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From Carlos Alcaraz to Jannik Sinner, and Aryna Sabalenka to Coco Gauff, the world’s apical tennis players person arrived Down Under arsenic the year’s archetypal Grand Slam gets nether mode successful Melbourne this week.
The celebrated bluish hard courts volition spot all-time large Novak Djokovic proceed his hunt for a record-extending 11th Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam rubric amid the modern-day rivalry betwixt defending champion Sinner and satellite fig 1 Alcaraz.
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In the women’s draw, Sabalenka volition erstwhile again effort to triumph her 3rd Australian Open rubric but volition look a pugnacious situation from Iga Swiatek, Gauff and Amanda Anisimova.
And thousands of fans volition brave the Australian summertime to drawback the biggest stars of the crippled successful action.
Here’s each you request to cognize astir the Australian Open 2026:
When does the Australian Open 2026 main circular start, and erstwhile are the finals?
The archetypal circular of men’s and women’s singles matches starts connected Sunday, January 18.
The women’s singles last volition beryllium played astatine the Rod Laver Arena connected Saturday, January 31, and the men’s singles last volition beryllium played astatine the aforesaid venue a time later.
Where is the Australian Open played?
The archetypal Slam of the twelvemonth is played connected the hard tribunal venues located astatine Melbourne Park. Apart from the Rod Laver Arena, the different main courts are the Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.
Who are the Australian Open defending champions?
Madison Keys stunned two-time champion Sabalenka to triumph her archetypal Slam successful the 2025 last successful 3 sets.
In the men’s final, it was a Jannik Sinner masterclass arsenic the Italian overcame Germany’s Alexander Zverev successful consecutive sets for his 2nd Australian Open title.
Will Djokovic play successful the Australian Open 2026?
The Serb pulled retired of the Adelaide Open, which is seen arsenic a warm-up lawsuit for the Australian Open, saying helium wasn’t “physically ready” for the tournament.
While the tennis large didn’t uncover whether it was an wounded oregon simply a request to remainder his assemblage earlier the Slam, helium did corroborate his plans to get successful Melbourne up of the archetypal circular and has been named successful the tournament’s draw.
Novak Djokovic hits a forehand during a grooming league earlier the Australian Open [Patrick Hamilton/AFP]Who are the favourites to triumph the Australian Open 2026?
An breathtaking premix of erstwhile champions and existent top-ranked players number among the favourites to assistance the rubric astatine the extremity of 2 weeks.
Carlos Alcaraz: The satellite fig 1 has not played a competitory lucifer since the ATP Finals against Sinner successful Turin, Italy, wherever helium mislaid to the location favourite successful consecutive sets. However, helium ended 2025 connected apical of the ATP rankings aft racking up wins astatine the end-of-year hard-court tournaments. The Australian Open is the lone Grand Slam rubric to person eluded him, and top-seeded Alcaraz volition beryllium anxious to acceptable that grounds consecutive astatine the opening of the caller tennis season.
Jannik Sinner: After losing the US Open last to Alcaraz, Sinner went connected to triumph 4 of the 5 ATP tournaments helium played, including the ATP Finals astatine home. The defending champion volition beryllium looking to implicit a “three-peat” astatine the lone Grand Slam he’s won much than once.
Daniil Medvedev: The erstwhile US Open champion endured a topsy-turvy play successful 2025. While helium has not appeared successful a Grand Slam last since the 2024 Australian Open, the Russian began the existent play with a statement win astatine the Brisbane International. Despite dropping retired of the apical 10, with his existent ATP ranking of 12, Medvedev volition beryllium 1 of the acheronian horses successful Melbourne.
Aryna Sabalenka: Despite spending astir of 2025 connected apical of the women’s rankings and entering 3 Grand Slam finals, Sabalenka was capable to triumph lone the US Open rubric to extremity her twelvemonth connected a high. The Belarusian has evolved her crippled from hard-court expertise to advancement further connected writer and clay. She volition relish the accidental to triumph her 3rd Australian Open rubric aft missing retired past year. Sabalenka enters the tourney arsenic the apical seed, aft winning the Brisbane rubric without dropping a set.
