Storylines to look out for at the Australian Open 2026
• 3 minute read
Grand Slam tennis is back as we gear up for the first major of the season at the 2026 Australian Open.
Ahead of the tournament, we preview seven storylines you should look out for at this year’s Australian Open.
Can Cam Norrie continue his Grand Slam consistency?
In 2025, Norrie arguably saved his best performances for the biggest stages, with the 30-year-old reaching the third round or better at three out of the four Slams.
His best performance came on home soil where he made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the second time before missing out on a spot in the final four to two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz. The British No.2 also recorded a career-best run to the fourth round at Roland Garros and made the third round at the US Open.
Norrie will enter as a seeded player after closing out last season ranked back inside the ATP top 30. With the hunger and desire to continue building his game in the new season, can he pick up where he left off on the Grand Slam stage?
Will Emma Raducanu break new ground in Melbourne?
Raducanu arrives off the back of one of the most consistent seasons of her career so far. The British No.1 reached the semi-finals of the Citi Open in Washington as well as quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Miami Open and HSBC Championships - concluding the season with her highest ranking since 2022.
The 23-year-old made her season debut at the United Cup where she narrowly lost out to former world No.3 Maria Sakkari 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. The match marked Raducanu’s first since early October after she was forced to cut her season short due to injury, but despite it being her first time back on the court, there were plenty of positives to take away as she turns her attention to the first major of the year.
Keep an eye out as well for the in-form Sonay Kartal and Francesca Jones in the women’s singles. Both players recently reached the quarter-finals of the WTA 250 in Auckland off the back of their best seasons to date.
Women’s draw is more competitive than ever
If the 2025 season taught us anything, it’s that women’s tennis is more competitive than ever.
Ffour different women split the majors last year - Madison Keys claimed her maiden Slam in Australia, Coco Gauff was crowned champion at Roland Garros, Iga Swiatek won her first Wimbledon title and Aryna Sabalenka continued her hard court dominance by lifting her fourth Grand Slam at the US Open.
However, outside of the majors, there were several players who enjoyed breakthrough seasons and will be considered contenders for the women’s singles trophy this year.
Amongst those is Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova who had the most successful year of her career - achieving a career-high ranking of world No.4.
Former runner-up Elena Rybakina enjoyed a strong end to the year, with the Kazakh being crowned champion at the year-end WTA Finals. Meanwhile, Mirra Andreeva - who picked up back-to-back WTA 1000 trophies in Dubai and Indian Wells last year - could be tipped for an impressive run in Australia this year.
Will British doubles dominance continue Down Under?
2025 was a dominant year for British doubles players on the ATP Tour. Across all the professional tours, 154 doubles titles were lifted by Brits last year, including at some of the biggest events in tennis.
Two of the four Grand Slams saw British champios with Henry Patten taking home the Australian Open trophy with Harri Heliovaara and Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool clinching their first Grand Slam title on home soil at Wimbledon..
Cash and Glasspool will be top seeds in Melbourne, while Patten and Heliovaara will be looking to continue the momentum from winning the Nitto ATP Finals in November. World No.9 Neal Skupski will get his Grand Slam campaign underway with new American partner Christian Harrison, while three-time ATP titleholder Luke Johnson and Marcus Willis will also contest the silverware.
With their proven success at the Grand Slams, British doubles stars will arrive in Melbourne as leading title contenders once again.
Can Hewett and Reid regain their winning form?
Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are one of the most successful wheelchair doubles duo in history, having accrued a total of 23 Grand Slam doubles titles together. Their partnership has long been defined by consistency, but the tail end of last season posed some different challenges for the all-British duo.
The pair have lost their last four finals, including at the US Open and Wimbledon. However, if there’s one venue capable of helping Hewett and Reid reignite their winning form, it’s Melbourne Park.
Last year, the doubles world No.1 and No.2 beat Spain’s Daniel Caverzaschi and France’s Stephane Houdet in the final to capture their six successive Australian Open doubles title.
With 2026 bringing a fresh start, the Brits will be hoping that a repeat performance at the Australian Open could be the perfect way to spark their season alight.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner rivalry continues
Alcaraz and Sinner have established themselves as the two dominant forces in men’s tennis, particularly when it comes to the Grand Slams - winning all eight major titles across the 2024 and 2025 seasons between them.
They have also faced each other in three of the last four Grand Slam finals, with Alcaraz edging the Italian in their most recent meeting in New York.
With Alcaraz now sitting on six Grand Slam titles and Sinner close behind at four, both will arrive in Melbourne determined to outperform the other and extend their rapidly growing collections. However, the question is, which of the two will take the early advantage in 2026?
Sinner is a two-time champion at Melbourne Park, while the Spaniard is still awaiting his Aussie breakthrough, with his best run being the quarter-finals..
The stage could be set once again for another blockbuster chapter in their rivalry.
12 Brits fight for main draw spots in qualifying
While five Brits have already received direct entry into the main draw, a few more could be set to join them as 12 British tennis players prepare to compete in qualifying.
Katie Boulter headlines the women’s hopefuls, alongside Harriet Dart - who like Boulter reached the second round in Australia last year - and reigning Lexus Wrexham Open champion Mimi Xu.
Meanwhile, Billy Harris leads a nine-man British charge in the men’s singles as he looks to carry the momentum from the United Cup, where he clinched victory over Shintaro Mochizuki in Perth, into the first major of the year.
He’ll be joined by Jan Choinski, Dan Evans, Oliver Crawford, Ryan Peniston, Jay Clarke and Australian Open debutants Arthur Fery, Jack Pinnington Jones and George Loffhagen.
With plenty of British players in action during qualifying week, which begins on Monday 12 January, you won’t want to miss it.
