The 2025 ATP season has only just finished, but plenty of excitement is already building ahead of the 2026 Australian Open.
The Australian Open was held on grass courts once upon a time, but has since moved on to the hard courts of Melbourne Park.
ATP star Jannik Sinner successfully defended his Australian Open title earlier this year, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final.
On the WTA Tour, two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was beaten by Madison Keys in the final.
The 10 highest-ranked Australian ATP players before the Australian Open
Many eyes will be on Sinner at the upcoming edition of the Grand Slam, and indeed on world number one Carlos Alcaraz.
But among the players looking to upset the two superstars in Melbourne in January are a handful of home favorites.
Arguably representing their best chance of success is Alex de Minaur, who is currently ranked seventh in the world.
De Minaur is the only Australian player in the ATP top 50, with Alexei Popyrin next on the list in 54th place.
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Adam Walton is in 78th, closely followed by Aleksandar Vukic and James Duckworth in 82nd and 87th respectively.
And occupying 100th place in the ATP rankings is Tristan Schoolkate, with Jordan Thompson not far behind in 108th.
Completing the top 10 are Christopher O’Connell (114th), Rinky Hijikata (125th) and Bernard Tomic (183rd).
| Rank | Player | ||||||
| 7 | Alex de Minaur | ||||||
| 54 | Alexei Popyrin | ||||||
| 78 | Adam Walton | ||||||
| 82 | Aleksandar Vukic | ||||||
| 87 | James Duckworth | ||||||
| 100 | Tristan Schoolkate | ||||||
| 108 | Jordan Thompson | ||||||
| 114 | Christopher O’Connell | ||||||
| 125 | Rinky Hijikata | ||||||
| 183 | Bernard Tomic | ||||||
What can fans expect from Alex de Minaur at the Australian Open?
Sinner has noticed an improvement in De Minaur, having just beaten the Australian in the semifinals of the ATP Finals.
The loss represented the end of his 2025 season on the ATP Tour, although De Minaur is playing the UTS London Grand Final next month.
It’s an intriguing decision from the Australian, who could harm his chances of Australian Open success by taking on the event.
He’s had a very busy and even injury-hit season, although conversely it could prepare him well for the first Grand Slam of 2026.
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However, De Minaur will likely have to make it past either Sinner or Alcaraz to emerge victorious on home soil.
And very worryingly, he’s lost all 13 of his career meetings with the Italian, and all five of his meetings with the Spaniard.
But confidence can be taken from his quarterfinal run in 2025, his best-ever finish at his home Grand Slam.
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