2026 Australian Open Preview and Free Pick

Last Updated on January 9, 2026 6:06 pm by Erwin Noguera

This Monday, January 12, the first Grand Slam of the season gets underway with the Australian Open, which will begin with the qualifying rounds, while the main draw starts on January 18. The men’s final is scheduled for February 1.

The world’s top tennis players gather for this prestigious tournament, with most arriving relatively rested but also somewhat short on match rhythm, all in a typically hot setting. Melbourne Park will host the 114th edition of the event.

The defending champion is Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who also won the tournament in 2024 and 2025, while Novak Djokovic is the most successful player in the event’s history with 10 titles.

At Gambyl Exchange, you can explore all Tennis predictions, the final bets for this tournament, and the odds for each match.

2026 Australian Open Presented by Evie Betting Odds and Info

2026 Australian Open Top Contenders

Undoubtedly, the main favorite to win the title—or rather, the three-peat—is Jannik Sinner. The Italian enjoyed a phenomenal 2025, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, while also reaching the finals at Roland Garros and the US Open, losing both times to Carlos Alcaraz.

As if that weren’t enough, he capped off the season by winning the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin, defeating Alcaraz in straight sets in the final to claim his sixth title of the year. It is worth remembering that the 24-year-old spent three months suspended between February 9 and May 4 after testing positive for clostebol, and missed another stretch due to injury, retiring from the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and later in the second round in Shanghai. Now fully recovered, he is chasing his fifth Grand Slam title.

Sinner’s main challenger is Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard and the Italian have already developed a fierce rivalry and are clearly the two best players on the tour by a wide margin, with all the signs pointing to them dominating the circuit for years to come.

Alcaraz owns six Grand Slam titles, having won each major twice except the Australian Open, which remains the only one missing from his collection. He has yet to advance beyond the quarterfinals in Melbourne, reaching that stage in both 2024 and 2025.

Last year, he captured eight titles, highlighted by two Grand Slams (Roland Garros and the US Open) and three Masters 1000 trophies. He was also a finalist at Wimbledon and at the ATP World Tour Finals.

Finally, we must include the most successful player in the history of this tournament and, for many, the greatest of all time: Novak Djokovic. The Serbian is no longer the dominant force he once was and is edging closer to retirement, but he remains a dangerous and highly influential competitor.

He most recently won the ATP 250 in Athens in November, defeating Lorenzo Musetti in three sets after coming back from an opening-set loss of 4–6, earning the 101st ATP title of his career.A living legend, Djokovic boasts 24 Grand Slam titles (along with 13 runner-up finishes), seven ATP World Tour Finals, 40 Masters 1000 titles, and an Olympic gold medal, among many other achievements. It was his second title of the year after winning the ATP 250 in Geneva in May.

The last Grand Slam Djokovic won was the 2023 US Open, a season in which Wimbledon was the only major that slipped away from him after losing the final to Alcaraz. His most recent Grand Slam final appearance also came at Wimbledon in 2024, once again falling to the Spaniard.

2026 Australian Open Top Contenders

Competing against the world No. 1 and No. 2 in the ATP rankings is extremely difficult, and if anyone knows that, it’s Alexander Zverev. The German was a finalist in Australia last year, losing to Sinner, and earlier in 2024, he also reached the final at Roland Garros, where he fell to Alcaraz. He has reached three Grand Slam finals but has yet to capture his first major title. Last year, he won the ATP 500 in Germany and, aside from Australia, lost finals at both an ATP 500 and an ATP 250 event.

This could finally be Daniil Medvedev’s year. He has lost three Australian Open finals, two of them after leading 2–0 in sets (2022 and 2024), and has just one win in six Grand Slam finals overall. His 2025 season was very poor, with his “best” result being a second-round appearance at the Australian Open among the four majors. His only title in 2025 came at the ATP 250 in Almaty, and he is currently competing at the Brisbane International, where he has reached the semifinals.

Finally, let’s include Taylor Fritz. The American was a finalist at the 2024 US Open, losing in straight sets to Sinner. That same year, he also fell to the Italian in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals. Five of his ten career titles have come on hard courts (the other five on grass). Last year, he reached the final of the ATP 500 in Tokyo, losing to Alcaraz, and won the ATP 250 tournaments in Stuttgart and Eastbourne.

2026 Australian Open Top Contenders

Prize bag

The total prize money of the Australian Open is A$111,500,000. The champion will win A$4,150,000 and 2000 ATP points, while the runner-up will win A$2,150,000 and 1300 points.