The 2026 Australian Open begins on Sunday, January 18, and the usual suspects will be expected to challenge for the title. On the women's side, Aryna Sabalenka will be the betting favorite, as she should be. She has been in the final for three straight years and has won twice. On the men's side, tennis fans can expect Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner to be the winner.
Why expect anything else? The matches of any tournament the two enter together appear to simply be a bunch of warm-up matches until Alcaraz takes on Sinner in the final. They are the two best players in men's tennis currently, and it may stay that way for much of the next decade.
Everyone knows that, and that includes all-time great Roger Federer. The Swiss knows a lot about winning Grand Slams (he has 20 major titles), and understands how difficult it can be to win a title over a two-week event. Stamina and luck are both needed, and focusing on each point is key.
Roger Federer has thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz potentially winning the Australian Open in 2026
But Federer also knows that Alcaraz is trying to accomplish something that Sinner has yet to do, and most players in the history of the sport haven't done. Even Federer was barely able to accomplish the feat. That is winning a career Grand Slam, but the Spaniard, by winning the Australian Open, would only be 22 years when collecting the title at all four majors.
Has Alcaraz's brilliance and Sinner's rise over the last two years hurt the sport? Not at all, according to Federer. The rivalry is a "great" one, and Alcaraz getting a career Slam at 22? Federer has thoughts on that as well.
According to ESPN, Federer said, "...at his young age, to be able to complete the career Grand Slam already now, I mean, would be crazy... I hope he does because for the game, that would be an unbelievable special moment."
Ironically, as great as Carlos Alcaraz has been, he tends to be great from February through September, historically. He hasn't won the Australian Open (he hasn't been past the quarterfinals), and he hasn't won the year-end ATP Finals either. He will certainly want to change all of that in 2026.
That means likely having to defeat Jannik Sinner in the final of the Aussie Open. That will be no easy feat. The Italian is likely the best player on the ATP tour on hard courts, and he's won in Melbourne in each of the past two years. But there is little doubt that a final featuring Sinner versus Alcaraz would be another can't-miss match.