Jannik Sinner has been enjoying his time away from tennis after a busy season, during which he was one of the dominant players.
Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dominated the ATP Tour in 2025, sharing the four Grand Slam titles, as they did in 2024.
Alcaraz finished as the year-end number one, but Sinner ended the year on a high too with success at the ATP Finals.
He defeated fierce rival Alcaraz in the final, with the Italian successfully defending his ATP Finals crown in Torino.
Jannik Sinner to start 2026 at the Australian Open
Sinner attended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as part of his post-season activities, where he was tasked by Sky Sports with discussing the race itself.
But the Italian was also asked when his next tournament would be, to which he replied: “Next tournament, Australian Open middle of January. So we have some time off, time to practice and try to get ready for next year.”
The Australian Open returns to the calendar on January 12th 2026, with the final set for February 1st in Melbourne.
And Sinner is not only the defending champion, but the two-time defending champion, with a third successive title being eyed in 2026.
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It certainly won’t be an easy task, but Sinner may be quietly confident about his chances of further Australian Open success.
He’s been a formidable force on hard courts in recent times, having extended his winning run on the surface at the ATP Finals to 31 matches.
READ MORE: The incredible record Novak Djokovic currently holds that Jannik Sinner could match in 2026
More confidence can be taken from his history in Melbourne itself, with Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev representing his final opponents in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Notably, his closest rival Alcaraz is absent from that exclusive albeit short list, with the Spaniard continuously falling short.
Has anyone in tennis history ever hit the ball as hard as Jannik Sinner does?
Winning every other Grand Slam twice, he has never made it beyond the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, which is a welcome boost for Sinner.
Alcaraz may even struggle once more due to fatigue given his exhibition commitments this month, with Sinner set to have no such issue thanks to his downtime in the offseason.
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