Australian Open: Is this Novak Djokovic’s?

While many people in America and Europe are huddled together to avoid a snowstorm or catch the flu, there’s a reason they call the Australian Open the “Happy Slam.”

Most players who just finished their tennis off-season have already spent a few weeks soaking up the summer heat and sunshine Down Under in preparation for their first big event of the year. Casual fans may consider the Australian Open to be an afterthought compared to Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the US Open, but its management, hospitality and atmosphere have made it secretly a favorite tournament for many players. It also helps that most competitors have spent the past few months healing from injuries and rejuvenating themselves, arriving in Australia eager to chase one of the sport’s biggest prizes before the monotonous touring season begins.

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Here are seven storylines you need to know ahead of the Australian Open, which begins Saturday night in the United States.

New coach appointed as world No.1

The last time we checked in on the greatest rivalry in tennis, Carlos Alcaraz easily defeated Jannik Sinner in the US Open final to win his sixth Grand Slam title. After the game, a concerned Sinner said he needed to add more variety to his game, even if it meant some growing pains along the way.

But in reality, it is Alcaraz who enters 2026 amid a much bigger change, having separated from long-time manager Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The dynamics underlying why they split up are a bit murky. It was clearly not based on performance, and Ferrero denies there was any financial dispute. There has been speculation in the Spanish press that Alcaraz’s father and Ferrero disagree on various issues.

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Whatever the outcome, Ferrero’s absence will be very different for Alcaraz. Alcaraz turned to his coach for guidance during rough times, becoming almost overly dependent on him. It will be interesting to see how he reacts now that Samuel Lopez, who was previously part of the team, is now the head coach. Alcaraz also appears to have made some technical adjustments to his serve motion in the offseason.

Another “Shinkaraz” final on the deck?

One of the subplots this year is the race between Alcaraz and Sinner to achieve a career grand slam.

Alcaraz fired first in Australia, but lost in the quarterfinals in each of the last two years. Sinner, who has won the last two Australian Championship titles, hopes to complete the set in Paris.

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Until proven otherwise, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal must be considered favorites to meet in a four-year Grand Slam final, the last time they met in 2011-2012.

Interestingly, both players opted to skip the warm-up and instead started 2026 with a high-stakes exhibition match against each other in South Korea (Alcaraz won 7-5, 7-6) before flying to Australia on a private jet.

Djokovic’s last stand?

Speaking of the 38-year-old Djokovic, it remains to be seen if this will be his last trip to Australia, where he has won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles. How competitive will he be this year? It may determine how long he continues to chase No. 25.

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Djokovic reached the semifinals of all four majors last year, but it felt like he was far from winning one. After the US Open, he admitted that beating both Alcaraz and Sinner in the No. 5 match was a big physical hurdle at this stage in his career, and that he had a better chance in the No. 3 match.

Endurance issues are complicated by several factors besides age. Djokovic doesn’t play much on the regular tour anymore, so he doesn’t go into the Slams with a good foundation of match fitness. He has also been prone to injuries during slam tournaments in recent years, and there have been reports in recent days that he has been suffering from some sort of neck problem that has limited his time on court.

If Djokovic is able to break through the draw, his best shot may be to root for someone else to knock out one of the top two. The No. 4 seed expects to play at No. 27.^th Seeded Brandon Nakashima (USA) competed in the third round, 16th seed Jakub Mensik in the fourth round, and fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals. After that, it will likely be difficult to fend off Sinner in the semifinals — unless up-and-coming Brazilian star Joao Fonseca defeats Sinner in the third round, a blockbuster contender.

Medimagic is back

If it’s not Sinner, Alcaraz or Djokovic holding the trophy, look no further than former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. A three-time finalist in Australia, he lost heartbreaking five sets to Nadal in 2022 and Sinner in 2024, but the 29-year-old Russian appears to be back on form after a disastrous 2025.

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Last year, Medvedev won just one Grand Slam, finished outside the top 15 for the first time since 2019, and underwent a coaching change. By fall, he started putting the pieces back together. Now, he heads into the Australian Open having won his 22nd career ATP title in the lead-up to Brisbane. Most notably, Medvedev’s serve, which was a weapon at his peak, looks much more effective than it has in recent years. If he has his A-game, he’s proven to be a hindrance to the top two.

Women’s No. 1 goes for revenge

In an otherwise great year, Aryna Sabalenka’s loss to Madison Keys in last year’s final stands out as the low point. Sabalenka, aiming for Australia’s third straight title, felt like she missed a huge opportunity after losing most of her big points in a tense third set.

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Still, Sabalenka is clearly the best player in women’s tennis right now and deserves to be the favorite here. When was the last time she failed to reach the finals of a major hard court tournament? The 2022 US Open, where she lost in the semifinals.

Sabalenka was sharp in Brisbane last week, winning the title without dropping a set, including a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Keyes. Her draw could present some interesting challenges, including a third-round match against the extremely talented Emma Laducanu and a possible fourth-round match against Canadian teen sensation Victoria Mboko.

There are concerns about Iga Swiatek.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek needs an Australian Open win to complete her career, but that doesn’t mean she’s starting 2026 optimistically. Although the Polish team won last week’s United Cup, Swiatek ended 2025 on a shaky note, losing matches to Coco Gauff (6-4, 6-2) and Belinda Bencic (3-6, 6-0, 6-3).

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What do you mean? In early 2025, Swiatek began making some adjustments to his game with new coach Wim Fissette to be more reliable under pressure. Since then, her overall performance has been mixed, with some standout performances (like winning Wimbledon last year) and some earlier exits. Swiatek has tried to take a long-term view of his career, even if there are painful transitions in the short term, but there have been times when it has been easy to fall back into old habits.

You never know what you’re going to get when you’re with someone that talented but going through a period of internal conflict. It wouldn’t be surprising if Swiatek lost in the early rounds and won the trophy and his seventh Grand Slam title.

Fight to be No.1 in America

The 2026 season begins with a close battle between Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova for the top-ranked American woman spot. Gauff, ranked third in the world, leads Anisimova by just 103 points in the rankings, so if Anisimova advances further, the two will be reversed.

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Gauff has had a very uneven 2025. After winning Roland Garros, she fell into a rather alarming slump and hired a biomechanics expert to fix her serve, which regularly fell apart.

Her Australian Open draw could include a second-round match against Venus Williams, making it a true full-circle moment for Gauff. It was the 15-year-old Gauff’s 6-4, 6-4 first-round win at Wimbledon in 2019 that propelled her to superstardom.

Anisimova was a breakout player in women’s tennis last year, winning two WTA 1000 titles and reaching the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. She entered the season in the spotlight for the first time in her career and expected to win her first major.

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Anisimova’s incredible baseline power is mesmerizing when she’s in flow, but the key to a major tournament title may be whether she can harness that aggression in her biggest moments. She must definitely like her draw, which looks soft on paper until she potentially faces American Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.