Jannik Sinner will look to create more history this season as he kicks off his 2026 campaign in Australia.
The Italian was simply unplayable at times last season, and held the position of world number one throughout the majority of the season, despite being absent for three months due to a suspension.
Sinner clinched six titles in 2025, two of which he earned at Grand Slams, with the 24-year-old adding a second Australian Open to his tally, as well as a maiden Wimbledon championship.
Is Jannik Sinner currently the best player in the world?
He and his rival Carlos Alcaraz have dominated the tour for the last two years, and look set to do the same again in 2026.
Though Sinner’s rise to the top has come slightly later in his career than Alcaraz, former world number one Daniil Medvedev recalled a statistic that showed the signs of him becoming one of the best on the planet were there years ago.
Daniil Medvedev discusses Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Ahead of his campaign at the Brisbane International, Medvedev was asked if he thinks he can close the gap on Sinner and Alcaraz this year.
The Russian responded: “I think they are stronger than everyone, and even I saw some stats, I think it was when Sinner lost in quarters of Roland Garros, I would not remember the year, he was super young, he was the youngest in the quarterfinal.
“They showed, and his baseline strokes’ power was stronger than everyone, and Rafa was there at the time.
“So, hey, when someone hits stronger than you, puts everything in the court, runs definitely not slower than you, serves not worse than you, it’s tough to beat him. But you can always try.
“But in terms of consistency that they both showed last year, it’s probably almost impossible for anyone to get to this number two spot. But then, you know, the Slams are the most important, and they were in three out of four finals last year. But you can always beat them in one match.
“Probably if you play, like, 10 matches, probably not going to get a lot of wins, but you can always beat them in one match, and that’s the goal whenever you play them.”
Daniil Medvedev’s first opponent at the Brisbane International
Medvedev’s first opponent at the Brisbane International will be Marton Fucsovics, whom he has played five times before on the ATP Tour.
They first clashed at the Monte-Carlo Masters back in 2018, where Medvedev emerged victorious.
What is your boldest tennis prediction for 2026?
The 2021 US Open champion beat Fucsovics again in the 2019 Sofia final, but the Hungarian finally opened his account in the rivalry in the first round of the 2020 French Open.
At Wimbledon in 2023, Medvedev earned revenge before following it up with another victory at the 2024 Miami Open to take a 4-1 lead in the head-to-head.
Medvedev is currently ranked 13th in the world and will hope to build some momentum ahead of the Australian Open, where he is a former finalist.
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