Australian Open 2026 preview: Alcaraz aims to deny Sinner threepeat, Venus Williams returns - schedule and how to watch live

Tennis is back in full swing with the first Grand Slam of the season: the 2026 Australian Open (18 January-1 February).

The world’s best players on the ATP and WTA Tours are heading to Melbourne Park for the tournament known as the ‘Happy Slam’ for its positive vibes, glorious weather and gripping action on court.

Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys return to Melbourne as defending champions. Sinner is aiming to become the first man to win three consecutive singles titles since Novak Djokovic in 2021, who himself continues his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam.

In the women’s singles draw, can Keys repeat the heroics of last season and defend her crown? She faces a competitive field as shown at last year’s WTA Finals, including the likes of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek.

Find out all the key details to know about this year’s Australian Open.

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2026 Australian Open – Carlos Alcaraz aims for Career Grand Slam, Jannik Sinner eyes three in a row

With the last eight Grand Slam men’s singles titles shared by Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner, they remain the duopoly to dethrone in the 2026 season.

The only major Alcaraz has yet to conquer is the Australian Open, and should he triumph, the 22-year-old will become the youngest man in history to complete the Career Grand Slam.

He will do so without coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world No. 1 with whom he ended his seven-year partnership in December. Samuel ‘Samu’ López steps up from his role as assistant coach to guide Alcaraz this year, and after they combined to win five titles in 2025, the aim is now a special sixth in Melbourne.

On the other side of the rivalry is double defending champion Sinner, knocked off the No. 1 spot at the end of last year and back to defend 2,000 points. The Italian starts on his favoured hard courts at a tournament where he holds a 14-match winning streak.

Sinner can rely on his long-time coach, the Australian Darren Cahill, who promised he would stay at the helm if Sinner won Wimbledon. Their biggest test would be a final against Alcaraz, which would be the first Australian Open meeting between the pair.

Now world No. 2, the 24-year-old remains the man to beat at Melbourne Park, as he aims to become just the second men’s singles player in the Open Era to claim the ‘threepeat’ at the season’s first Slam.

Elsewhere, Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Alexander Zverev returns after last year’s run to the final, chasing his first major. Olympic bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti (world No. 5) and Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur (world No. 6) arrive at career-high rankings, while 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka begins his farewell season in Australia.

2026 Australian Open – Madison Keys’ title defence, Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff go for first crown

It has been a year since Keys’ fairytale run to her first career major, which included famous wins over the top two players in the world then and now, Sabalenka and Świątek.

The USA star has not reached a final since then, when she won the Adelaide International and Australian Open back-to-back. It leaves Keys with 2,500 points to defend, 62.5 per cent of her total points, as she returns to protect her major crown.

For world No. 1 Sabalenka, her record in Melbourne since 2023 is 20-1 – the only defeat coming in last year’s final to Keys. The two-time Australian Open champion began the year by defending her Brisbane International crown for her 22nd singles title.

The 27-year-old remains top of the WTA rankings with almost 11,000 points and more than a 2,500-point margin to the next best player. That player is Swiątek, who wants to recoup her best form on the hard courts: the surface where she has her longest major title drought of four years.

Should the Polish star win the title this year, she would become the youngest women’s singles player to complete the Career Grand Slam since Maria Sharapova in 2012. Swiątek, 24, comes in with confidence after helping Poland to the United Cup trophy on Sunday 11 January.

Four of the top 10 players hail from the USA, headed by world No. 3 Coco Gauff. She has had time to fine-tune her serve and will target a first Australian Open win, as will last year’s breakthrough player Amanda Anisimova and WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina.

One of the standout stories from this year’s tournament will be the return of Venus Williams, back after five years on a wildcard. The 45-year-old is a two-time singles finalist and five-time doubles (women’s and mixed) winner at Melbourne Park.

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