The men’s singles draw for the 2026 Australian Open is finally here, and it’s packed with some seriously exciting matchups that could shake up the tennis world.
Tennis fans have been waiting for this moment. The first Grand Slam of the new season kicks off on January 18th, with champions crowned on January 31st and February 1st.
Jannik Sinner enters Melbourne as the defending champion. Actually, make that the two-time defending champion.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
But here’s the interesting twist – despite his incredible success Down Under, the Italian star isn’t the top seed this time around. He’s currently ranked second on the ATP tour, which puts him in an unusual position in the draw.
Sinner’s first test comes against Hugo Gaston, always a tricky opponent who can cause problems for anyone on his day.
If the 23-year-old makes it through, he’ll face either Dino Prizmic or James Duckworth in round two. Pretty manageable, you’d think.
But it’s Sinner’s potential third-round clash that has everyone talking.
The four-time Grand Slam champion could go head-to-head with teenage sensation Joao Fonseca. The Brazilian wonderkid has been dealing with some injury issues early this season, but if he’s healthy and firing on all cylinders, this could be absolutely explosive.
The Top Seed’s Challenge
On the opposite side of the draw sits Carlos Alcaraz, who gets the honor of being the number one seed. The Spaniard has one major goal in mind – completing the Career Grand Slam.
The Australian Open is the only major title missing from his trophy cabinet. At just 21, he’s already got four Grand Slams under his belt, but Melbourne has been his kryptonite so far.
Alcaraz’s opening opponent? Adam Walton, the Australian who probably wasn’t hoping to draw the world’s best player in his home tournament. That’s tennis for you – sometimes the draw gods aren’t on your side.
If Alcaraz gets past Walton, he’ll face either Yannick Hanfmann or Zachary Svajda in round two.
His real test could come in the third round against either Sebastian Korda or the unpredictable Corentin Moutet. Moutet’s the kind of player who can either look like he belongs on a practice court or play like he’s possessed – there’s rarely any middle ground.
Djokovic’s Quest for History
Novak Djokovic is hunting his 25th Grand Slam title, which would be pretty incredible when you think about it. The Serbian legend comes in as the fourth seed, despite dealing with some injury concerns recently.
He’s landed in Sinner’s half of the draw, which could make for some fascinating tennis if both players advance deep into the tournament.
Djokovic opens against Pedro Martinez in what should be a straightforward first round. But his potential second-round match is where things get interesting.
If he wins his opener, the 10-time Australian Open champion faces either Terence Atmane or Francesco Maestrelli. Here’s the thing about Atmane – he played two brilliant matches against Sinner earlier this year, proving he can really push the top guys when he’s on.
That’s exactly the kind of opponent that could give Djokovic headaches if he’s not at 100 percent physically.
Zverev’s Major Hunt Continues
Alexander Zverev comes in as the third seed, still searching for that elusive first major title. The German has been knocking on the door for years now, and at 27, he knows time isn’t exactly on his side.
His first hurdle is Gabriel Diallo, which should be manageable for someone of Zverev’s caliber.
First-Round Fireworks
Some of the most exciting tennis might happen right from day one. Alex de Minaur, seeded sixth, gets a brutal draw against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
De Minaur will have the home crowd behind him, but Berrettini’s power game can be devastating when he’s healthy and confident.
Here’s a fun contrast: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, one of the tallest players on tour, faces off against Sebastian Baez, one of the shortest. It’s going to be fascinating to see how their completely different styles match up.
2026 Australian Open Men’s Singles Draw:
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Player 2 |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Adam Walton |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Zachary Svajda |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Sebastian Korda |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Corentin Moutet (32) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Aleksandar Kovacevic |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Aleksandar Vukic |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Reilly Opelka |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (14) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jenson Brooksby |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Marton Fucsovics |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Tomas Martin Etcheverry |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Flavio Cobolli (20) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jason Kubler |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Francisco Comesana |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Hamad Medjedovic |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Alex de Minaur (6) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Gabriel Diallo |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Alexandre Muller |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Kyrian Jacquet |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Cameron Norrie (26) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Zhizhen Zhang |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Damir Dzumhur |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jaime Faria |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Andrey Rublev (13) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jesper de Jong |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Alejandro Tabilo |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jacob Fearnley |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Arthur Rinderknech (24) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Marcos Giron |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Alexander Shevchenko |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jordan Thompson |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Felix Auger-Aliassime (7) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Raphael Collignon |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Carlos Taberner |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Tomas Machac |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Stefanos Tsitsipas (31) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Arthur Gea |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Stan Wawrinka |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jan-Lennard Struff |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Taylor Fritz (9) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Pablo Carreno Busta |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Rafael Jodar |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Zizou Bergs |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Tallon Griekspoor (23) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Botic van de Zandschulp |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Roberto Bautista Agut |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Francesco Maestrelli |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Novak Djokovic (4) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Ugo Humbert |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Gael Monfils |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Rinky Hijikata |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Valentin Vacherot (30) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Yunchaokete Bu |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Marin Cilic |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Dalibor Svrcina |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Casper Ruud (12) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Alex Michelsen |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Nishesh Basavareddy |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Sebastian Baez |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Luciano Darderi (22) |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Eliot Spizzirri |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Yibing Wu |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Dino Prizmic |
| a]:text-primary [&>a]:underline dark:[&>a]:text-primaryDark [&>a]:font-bold”>Jannik Sinner (2) |
The draw is really setting up for some incredible storylines. Whether it’s Alcaraz finally getting his hands on the one that’s escaped him, Sinner completing the hat-trick, or Djokovic adding to his already insane record, this tournament has all the makings of something special.
With two weeks to go until the action starts, the only question left is: who’s going to be holding up the trophy when the dust settles in Melbourne?
