The first Grand Slam event of the new year, the Australian Open, is about to unveil its tennis suspense.

1. Will the men's and women's singles career Grand Slam be realized?

After surviving match points to capture the 2025 French Open, Spanish star Alcaraz’s career Grand Slam quest remains incomplete only at the Australian Open. Having waited for over six months, the Spaniard will challenge for career Grand Slam glory at the Australian Open, entering as the top seed. In the draw, his veteran rival Djokovic, who has beaten him before on the Australian Open’s blue courts, is placed in the opposite half. The old adversary Sinner anchors the bottom half. With Alcaraz’s previous best result being a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open, he has a strong chance to reach the final and vie for the career Grand Slam. If successful, he would become the next Grand Slam winner after the Big Three, achieving this milestone faster than Federer and Djokovic.

On the women’s singles side, Swiatek, who had been in a title drought since the 2024 French Open, triumphed at Wimbledon, a surface she traditionally struggles with. This victory leaves only the Australian Open missing from her Grand Slam collection. Additionally, Swiatek reached the Australian Open semifinals last year and has won titles at the Sunshine Double and US Open in 2022, as well as championships in the Middle East and China Open in 2023, plus Cincinnati last year, demonstrating her hard-court prowess. Recently, at the United Cup, Swiatek led Poland to victory, boosting her confidence. It’s clear the Polish star is primed and determined to claim the Australian Open title.

2. Can Sinner achieve a three-peat at the Australian Open?

Since the beginning of the Australian Open era, only Djokovic, the ten-time champion, has achieved a three-peat twice: from 2011-2013 and 2019-2021. The new generation leader Sinner, after defeating Medvedev in 2024 and Zverev in 2025, will aim for his third Australian Open title this year. Among current male players, he and Alcaraz hold a significant lead in points and ability over others. The defending champion is well-positioned to claim the Norman Brookes Trophy once again.

3. How far can Djokovic go?

As the ten-time Australian Open champion, Djokovic, a perennial figure in tennis, is approaching the age of 39. At his favored tournament, Djokovic has consistently performed well, reaching the semifinals in the past two years. As a leading figure and legend of the 1980s era, Djokovic continues to write the story of an aging veteran thriving. How long this winning feeling will last, and how far he will advance this year at the Australian Open, only time and the tournament will reveal.

4. How far can Sabalenka advance?

Sabalenka, who has won the Australian Open twice, was stopped from a three-peat last year by Keys. One reason is that Sabalenka won the WTA 500 Brisbane tournament before the Australian Open warm-up. This 500-level event is often considered cursed because it is the first top-level tournament of the year and attracts many top players preparing for the season. This year, seven top-10 players competed, creating a tough draw that often causes early upsets at the Australian Open. So far, no player who won Brisbane has gone on to win the Australian Open in the same year. The best results were Sharapova, who survived match points to reach the second round in 2015, and Sabalenka, who made the final in 2025 but lost. This year, Sabalenka has again started her season by winning Brisbane. Whether she will face disappointment in Melbourne again or break the pattern to claim the title remains to be seen.

5. How far can the Chinese contingent go?

Despite losing top players like Zheng Qinwen, Wang Yafan, and Wang Xiyu due to injuries, the Chinese team still managed to have eight players (men and women combined) in the main draw. Last year, most Chinese players exited by the second round and showed inconsistent performance throughout the tour. Whether they can shake off the slump in the new year and prepare well for the 2026 season depends largely on their singles performances. Currently, four players have passed the first round, and advancing to the third round would be considered significant progress.

6. Can other tennis forces cause upsets?

In men’s singles, second-tier players include 90s-born Grand Slam champion Medvedev, Olympic champion Zverev, and American rookie Shelton. Will the Australian Open crown a new champion from among them? The same question applies to the women’s singles, where Anisimova, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, the recently recovered and undefeated year-end champion Rybakina, and new French Open winner Gauff are all formidable contenders. Now that the Australian Open main draw is already in its fifth day, the competition is becoming increasingly intense and exciting. Let’s watch these questions and uncertainties unfold together.(Author: Jiang Dong Dabaiyu Source: Tennis Home)