Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s potential routes to the Australian Open title after the draw is revealed

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now know their paths to the 2026 Australian Open title after the draw was announced.

Alcaraz and Sinner have won the last eight Grand Slam titles, which includes playing three consecutive major finals against each other.

Despite dominating the major tournaments over the past two years, Alcaraz has still never won the Australian Open.

As Alcaraz looks to complete the Career Slam, he now knows who lies in front of him in Melbourne this year.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open draws announced

Alcaraz is still yet to surpass the quarterfinal stage of the Australian Open, something he will be hoping to put well behind him this year.

The world number one will begin his campaign against Australian Adam Walton, who he beat in their only previous meeting at the Queen’s Club Championships last year.

Alcaraz’s first potential seeded opponent is Corentin Moutet, someone who the Spaniard has never actually faced before.

As the draw progresses, some of the potential threats to Alcaraz this year could be Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Tommy Paul.

There was a lot of attention on who Alcaraz could face in the semifinals, and he has been drawn against last year’s finalist Alexander Zverev, who he actually lost to at the Australian Open two years ago.

If he is able to come through all of these matches, Alcaraz could face the aforementioned Sinner in yet another Grand Slam final.

Sinner is a two-time Australian Open champion, and he will be looking to win the title in Melbourne for a third consecutive year.

The Italian will likely not have too much to worry about with his opening two matches, but could face a tricky third round clash with rising star Joao Fonseca, who has been struggling with an injury ahead of the Australian Open.

If Sinner is able to overcome that potential match with Fonseca, he could play former semifinalist Karen Khachanov.

A potential quarterfinal opponent for Sinner is Ben Shelton, who he has won his last eight matches against.

There is also a possible semifinal clash between Sinner and 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, but the former has also won the last five meetings in this head-to-head.

All eyes will be on that potential final between Sinner and Alcaraz, with the Australian Open now the only Grand Slam where they have not met in the championship match.

Who could Novak Djokovic play at the Australian Open?

While Alcaraz and Sinner are understandably the overwhelming favorites for the Australian Open title this year, it is important not to forget about the player who has won more titles than any other man in Melbourne, Djokovic.

Djokovic will be bidding for his 25th Grand Slam title yet again this year, having not added to his major collection since the 2023 US Open.

Who has the most difficult Australian Open draw?

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The 38-year-old will begin his campaign against world number 71 Pedro Martinez, before a potential clash with Cincinnati Open semifinalist Terence Atmane.

Djokovic’s first potential seeded opponent will be in-form American Brandon Nakashima, and he could also play Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik, who beat him in the final in Florida last year.

While there are plenty of obstacles in the way of him getting there, Djokovic will likely be relatively pleased with his possible quarterfinal opponents, as he has a combined 20-1 winning head-to-head against Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz.

As they were for much of last year, Alcaraz and Sinner could be the main issue for Djokovic’s title goals, having lost to either player in three of his four Grand Slam semifinals in 2025.

Another potential issue other than opponents for the 24-time Grand Slam champion is fitness, with Djokovic showing concerning signs in his practice session ahead of the Australian Open.

Djokovic will hope that this is not the case, when the Australian Open main draw officially gets underway on Sunday, January 18.