Jannik Sinner will start the 2026 edition of the Australian Open as the main favorite to lift the trophy.
The world number 2 is the champion of the last two editions, in which he has found an extraordinary feeling with these courts by annihilating the competition (especially last year, when he dominated Alexander Zverev in the final thanks to an almost perfect performance).
The Italian ace took care of every detail during the pre-season and arrived at Melbourne Park several days early, after playing against his main rival Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match staged in Seoul a few days ago.
As expected, the 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria was dominant in the latter part of last season (particularly after the US Open). In particular, the four-time Grand Slam winner triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin for the second time in a row and reduced his gap to Carlitos to just 550 points.
Sinner wants to make history
Jannik's main goal is to lift the trophy at Melbourne Park for the third year in a row, a tough feat that only Serbian legend Novak Djokovic has managed to achieve in the Open Era. The former world number 1 will find out about his potential run at the AO tomorrow and the anticipation is really huge.
"I am aware that I practiced very well before coming here, the pre-season was fantastic and I feel very good from a physical point of view" – explained the defending champion. "There is always some doubt when a new season starts, it is absolutely normal, but I am confident also thanks to the results I have achieved in this tournament in the past. I can't wait to start competing here," added Sinner.
Most fans dream of seeing a new battle between him and Alcaraz in the final, with the top two players in the world having faced each other in the last three Grand Slam finals. The Italian and Spaniard have monopolized the last eight Majors, which is why it is difficult to imagine anything different in Australia.