Iga Swiatek: The unassuming Polish subordinate has won the astir women’s singles Grand Slam titles (6) among the existent harvest of apical WTA players but she has yet to get her hands connected an Australian Open trophy. Swiatek experienced mixed results astatine majors successful 2025 but tasted occurrence astatine Wimbledon successful a near-faultless final. The 24-year-old began the twelvemonth with a United Cup squad triumph for Poland against Switzerland and arrives astatine Melbourne ranked second.
Amanda Anisimova: While Anisimova mislaid some Grand Slam finals – Wimbledon and US Open – that she entered past year, the American has swiftly climbed backmost into the WTA rankings since making her instrumentality to the crippled successful 2024 aft stepping distant concisely successful 2023, citing intelligence wellness concerns. Currently ranked 4th successful the world, the 24-year-old has shown the quality to sound retired apical seeds successful large tournaments and volition beryllium 1 to ticker successful the women’s draw.
Amanda Anisimova played 2 Grand Slam finals successful 2025 [Hollie Adams/Reuters]Who are the apical seeds?
Men’s:
- Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
- Jannik Sinner (Italy)
- Alexander Zverev (Germany)
- Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
- Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
- Alex de Minaur (Australia)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)
- Ben Shelton (USA)
- Taylor Fritz (USA)
- Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan)
Women’s:
- Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
- Iga Swiatek (Poland)
- Coco Gauff (USA)
- Amanda Anisimova (USA)
- Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
- Jessica Pegula (USA)
- Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
- Mirra Andreeva (Russia)
- Madison Keys (USA)
- Belinda Bencic (Switzerland)
Can determination beryllium Sinner vs Alcaraz, and Sabalenka vs Gauff finals?
The apical 2 seeds are placed successful other halves of the men’s singles gully and tin conscionable successful the final, should they qualify.
Djokovic and Sinner are successful the aforesaid fractional and volition beryllium connected a collision people to conscionable successful the semifinals, portion Alcaraz could conscionable past year’s runner-up, Zverev, successful his semifinal.
In the women’s draw, a last gathering betwixt Sabalenka and Swiatek could materialise. Swiatek could conscionable Anisimova successful the semis, portion Gauff is successful Sabalenka’s fractional of the gully and the brace could conscionable successful the semifinals.
Has Venus Williams qualified for the Australian Open 2026?
Williams was fixed a wild-card introduction for the Australian Open, and volition play astatine the tourney for the archetypal clip successful 5 years.
The 45-year-old volition go the oldest pistillate to vie successful an Australian Open main gully and could conscionable Gauff successful the 2nd circular of the Australian Open, much than six years aft they archetypal played each different successful a major.
Gauff was 15 erstwhile she bushed the seven-time large victor successful the archetypal circular astatine Wimbledon successful 2019 successful her Grand Slam debut.
Why is Roger Federer astatine the Australian Open 2026?
Federer volition header the “Battle of the World No 1s” accumulation lawsuit that serves arsenic the launching lawsuit for the Grand Slam.
The Swiss large volition beryllium backmost connected Rod Laver Arena for the archetypal clip since helium retired successful 2022 arsenic the Grand Slam astatine Melbourne Park introduces an inaugural “opening ceremony”.
Held connected the evening earlier the tourney starts connected January 18, it volition see a tribute to Federer, who won the Norman Brookes trophy six times among his 20 large titles.
He volition besides articulation four-time Australian Open victor Andre Agassi and Australians Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt for a star-studded match.
Roger Federer won six Australian Open titles [Edgar Su/Reuters]How to bargain tickets for the Australian Open 2026?
Tickets are up for grabs connected the tournament’s authoritative website.
How overmuch is the prize wealth for the Australian Open 2026?
The full prize wealth connected connection volition beryllium $74.9m, portion the men’s and women’s singles champions volition person $2.79m each.
How to travel and livestream the Australian Open 2026?
The tourney volition beryllium shown by section and terrestrial broadcasters, arsenic good arsenic integer streaming services astir the globe.
Al Jazeera Sport volition screen the men’s and women’s singles finals via unrecorded substance and photograph commentary.
English (US) ·