5 months ago
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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are acceptable for much satellite domination successful 2026, starting astatine the Australian Open, portion Aryna Sabalenka is bubbling with assurance arsenic she chases further Grand Slam success.
The caller play gets nether mode connected Friday with the mixed-teams United Cup successful Perth and Sydney, headlined by women's satellite fig 2 Iga Swiatek and men's satellite fig 3 Alexander Zverev.
Top-ranked Sabalenka, who is pursuing a 3rd Melbourne Park trophy, starts astatine the Brisbane International from January 4-11 successful a stellar tract besides boasting Australian Open champion Madison Keys and fourth-ranked Amanda Anisimova.
Alcaraz and Sinner, oregon "Sincaraz" arsenic they person been dubbed, play an accumulation successful South Korea connected January 10 successful their lone warm-up earlier the Australian Open 8 days later.
While Spanish sensation Alcaraz bumped his Italian rival from the season-ending satellite fig 1 spot, Sinner had the past laughter by edging him to clasp his ATP Finals rubric successful Turin.
It capped a stellar twelvemonth successful which Sinner retained his Australian Open crown and added a landmark triumph astatine Wimbledon among six titles, contempt missing 3 months implicit a doping ban.
"I consciousness similar a amended subordinate than past year," said Sinner aft completing his 2025 run with 58 wins and conscionable six defeats.
"A batch of wins and not galore losses. And successful the losses I had, I tried to spot the affirmative happening and tried to usage it to germinate maine arsenic a player."
Alcaraz was likewise dominant, clocking a 71-9 win-loss grounds with 8 titles including the French Open and US Open.
But helium is yet to spell beyond the quarter-finals astatine the Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic successful the past 8 successful 2025.
It is the lone Slam missing from his resume and the 22-year-old volition commencement afresh with a caller manager aft his daze divided from Juan Carlos Ferrero, who mentored him since helium was 15.
Djokovic past hurrah?
Djokovic begins what could beryllium his past twelvemonth connected circuit astatine the Adelaide International starting connected January 12, inactive chasing an elusive grounds 25th large crown and 11th Australian Open title.
Now 38, helium has had to settee for a secondary relation since Sinner and Alcaraz took power of the men's tour, making the semis astatine each 4 majors successful 2025 but not going further.
"I tin bash lone arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin do," helium admitted aft decision astatine the US Open.
"It volition beryllium precise hard for maine successful the aboriginal to flooded the hurdle of Sinner oregon Alcaraz successful a best-of-five successful a Grand Slam."
Since his past Slam title, successful 2023 astatine the US Open, Alcaraz oregon Sinner person shared each 8 majors.
A resurgent Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, ranked five, six and 7 respectively, each diagnostic astatine the United Cup, portion Daniil Medvedev and a returning Nick Kyrgios play successful Brisbane.
Sabalenka heads into the caller play arsenic undoubted satellite fig one, having collected a 2nd US Open rubric portion besides winning events astatine Brisbane, Madrid and Miami.
The Belarusian is favourite for a 3rd Australian Open crown and 5th Slam title, though the likes of Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina volition person thing to say.
"The Australian Open is precise peculiar to me," said Sabalenka, who mislaid a three-set thriller to Keys successful the 2025 decider and heads to Australia aft losing the arguable "Battle of the Sexes" clash to Kyrgios successful Dubai.
"Winning it doubly gives maine confidence, but each twelvemonth brings a caller challenge. I'm excited to instrumentality and spot what I tin achieve."
Challenging her connected Pat Rafter Arena successful Brisbane volition beryllium Keys, on with chap top-10 stars Rybakina, Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva.
Swiatek leads Poland successful Sydney astatine the United Cup, again teaming up with Hubert Hurkacz successful their quest for revenge aft being beaten by Team USA successful the last successful 2025 and Germany a twelvemonth earlier.
The United States are spearheaded by Gauff and Fritz, portion four-time large victor Naomi Osaka plays the lawsuit for the archetypal time, representing Japan.
