Jannik Sinner’s Australian Open 2026 campaign ended in disappointment.
Having clinched the title in 2024 and 2025, the Italian was looking to become just the second player in the Open Era to three-peat at Melbourne Park, following Novak Djokovic.
It was Djokovic who denied Sinner the feat, though, with the Serb winning their semifinal clash in a five-set classic on Rod Laver Arena.
Where does that performance rank out of Novak Djokovic’s best of all time?
Sinner‘s loss, coupled with Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph, saw his Spanish rival go three majors ahead in the Grand Slam race.
Though the 22-year-old has collected more big titles in his career, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, believes there is still not much that separates the ‘new two’.
Patrick Mouratoglou comes to the defence of Jannik Sinner
Giving his verdict on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “I think we cannot say that Alcaraz is above the pack. I think we have to keep putting Jannik Sinner at the same level.
“A lot of people love to do that. One match, oh wow, I changed my mind, oh, all this proved everything on one match. No, this is just one match. But one tournament doesn’t prove everything either.
“Of course it’s a Grand Slam but it’s just one Grand Slam, and if you look back last year, they shared everything. Two Grand Slams each.
How many Grand Slam titles will Jannik Sinner win in 2026?
“It was Sinner who won the ATP Finals and you can imagine that if Sinner could have played three more months while he was banned, he would potentially have ended up number one in the world at the end of the season.
“I think those two guys are dominating incredibly the tennis world like the top three in the past. Same way, you can compare it easily.
“There are two guys who are a million miles above the rest of the pack, except Novak. I think throughout 2026 they might share a lot of victories in the finals.
“They are dominating, those two, but I think they’re very close in terms of level.”
Jannik Sinner’s next tournament on the ATP Tour
Following his semifinal exit at the Australian Open, Sinner opted not to feature in Montpellier, Rotterdam, Dallas or Buenos Aires.
The next event Sinner will appear at is the Qatar Open in Doha, which begins on the 26th of February and runs through to the 21st.
Several big names will feature at the Qatar Open, with Australian Open finalists Djokovic and Alcaraz set to join Sinner.
The tournament is the first in the Middle East swing, and is followed by the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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