Carlos Alcaraz is aiming for a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, but he will have to overcome fierce adversary Jannik Sinner to win the one major that has eluded him.
Alcaraz, the 22-year-old Spaniard, has already won six major championships, but his record on the hard courts at Melbourne Park is conspicuously lacking. In his four visits to Australia, he has not advanced past the quarterfinals, when he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in 2025 and Alexander Zverev the year before.
Alcaraz will surpass retired compatriot Rafael Nadal to become the youngest player to win a career Grand Slam if he breaks his Australia drought at the tournament, which begins on Sunday. By the time he was 24, Nadal had won all four majors.
Italy’s Sinner, the two-time defending champion vying for his own piece of history, presents Alcaraz with a formidable obstacle.
The 24-year-old would join Djokovic as the only men in the Open era to win three straight in Melbourne. During his ten titles at Melbourne Park, the legendary Serbian player has twice achieved the three-peat.
Before defeating Zverev in straight sets a year ago, Sinner overcame two-set deficits to upset Daniil Medvedev in the 2024 Australian Open final.
Even though Sinner is the reigning champion, Alcaraz has a 10-6 head-to-head record and moved Sinner out of the world number one position at the end of the season.
Last weekend, they played each other in a lighthearted exhibition match in South Korea, which served as their only Melbourne warm-up, in which Alcaraz prevailed.
Since Djokovic won his 24th major at the 2023 US Open, they have shared the last eight Grand Slam titles, each taking home four, demonstrating how dominant “Sincaraz” is.
The 38-year-old’s withdrawal from this week’s Adelaide International raises concerns about his form and conditioning even if the Serb is back at his most prosperous hunting ground.
Djokovic may be playing his final Australian Open and will be eager to win there once more as he continues to pursue a record 25th major title.
Along with Lorenzo Musetti, Alex de Minaur, and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who are rated five, six, and seven, respectively, Zverev, the third-ranked player in the world, will be hoping to ruin the celebration and win a first major.
American Learner Tien leads the new wave after winning the ATP Next Gen championship, while three-time losing finalist Medvedev is a dark horse after winning the lead-up Brisbane International.
Alexander Bublik will want to go deep after winning the Hong Kong Open and getting into the top 10, while Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca are two other young players hoping to make an impression.
