The 2026 Australian Open major draw begins on Saturday, January 17, and there are many eye-opening storylines across the tennis season’s first Grand Slam.
One of many extra widely-discussed matters entails world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who will play in his first main since parting methods with embellished head coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The expectations, nevertheless, don’t change for the Spanish famous person, particularly as he chases a feat at Melbourne that might firmly cement him among the many biggest gamers of all time.
The Villena, Spain, native has already put collectively a legendary resume over the previous 5 years. After leaping onto the worldwide stage along with his shocking quarterfinal run on the 2021 US Open, Alcaraz turned the face of a brand new tennis technology the next yr at Flushing Meadows.
Carlos Alcaraz has an opportunity to make historical past on the Australian Open
Carlos received the US Open in 2022, turning into the youngest man and the primary male teenager within the Open Period to succeed in world No. 1. Thriving along with his dynamic all-court recreation, the teenage sensation has totally lived as much as the hype since, getting into 2026 with six Grand Slams beneath his belt.
At 22 years outdated, Alcaraz now has an opportunity to attain a feat that might as soon as once more separate him from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
He can turn out to be the youngest participant ever to win the profession Grand Slam in Melbourne. The Australian Open is the one main Alcaraz has but to overcome, along with his deepest runs being two quarterfinal appearances.
Regardless of his previous struggles down beneath, Alcaraz stays one of many favorites and has a really cheap draw on paper. The street to the ultimate features a potential matchup in opposition to world No. 6 Alex de Minaur within the quarterfinals and world No. 3 Alexander Zverev within the semifinals.
Carlos will definitely like that path, contemplating he doesn’t must face both Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic earlier than the ultimate. General, it is a lengthy street to that stage of the event, however Alcaraz has embraced these sorts of historic alternatives earlier than.
