Australian Open quarterfinalist announces drastic schedule changes for 2026

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Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego qualified for his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at this year’s Australian Open.

The 30-year-old beat Learner Tien in round four to book his spot in the quarters, where he lost to another American, Ben Shelton.

Unfortunately for Sonego, his form dipped shortly after, and he only won three more Grand Slam matches in 2025.

Looking ahead to the new year, Sonego has set himself some big targets, and it all starts at the Australian Open.

However, it is after the Australian Open, where Sonego will make a big change, in a bid to boost his chances of winning on clay later in the year…

Lorenzo Sonego will play clay-court events in South America

During an interview with ‘Tuttosport‘, Sonego shared his scheduling plans for 2026.

“The clay season, the surface where I was born and grew up. Last year didn’t give me much satisfaction, which I hope to have in 2026,” he said.

“For this reason, after Melbourne, I’ll play the tournaments in South America.”

In 2025, Sonego played hard-court events in Rotterdam, Marseille, and Dubai after the Australian Open.

He believes that playing those tournaments cost him when he switched over to clay.

Lorenzo Sonego’s 2025 results on clay

Sonego only won one clay-court match this year, defeating Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round of the Madrid Open.

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Playing in South America next year, fans can expect Sonego to appear at the Argentina Open and Rio Open, and potentially the Santiago Open, in Chile.

He isn’t getting ahead of himself, though, and is first targeting a strong showing at the Australian Open.

“Grand Slams are the goal of every professional player. Melbourne opens the season, and after doing well, it’s natural that I’ll aim to repeat that feat,” said Sonego.

“It will be crucial to think one match at a time, without going onto the court anxious about the points running out.

“The hope is also to be able to take advantage of a good draw to enter the tournament and the Melbourne climate with the right rhythm.”

Sonego wants to reach a new career-high ranking next year, even though he risks dropping 400 of his 1,265 points in January.

“[My goal is] to climb into the top 20, improving on my current best ranking of number 21,” he said.

2025 year-end rankings

“I feel I can still achieve some success, and the work we’re doing and will continue to do is moving precisely in this direction.”

Only time will tell if Sonego can make a top-20 breakthrough in 2026…

How many Italian players are in the top 100?

In years past, Sonego could’ve expected to be the Italian number one, sitting in the top 40.

However, in this new golden era of Italian tennis, he’s only the fifth-highest-ranked Italian on the ATP Tour.

• 1. Jannik Sinner (#2)
• 2. Lorenzo Musetti (#8)
• 3. Flavio Cobolli (#22)
• 4. Luciano Darderi (#26)
• 5. Lorenzo Sonego (#39)
• 6. Matteo Berrettini (#56)
• 7. Matteo Arnaldi (#61)
• 8. Mattia Bellucci (#64)

There are currently eight Italian players ranked inside the world’s top 100.

Only the United States (15) and France (14) have more.

The current crop of talent has led Italy to three consecutive Davis Cup titles, and could be set for another in 2026.

Sonego will need to be at his best in 2026 if he is to be selected to represent his nation once more.

Italy will compete in the 2026 Davis Cup Finals, qualifying for the final eight as the host nation.