has retired, and his face is hidden. Can you identify who he is?

Last time’s guess was correctly answered by the “Make” fan from Beijing. That’s right, the person in the picture is Chinese player Wang Xinyu.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)