Australian Open 2026: Our Favorites and Predictions

Sinner vs Alcaraz: The Eternal Rivalry

Let's be honest: the Australian Open 2026 is going to be Sinner or Alcaraz. There's no realistic third option.

These two have completely dominated 2025. They split all 4 Grand Slams (2 each), faced each other in 6 finals, and nobody else could touch them. The question isn't "who else could win?" The question is "which one of them will take Melbourne?"

Jannik Sinner: The Ice Machine

Sinner is terrifying on fast hard courts. His game is perfectly suited for Melbourne: flat groundstrokes, lethal returns, and he doesn't crack under pressure.

2025 results: Won Australian Open, Wimbledon, and ATP Finals. That's dominance.

The guy is a robot. Zero emotions, pure tennis. In the Melbourne heat, that mentality is gold. While others are melting at 38°C, Sinner looks like he's playing indoors.

Carlos Alcaraz: The Spanish Beast

Alcaraz is different. More fire, more passion, more... everything. And that's his strength.

2025 results: Won Roland-Garros and US Open. He dominated Sinner 4-2 in their finals head-to-head.

For Melbourne 2026, Alcaraz has massive motivation: he needs the Australian Open to complete the Career Grand Slam at 22. That kind of hunger? Dangerous.

Plus, his game has evolved. He's no longer just the aggressive baseliner - he's added variety, patience, and tactical maturity. That US Open final against Sinner showed he can adapt.

The Injury Comebacks: Draper & Fils

Two young guns who had brutal 2025 seasons due to injuries: Jack Draper and Arthur Fils.

Draper showed flashes of brilliance before getting injured. That serve, that lefty angle... he's got weapons. But coming back from injury for a Grand Slam? Tough ask.

Fils is the French prospect everyone's watching. Talented, no doubt. But he needs match rhythm, and you don't get that recovering from injury.

Our take: Both are future stars, but AO 2026 comes too soon. Maybe a good run to Round 3-4, but not title contenders yet.

The Likely Dark Horses

Alexander Bublik

THIS guy gave me so much entertainment in 2025. After a catastrophic start to the season where he crashed out first round everywhere, he completely woke up. We saw him produce top-tier tennis in the second half (that match against Draper at RG, guess where I was?) with that devastating serve and those completely insane shots.

I'm eager to see what he does in Melbourne. When Bublik's having a good day, he can beat anyone. When he's not, he can lose to anyone. That's what's fascinating about him.

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Now that's a different story. I found the Canadian incredibly sharp and robotic at the end of 2025. Gone was the guy who doubted when closing matches - we got an FAA who punished, who accelerated without hesitation. That inside-out forehand, that ability to dominate rallies...

If he arrives at the AO with that mentality, he can go far. Really far.

Taylor Fritz: Zverev's Nemesis

Can't talk about the AO without mentioning Taylor Fritz, even though unfortunately here we think Grand Slam success apart from a US Open where everyone had food poisoning seems unlikely.

Ben Shelton: The American Wild Card

Ben Shelton, now there's a guy we're waiting to see deliver. He stepped up all year in 2025, stringing together good results, showing he wasn't just a big server with a massive forehand. We saw maturity, point construction, real evolution.

Now, the question is: what's he going to do against the real top level outside his home turf? We know Americans love performing at home but once they have to take a plane it gets complicated, and after such a long break it'll be interesting to watch.

Alexander Zverev: The King Without a Crown

Our Team's Prediction

Let's be clear: Australian Open 2026 is Sinner or Alcaraz. There's no realistic third option. We're betting on Alcaraz for the story and the motivation this title must create in the Spaniard's mind.

See you in mid-January to see if our tennis predictions today were right. And honestly, can't wait. This Australian Open 2026 looks insane.