If you’re anything like me, you will have felt a little off the last couple of weeks. Don’t worry, it’s not long until tennis returns and makes everything right in the world again.
The 2026 tennis season begins just one day into the year on January 2, with a flurry of tournaments taking place down under in the lead up to the Australian Open. We dive into the schedule, what to expect and who to watch out for as the season approaches.
2026 ATP/WTA Tour calendar – Australia/NZ swing
Week one
- 2-11 January – United Cup (500-level team event)
- 4-11 January – Brisbane International (ATP 250, WTA 500)
- 5-11 January – ASB Classic (WTA 250)
Week two
- 12-17 January – ASB Classic (ATP 250)
- 12-17 January – Adelaide International (ATP 250, WTA 500)
- 12-17 January – Hobart International (WTA 25)
Week three
- 18 January to 1 February – Australian Open (Grand Slam)
Who’s playing where?
With just two weeks of action before the first Grand Slam of 2026 kicks off, it’s a jam-packed time on the ATP and WTA Tours. Many of the big names will be hitting the court to grab some early season momentum, while others have opted to extend their off-seasons and head straight to Melbourne.
ATP players competing pre-Australian Open
Here are the top men that will be in action ahead of the Australian Open:
- Alexander Zverev – United Cup
- Felix Auger-Aliassime – United Cup
- Taylor Fritz – United Cup
- Alex de Minaur – United Cup
- Jack Draper – United Cup and Adelaide
- Casper Ruud – United Cup
- Daniil Medvedev – Brisbane International
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina – Brisbane International
- Jiri Lehecka – Brisbane International
- Jakub Mensik – ASB Classic
- Tommy Paul – Brisbane International and Adelaide
There’s a clear skew this year towards the biggest names competing at the United Cup, with the six highest ranked men in action all playing there. Brisbane has four top-20 players, while the ASB Classic and Adelaide have comparatively weak fields, with just three top-20 names between them.
Notably, the world’s top two – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – will be skipping pre-Australian Open tournaments, as will Novak Djokovic.
WTA players competing pre-Australian Open
For the women, here’s how the early tournament fields are looking:
- Aryna Sabalenka – Brisbane International
- Iga Swiatek – United Cup
- Coco Gauff – United Cup
- Amanda Anisimova – Brisbane International
- Elena Rybakina – Brisbane International
- Jessica Pegula – Brisbane International & Adelaide International
- Madison Keys – Brisbane International
- Jasmine Paolini – United Cup
- Mirra Andreeva – Brisbane International
- Ekaterina Alexandrova – Brisbane International
- Belinda Bencic – United Cup
- Clara Tauson – Brisbane International
- Linda Noskova – Brisbane International
- Elina Svitolina – ASB Classic
- Emma Navarro – ASB Classic
- Naomi Osaka – United Cup
A lot more of the WTA’s big names are hitting warm-up events before Melbourne this year. In fact, just one member of the top-20 (Victoria Mboko) is opting to head straight into the Australian Open. The remainder are primarily playing across Brisbane and the United Cup.
Brisbane has one of the strongest fields it’s seen in a long time, with Sabalenka the top seed and six other top-10 players competing. The ASB Classic is reasonably weak with just two top-20 players, though Venus Williams will be starring. Hobart has just one top-20 player in Elise Mertens.
Storylines to keep an eye on in early 2026
1. The “Group of Death” at the United Cup
The United Cup is utterly stacked this year, with half the ATP top-10 competing and a good chunk of the best women as well.
The event hasn’t seen a field of this caliber yet, so it’ll make for some fascinating clashes in the first 10 days of the season. In particular, Group C will deliver some mouth-watering match ups immediately. With home favorites Australia in the same pool as Spain and Kazakhstan, things are very even in a group that could go either way. Group A is also fascinating with Team USA, Canada and China all pitted against each other.
In short, we’ll be seeing plenty of top-10 vs top-10 matches straight off the bat, which will give us a great deal of info about where the Australian Open contenders are at.
2. What Jack Draper will we see in 2026?
Speaking of status updates, British No 1 and former world No 4 Jack Draper is set to make his return in early 2026. He’s got the busiest schedule of all, playing United Cup then heading over to Adelaide as well.
Given he was arguably the third-best player in the world for six months last year, it will be very interesting to see what kind of shape he’s in now that he’s returning from an arm injury. Can Draper hit the ground running and get in the mix to rival Sinner and Alcaraz? Or will injury woes continue to hold him back from being a genuine threat?
3. “Grand Slam Lite” in Brisbane
While the men’s draw in Brisbane is solid, the women’s draw is frankly ridiculous for a 500-level event. It is arguably tougher than the second week of some majors.
Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Mirra Andreeva are all in the same draw. For Sabalenka, this is about asserting dominance immediately on her favorite surface. For Andreeva, who had a quiet end to 2025, this is a chance to regain some momentum.
We are almost guaranteed a blockbuster quarter-final lineup. If we see a Sabalenka vs Rybakina match up, it will tell us a lot about who the hardcourt alpha is heading into Melbourne.
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