• World No 1 Serena Williams meets "Sunshine" the koala bear on the sidelines of the Hopman Cup in Perth ahead of the 2015 Australian Open. Will Russell / Getty Images / January 4, 2015
    World No 1 Serena Williams meets "Sunshine" the koala bear on the sidelines of the Hopman Cup in Perth ahead of the 2015 Australian Open. Will Russell / Getty Images / January 4, 2015
  • World No 5 Kei Nishikori holds "Tinkerbell" the koala bear at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane during his time in the city playing in the Brisbane International tournament. Jason Reed / Reuters / January 6, 2015
    World No 5 Kei Nishikori holds "Tinkerbell" the koala bear at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane during his time in the city playing in the Brisbane International tournament. Jason Reed / Reuters / January 6, 2015
  • Maria Sharapova holds "Sinnamon" in Brisbane on the sidelines of the Brisbane International tournament. Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images
    Maria Sharapova holds "Sinnamon" in Brisbane on the sidelines of the Brisbane International tournament. Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images
  • Serena Williams meets with a park ranger holding "Sunshine" the koala bear at the Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth during the Hopman Cup. Will Russell / Getty Images
    Serena Williams meets with a park ranger holding "Sunshine" the koala bear at the Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth during the Hopman Cup. Will Russell / Getty Images
  • Kei Nishikori holds "Tinkerbell" the koala bear during his time in Brisbane for the Brisbane International tournament. Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images
    Kei Nishikori holds "Tinkerbell" the koala bear during his time in Brisbane for the Brisbane International tournament. Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images

Tennis

Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Kei Nishikori with a koala bear – in pictures

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A lighthearted look at some of tennis’ biggest stars taking promotional shots with a marsupial in Australia as they play in various events in the lead-in to the Australian Open, which begins on January 19. Click the arrows above to scroll through the images.

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