Jannik Sinner returns to action this week at the Qatar Open, his first tournament since the Australian Open.
Sinner lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open, where Carlos Alcaraz secured the title and completed the career Grand Slam aged just 22.
Alcaraz took a brief break from playing after lifting the trophy in Melbourne, but he and Sinner will now return at the Qatar Open.
World number one Alcaraz is the top seed at the ATP 500 tournament in Doha, where Sinner is the second seed.
What is the best Grand Slam in tennis right now?
Jannik Sinner handed very tough Qatar Open draw
Sinner will now be desperate to bounce back from his Melbourne disappointment, but his difficult draw means that it won’t be an easy task.
The Italian starts out against Tomas Machac, followed by a potential meeting with Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16.
Jakub Mensik represents a tricky potential quarterfinal opponent, and the same can be said of Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard for the semifinals.
But Sinner could also meet Alexander Bublik at that stage, with the latter having handed the former a rare defeat in Halle last year.
Still, the four-time Grand Slam champion will be favored to reach the final, where he could face another reunion with Alcaraz.
| Round | Opponent |
| First round | Tomas Machac |
| Second round | Alexei Popyrin |
| Quarterfinal | Jakub Mensik |
| Semifinal | Arthur Fils/Alexander Bublik/Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard |
| Final | Carlos Alcaraz/Daniil Medvedev/Andrey Rublev |
Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head ahead of potential Qatar final
It’s far from ideal for Sinner, especially given that his rival Alcaraz has arguably been handed a more favorable draw.
He starts against Arthur Rinderknech, and could meet Valentin Royer, Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev in Doha.
Will Carlos Alcaraz win the Calendar Slam in 2026?
If not, which Grand Slam is he going to fail to win?
That is before another potential final against Sinner, which has been a very common theme on the ATP Tour in recent times.
Both superstars should be very fresh for the ATP 500 event, which is joined in the schedule by the Rio Open and the Delray Beach Open.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 2026 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Monte Carlo | Final | Outdoor Clay | 76(5) 63 |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Finals | Final | Indoor Hard | 76(4) 75 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | US Open | Final | Outdoor Hard | 62 36 61 64 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati | Final | Outdoor Hard | 50 Ret’d RET |
| 2025 | Jannik Sinner | Wimbledon | Final | Outdoor Grass | 46 64 64 64 |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | Roland Garros | Final | Outdoor Clay | 46 67(4) 64 76(3) 76(2) |
| 2025 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Rome | Final | Outdoor Clay | 76(5) 61 |
| 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz | Beijing | Final | Outdoor Hard | 67(6) 64 76(3) |
| 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz | Roland Garros | Semifinal | Outdoor Clay | 26 63 36 64 63 |
| 2024 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 16 63 62 |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | Beijing | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 76(4) 61 |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | ATP Masters 1000 Miami | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 67(4) 64 62 |
| 2023 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells | Semifinal | Outdoor Hard | 76(4) 63 |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | US Open | Quarterfinal | Outdoor Hard | 63 67(7) 67(0) 75 63 |
| 2022 | Jannik Sinner | Umag | Final | Outdoor Clay | 67(5) 61 61 |
| 2022 | Jannik Sinner | Wimbledon | Round of 16 | Outdoor Grass | 61 64 67(8) 63 |
| 2021 | Carlos Alcaraz | ATP Masters 1000 Paris | Round of 32 | Indoor Hard | 76(1) 75 |
They have been kept apart so far in 2026 thanks to Djokovic in Melbourne, but a reunion now seems very likely given the Doha draw.
Moreover, Djokovic has withdrawn from the Qatar Open, meaning another player will now have to step up in order to deny another Sinner versus Alcaraz final.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
