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What I did on my winter vacation: Postcards from the tennis off-season
How do professional tennis players deal with the sport's short offseason and ramp back up for one of the biggest tournaments of the year -- the Australian Open -- which begins in just a few weeks? While some take long vacations and spend time away from the sport, others get right to work after the last match of the season, working on building strength in the gym and technique on the court. From relaxing, recharging vacations to tough training schedules, take a look at how your favorite players have been prepping for the Australian swing and the grueling, 10-month season ahead.
Serena Williams
After knocking off a few sponsor obligations and doing her part at the IPTL, Serena returned home for her inaugural Ultimate Run 5K and has been back to training for the last few weeks.
Novak Djokovic
Sponsor obligations and IPTL duties complete, the new dad has been training hard at home in Monte Carlo, along with quite a few other familiar faces:
[tweet=https://twitter.com/BOYERANTHONY06/status/545269626964574209]
Roger Federer
After taking a much-deserved break in Dubai after the Davis Cup final, Federer made a cameo appearance at the IPTL before returning to Switzerland for a charity exhibition with his BFF, Stan Wawrinka.
[tweet=https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/547450327251709952]
Rafael Nadal
After ending his season to get an appendectomy, Nadal played poker with Ronaldo and broke ground on his new tennis academy in Mallorca. But the best news is that he's back to training at 100 percent and hitting his forehand like this:
[youtube=http://youtu.be/Hvowo0mtv2o]
Caroline Wozniacki
Doesn't it feel like forever ago since Wozniacki kicked off her off-season at the New York City Marathon? The Dane has been all over the globe balancing her vacation time with work, while still squeezing in a few nights out with her gal pal Serena. There's also a budding NFL connection (she's rumored to be seeing Ryan Kerrigan), as Washington is now 1-0 with Wozniacki at RFK Stadium.
Maria Sharapova
The frequent flier miles from Sharapova's off-season would earn anyone immediate platinum status. From Tokyo to Manhattan Beach to the Philippines and back again, Sharapova has been keeping extraordinarily busy doing photo shoots and commercials for her sponsors.
And on occasion, she's also relaxed a bit:
Andy Murray
After firing his coach, getting engaged and playing doubles with Sharapova at the IPTL, Murray has been posting non-stop photos of his grueling Miami training sessions with fellow Brit James Ward. Murray now heads to Dubai where he'll meet up with Amelie Mauresmo and play the Mubadala Tennis Championship exhibition on January 1st.
Post by Andy Murray.
Petra Kvitova
Kvitova returned home to the Czech Republic and has spent the time working with her new fitness trainer, Alex Stober. She's also been trying not to burn herself making a salad.
Ana Ivanovic
There was no slowing down for Ivanovic this off-season. The WTA's 2014 leader in match-wins kept on playing tennis and became one of the bedrock stars of the IPTL, where she played for the league champion Manila Aces. She's now doing her pre-season work in Dubai.
Post by Ana Ivanovic.
Agnieszka Radwanska
When she wasn't busy hiring Martina Navratilova, Radwanska played the Champions Tennis League in India (the less-hyped version of the IPTL) and hit one of the best shots you'll see, against the woman she's most often compared to: Martina Hingis.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/14U5PBXkCWU?t=5m42s]
Madison Keys
She's got her new coach, Linsday Davenport, by her side and is training in California.
Lakers game with the crew!
Posted by Madison Keys on Saturday, December 20, 2014
Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.