Australian Open tennis 2026: Key dates, draw, top seeds, prize money

EXPLAINERAustralian Open tennis 2026: Key dates, draw, top seeds, prize moneyWho are the favourites? Will there be another Sincaraz final? Will Djokovic play? Al Jazeera has the answers.Jannik Sinner is the men's singles defending champion at the Australian Open, a tournament he has won two years in a row [Dita Alangkara/AP]Published On 15 Jan 2026From Carlos Alcaraz to Jannik Sinner, and Aryna Sabalenka to Coco Gauff, the world’s top tennis players have arrived Down Under as the year’s first Grand Slam gets under way in Melbourne this week.The famous blue hard courts will see all-time great Novak Djokovic continue his search for a record-extending 11th Australian Open and 25th Grand Slam title amid the modern-day rivalry between defending champion Sinner and world number one Alcaraz.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Tennis: Amateur stuns Sinner to win 1m in ‘One Point Slam’ in Melbournelist 2 of 4‘Cardinal sin’: Why was Alonso sacked by Real Madrid, and who’s Arbeloa?list 3 of 4‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighterlist 4 of 4‘Fire vs ice’: Is Alcaraz vs Sinner the next big tennis rivalry?end of listIn the women’s draw, Sabalenka will once again attempt to win her third Australian Open title but will face a tough challenge from Iga Swiatek, Gauff and Amanda Anisimova.And thousands of fans will brave the Australian summer to catch the biggest stars of the game in action.Here’s all you need to know about the Australian Open 2026:When does the Australian Open 2026 main round start, and when are the finals?The first round of men’s and women’s singles matches starts on Sunday, January 18.The women’s singles final will be played at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, January 31, and the men’s singles final will be played at the same venue a day later.Where is the Australian Open played?The first Slam of the year is played on the hard court venues located at Melbourne Park. Apart from the Rod Laver Arena, the other main courts are the Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.Who are the Australian Open defending champions?Madison Keys stunned two-time champion Sabalenka to win her first Slam in the 2025 final in three sets.In the men’s final, it was a Jannik Sinner masterclass as the Italian overcame Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets for his second Australian Open title.Will Djokovic play in the Australian Open 2026?The Serb pulled out of the Adelaide Open, which is seen as a warm-up event for the Australian Open, saying he wasn’t “physically ready” for the tournament.While the tennis great didn’t reveal whether it was an injury or simply a need to rest his body before the Slam, he did confirm his plans to arrive in Melbourne ahead of the first round and has been named in the tournament’s draw.Novak Djokovic hits a forehand during a training session before the Australian Open [Patrick Hamilton/AFP]Who are the favourites to win the Australian Open 2026?An exciting mix of former champions and current top-ranked players count among the favourites to lift the title at the end of two weeks.Carlos Alcaraz: The world number one has not played a competitive match since the ATP Finals against Sinner in Turin, Italy, where he lost to the home favourite in straight sets. However, he ended 2025 on top of the ATP rankings after racking up wins at the end-of-year hard-court tournaments. The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam title to have eluded him, and top-seeded Alcaraz will be eager to set that record straight at the beginning of the new tennis season.Jannik Sinner: After losing the US Open final to Alcaraz, Sinner went on to win four of the five ATP tournaments he played, including the ATP Finals at home. The defending champion will be looking to complete a “three-peat” at the only Grand Slam he’s won more than once.Daniil Medvedev: The former US Open champion endured a topsy-turvy season in 2025. While he has not appeared in a Grand Slam final since the 2024 Australian Open, the Russian began the current season with a statement win at the Brisbane International. Despite dropping out of the top 10, with his current ATP ranking of 12, Medvedev will be one of the dark horses in Melbourne.Aryna Sabalenka: Despite spending most of 2025 on top of the women’s rankings and entering three Grand Slam finals, Sabalenka was able to win only the US Open title to end her year on a high. The Belarusian has evolved her game from hard-court expertise to progress further on grass and clay. She will relish the opportunity to win her third Australian Open title after missing out last year. Sabalenka enters the tournament as the top seed, after winning the Brisbane title without dropping a set.Iga Swiatek: The unassuming Polish player has won the most women’s singles Grand Slam titles (6) among the current crop of top WTA players but she has yet to get her hands on an Australian Open trophy. Swiatek experienced mixed results at majors in 2025 but tasted success at Wimbledon in a near-faultless final. The 24-year-old began the year with a United Cup team win for Poland against Switzerland and arrives at Melbourne ranked second.Amanda Anisimova: While Anisimova lost both Grand Slam finals – Wimbledon and US Open – that she entered last year, the American has swiftly climbed back into the WTA rankings since making her return to the game in 2024 after stepping away briefly in 2023, citing mental health concerns. Currently ranked fourth in the world, the 24-year-old has shown the ability to knock out top seeds in major tournaments and will be one to watch in the women’s draw.Amanda Anisimova played two Grand Slam finals in 2025 [Hollie Adams/Reuters]Who are the top seeds?Men’s: Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Jannik Sinner (Italy) Alexander Zverev (Germany) Novak Djokovic (Serbia) Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) Alex de Minaur (Australia) Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) Ben Shelton (USA) Taylor Fritz (USA) Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) Women’s: Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) Iga Swiatek (Poland) Coco Gauff (USA) Amanda Anisimova (USA) Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) Jessica Pegula (USA) Jasmine Paolini (Italy) Mirra Andreeva (Russia) Madison Keys (USA) Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) Can there be Sinner vs Alcaraz, and Sabalenka vs Gauff finals?The top two seeds are placed in opposite halves of the men’s singles draw and can meet in the final, should they qualify.Djokovic and Sinner are in the same half and will be on a collision course to meet in the semifinals, while Alcaraz could meet last year’s runner-up, Zverev, in his semifinal.In the women’s draw, a final meeting between Sabalenka and Swiatek could materialise. Swiatek could meet Anisimova in the semis, while Gauff is in Sabalenka’s half of the draw and the pair could meet in the semifinals.Has Venus Williams qualified for the Australian Open 2026?Williams was given a wild-card entry for the Australian Open, and will play at the tournament for the first time in five years.The 45-year-old will become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw and could meet Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open, more than six years after they first played each other in a major.Gauff was 15 when she beat the seven-time major winner in the first round at Wimbledon in 2019 in her Grand Slam debut.Why is Roger Federer at the Australian Open 2026?Federer will headline the “Battle of the World No 1s” exhibition event that serves as the launching event for the Grand Slam.The Swiss great will be back on Rod Laver Arena for the first time since he retired in 2022 as the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park introduces an inaugural “opening ceremony”.Held on the evening before the tournament starts on January 18, it will include a tribute to Federer, who won the Norman Brookes trophy six times among his 20 major titles.He will also join four-time Australian Open winner Andre Agassi and Australians Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt for a star-studded match.Roger Federer won six Australian Open titles [Edgar Su/Reuters]How to buy tickets for the Australian Open 2026?Tickets are up for grabs on the tournament’s official website.How much is the prize money for the Australian Open 2026?The total prize money on offer will be $74.9m, while the men’s and women’s singles champions will receive $2.79m each.The tournament will be shown by local and terrestrial broadcasters, as well as digital streaming services around the globe.Al Jazeera Sport will cover the men’s and women’s singles finals via live text and photo commentary.