Best of Australian Open Media Day 2: Pegula's preparations, Williams' return and more

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Following her 5-0 and United Cup most valuable player run, Belinda Bencic immediately headed to Melbourne last Monday after the United Cup final Sunday. 

With the performance, the Swiss earned 500 ranking points and achieved a goal of hers by returning into the top 10 on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. Ahead of last year's Australian swing, she was ranked No. 487 and by the end of the season, she was No. 11. 

She was entered into Adelaide, but withdrew because of Switzerland's success at the United Cup and used the week as preparation for the Australian Open. 

"On Monday we flew here," Bencic said at her Media Day press conference Saturday. "We took it easy the first two days trying to recover a little bit, kind of still be happy about United Cup. But then on Wednesday I started practice again and, like, full focus on the week ahead. 

"I'm playing on Tuesday, so I had plenty of time to readjust and kind of, you know, get my energy going again and keep the engine up again."

Bencic's first-round match is against Katie Boulter on Jan. 20, and the Swiss No. 1 feels she is improving by the day. She hasn't advanced past the Round of 16 in 11 previous Australian Opens, but she comes in with top form. 

"I just feel here ready to go," Bencic said. "I gained a lot of confidence from the end of the year last year and from the start of the year until now. So definitely I know what things I'm working on, what things I can still improve, but I can feel that my level is getting better and better."

Pegula's balance of recovery and practice

Pegula said Saturday that she had a "bit of few nagging, small injuries" over the offseason that she had to deal with. The nine-time WTA Tour singles winner started her year in Brisbane, where she reached the semifinals, and had a "couple of really tough matches physically." 

"I kind of went to Brisbane not really 100%, but it was one of those things that I needed to play my way into getting over some of those little nagging things and just see how my body kind of
dealt with everything," Pegula said. "Luckily, everything went really well."

However, originally scheduled to compete in Adelaide, Pegula elected to withdraw because of a scheduling change and spend the week in Melbourne to prepare. Pegula's feeling good, and the decision was also precautionary.

"I didn't kind of want to push myself over the edge as far as re-injuring anything that was already there. So I ended up changing my schedule and not playing Adelaide, which is a great tournament. 

"At the same time just giving myself some time to actually recover and, you know, make sure nothing else pops up. That's what I have been doing this week. I have been able to get a lot of really good practice in. So far, so good."

Kasatkina embracing her new home country

Much of Daria Kasatkina's press conference Saturday centered around her newly acquired Australian citizenship, representing the country and playing in her first Grand Slam with a home crowd. 

It was evident Kasatkina had much more gratitude than what she actually said, but she reflected on the lengthy process to earn her citizenship and shared her excitement to put on the green and gold one day. 

"I cannot even describe how much that means, because it's not just about the passport," Kasatkina said. "It's about the acceptance because, honestly, the whole process, the support from the people, like, from the other citizens, it's been amazing.

"I couldn't imagine that coming from the completely different background to receive this amount of support basically from strangers. I felt so much love. Now that I'm fully Australian, I'm just super proud and grateful. That's a responsibility, but that's what I was looking for."

Kasatkina said the 2025 season was exhausting for a variety of reasons. Now, the Australian has started to embrace the new culture and recognizes that there is added pressure competing in Australia, but it's a pressure that she prefers.

"This is a good pressure, so I would choose this one compared to what I have been through in the past couple of years," Kasatkina said. "I mean, let's call it a fun pressure. Also for the first time I'm gonna play in front of such a big home crowd, so that's gonna be special. Definitely have to manage my nerves, because it's gonna be -- I mean, never been in this situation before."

Williams' long-awaited return to Melbourne

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams received a wild card to the 2026 Australian Open. The 49-time WTA Tour title winner hasn't played in Melbourne Park in five years, but now, at 45, will return to the tournament.

She played a limited schedule last year, returning to tennis after a 16-month layoff last July, playing some of the hard-court swing. In her first matches since the US Open, Williams lost in the first round at both Auckland and Hobart, but was competitive throughout. Given her schedule and circumstances, Williams said she's playing the right tennis at the right time. 

"I was training nonstop those three months," Williams said about her schedule post-US Open. "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.

"At this point, I need to be kind to myself, because I'm getting so many things right, but there had been a lack of playing matches. I'm playing well. I'm setting myself up each point to win points and controlling the points. That's exactly how I'd want to play, and I'm playing the tennis I need to play."

Lys, Jones enjoy direct entry

Both Eva Lys and Francesca Jones are playing in their first Australian Open without having to go through qualifiers. Lys, No. 39, and Jones, No. 69, had 2025 seasons that increased their ranking and subsequently gave them direct entry into the main draw.

"In terms of the way it sets up the calendar, it's much more comfortable because if you're qualifying, sometimes you don't have anything to play the week before and you come straight into the quallies," Jones said. It has been quite nice just to have Auckland and then to spend a week here, as well."

Lys made a remarkable run at last year's Australian Open, winning three qualifiers to make the main draw and eventually advanced to the Round of 16, where she fell to Iga Swiatek. While practicing this week, she stopped by to watch some of the qualifiers as she's had first-hand experience over the past three editions. 

"I could play the United Cup which is nice," Lys said. "Now I feel very comfortable with practicing. I like coming to tournaments a little earlier to get used to the conditions because my body always needs a little bit more time to get used to the courts, weather, everything. That's why I also came a little

"I know how it's to play quallies and how nervous you get and how many emotions that go in there. I'm definitely cherishing the moment that I can practice this week."