Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic feature in 10 things to watch at the Australian Open
There is no shortage of compelling narratives at this year’s Australian Open, where Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic all arrive with history firmly in their sights.
Alcaraz, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, is bidding for a maiden crown at the hard-court major — a triumph with which he would complete the Career Grand Slam. Two-time defending champion Sinner and record 10-time winner Djokovic stand among a deep field of contenders eager to halt the Spaniard’s charge.
ATPTour.com highlights 10 storylines to follow at the 2026 Australian Open.
[NO 1 CLUB]1) Alcaraz chases Career Grand Slam: Alcaraz has yet to progress beyond the quarter-finals in four previous appearances at the Australian Open, but he has made no secret of his ambition to lift the title in Melbourne. Should he triumph, the World No. 1 will become just the sixth man in the Open Era to win at least one major title at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
2) Can Sinner complete hat-trick? The two-time defending champion is attempting to join Djokovic as the only man in the Open Era to win three straight Australian Open titles. Sinner owns a 22-4 record at the event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with his most recent loss coming against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round in 2023.
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3) Djokovic returns to stomping ground:
After being forced to retire injured from his semi-final against Alexander Zverev last year, Djokovic is back at his most successful major with renewed motivation. The 38-year-old claimed his 101st tour-level title in Athens in November and is chasing a 25th Grand Slam trophy, which would move him clear of Margaret Court on the all-time list.
4) Zverev pushes on in bid for maiden Slam:
A three-time major finalist, Zverev continues to feature prominently in the latter stages of the biggest tournaments, but the elusive breakthrough remains. The German, runner-up to Sinner last year, begins his campaign against powerful Canadian Gabriel Diallo.
5) Resurgent Medvedev:
Following a strong close to the 2025 season and a title run in Brisbane to open 2026, Daniil Medvedev appears revitalised after managing just one major match win last year. A former World No. 1 and three-time Melbourne finalist, Medvedev could meet longtime rival Zverev in the quarter-finals. He leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 14-8.
6) Aussie hopes on home soil:
At a career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alex de Minaur spearheads the local charge. The 26-year-old, a competitor at the past two Nitto ATP Finals, is joined in the main draw by fellow Australians Alexei Popyrin, Adam Walton — who opens against Alcaraz — and James Duckworth, while Jason Kubler advanced through qualifying.
7) #NextGen talents take centre stage:
Recent Next Gen ATP Finals champions Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca return as the 25th and 28th seeds, respectively. Tien stunned Medvedev en route to the fourth round last year, while Fonseca claimed a notable win over Andrey Rublev. They are joined by 2025 Jeddah competitors Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Rafael Jodar, Nishesh Basavareddy and Dino Prizmic, as well as 19-year-old Rei Sakamoto.
8) Wawrinka headlines wild cards:
Stan Wawrinka, who plans to retire at the end of the 2026 season, captured the first of his three major titles in Melbourne in 2014 and returns this year as a wild card. Australian Jordan Thompson also enters via wild card, having not played a tour-level match since October in Shanghai.
9) First-round popcorn clashes:
De Minaur faces an immediate challenge against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini. World No. 8 Ben Shelton, a semi-finalist last year, opens against Adelaide finalist Ugo Humbert, while Grigor Dimitrov versus Tomas Machac adds to a trio of must-watch opening-round encounters.
10) Kokkinakis/Kyrgios feature in doubles:
Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool arrive as the top seeds after finishing 2025 by claiming Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours. The doubles field also includes 2022 Australian Open champions Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, adding further intrigue to the competition.