Dominant Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry and big three of women's tennis in spotlight in 2026

Forty days on from the conclusion of the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, the first ball was struck in the United Cup in Australia, and just like that, tennis is officially back on.

The 2026 ATP and WTA seasons kick off with action across five cities, with the United Cup mixed team competition already underway in Perth and Sydney, both men’s and women’s tournaments beginning in Brisbane on Sunday, and events in Hong Kong (ATP) and Auckland (WTA) commencing on Monday.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest tennis storylines to look out for in 2026.

‘Sincaraz’ saga continues

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ended their 2025 seasons together, with the latter beating the former in the title match of the ATP Finals, and the pair will begin 2026 together by squaring off in an exhibition in Incheon on January 10.

The ATP Tour’s dominant duo have split the majors in each of the past two years and will once again be the ones to beat at the majors in 2026.

Alcaraz faces a new challenge, though, as he starts the New Year without his long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after their shock split.

The 22-year-old still has Samuel Lopez in his corner, but it will be interesting to see if he will add someone to share coaching duties with the Spaniard as the season goes on.

Sinner begins 2026 bidding to become the first player since Novak Djokovic in 2021 to win three Australian Open titles in a row.

The Italian trails Alcaraz by just 550 points at the summit of the world rankings and the biggest question of the season will be whether anyone can challenge the world’s top two at the slams.

Among the current top 10, Djokovic is 38 years old, Jack Draper has delayed his return from injury, Taylor Fritz is managing a knee problem, while Alex de Minaur is 0-18 in matches against Sinner or Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime has lost his lpst nine matches against them.

Of the young crop, Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca – the youngest two players in the top 30 – are keen to make another charge up