Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek Switch Gears in Off-Season Training

The off-season is already incredibly short for the world's top men's and women's tennis players. Factor in international competitions, exhibitions, and sponsorship events, and there is almost no time to improve your game.

Over the past 24 hours, Spanish and Polish media outlets have shared updates on two of the game's brightest stars. There is a clear timeline for Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek to begin their 2026 pre-season training blocks.

Carlos Alcaraz

According to Marca, Alcaraz starts his pre-season on Saturday, December 13. The six-time Grand Slam champion kicks off his pre-season with a week of physical training. He will be back on court on Wednesday, December 17.

Additionally, Flavio Cobolli is again scheduled to visit the Ferrero Academy. The Italian star is expected to train with Alcaraz, after being unable to last year due to injuries.

Alcaraz will play in two upcoming U.S. exhibitions this month (A Racquet at The Rock and the Miami Invitational) on December 7-8. Then, he will kick off the new year with another exhibition match against Jannik Sinner in Seoul, South Korea.

Alcaraz finished the 2025 season as the ATP World No. 1 with a record of 71-9 and eight singles titles (including two Major titles).

Iga Swiatek

According to the Polish tennis reporter Z Kortu, Swiatek has already begun preparations for the 2026 WTA season. The six-time Grand Slam champion ended her vacation roughly one month before representing Poland in the United Cup.

After a rough start to the 2025 season, Swiatek unexpectedly caught fire on grass and finished the season as World No. 2 with a singles record of 62-17 with three singles titles (including one Major title).

Swiatek will play one exhibition tournament in China. She is scheduled to compete for Team Europe in the World Tennis Continental Cup from December 26-28, 2025. The event will also feature Belinda Bencic, Arthur Fils, Wang Xinyu, Zhang Zhizhen, Andrey Rublev, Elena Rybakina, and Flavio Cobolli.

The 2026 ATP and WTA seasons will be here in less a month. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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