10 things to take away from the 2026 Australian Open

 

                                             (Credit: Getty Images) 

With the 2026 Australian Open now in the rear view mirror, it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were Down Under. Ok, let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz proved he can win the career grand slam: Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 to win his seventh grand slam title and first Australian Open title. As a result, Alcaraz has now won a career grand slam. Pretty impressive given he's 22 years old (turning 23 in May). Winning a career grand slam is an important box to check off if you want to enter the conversation for being one of the all-time greats. While we all knew it was just a matter of time before Alcaraz checked off this box, doing it now takes some pressure off of him. It'll be interesting to see how many Australian Open titles he wins in the future. 

#2. Elena Rybakina wins a second grand slam: Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the women's singles final. It's the second grand slam title of Rybakina's career after winning Wimbledon in 2022. Being a multi-grand slam champion is far different than winning one. It shows consistency. Especially when you do it on multiple surfaces. At just 26 years of age, Rybakina is halfway to a career grand slam. The furthest she's gone at the French Open is the quarterfinals and the furthest she's gone at the US Open is the 4th round. While it's far from a guarantee that she'll win a career slam, being halfway there is a lot better than 25% of the way there. 

#3. Novak Djokovic can still play at an elite level: At 38 years of age, the fact that Novak Djokovic is still able to reach grand slam finals is amazing. The Australian Open is his best event, which he has won 10 times. He defeated Jannik Sinner in the semifinals  3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. That shows he's still able to play at an elite grand slam level. The question is how much longer does Djokovic want to do this? I'm sure he wants to win 25 grand slams just to surpass Margaret Court's mark, but given she played in a vastly different era and took advantage of not everybody coming out to play the Australian Open, he shouldn't beat himself over the head if he doesn't surpass her mark. 

#4. Aryna Sabalenka shows she is beatable on the hard court: While she is widely considered the top hard court player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka losing in the final shows that she can be beaten on the hard courts. She also is still in search of that career slam with the French Open and Wimbledon still on her list to win. Sabalenka had a fantastic tournament overall, but until she figures out how to win grand slams on the grass and clay, she needs to win as many hard court slams as possible. It'll be interesting to see if she can have a break through on grass or clay this year and whether or not she's able to get back on top at the US Open.  

#5. Alexander Zverev just can't quite break through: Alexander Zverev fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals in a five set thriller: 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7.  Despite being a reliably top five player in the world, Zverev still is yet to crack the code to winning a grand slam. He's becoming a more successful Tim Henman/David Ferrer. A guy that gets close, but doesn't quite get over the hump. This year's Australian Open unfortunately reinforced that narrative in a painful way. 

#6. Jessica Pegula is knocking on the door: At 32 years of age, Jessica Pegula reached the semifinals before losing to Rybakina in straight sets  3-6, 6-7. It's the furthest she's gone at the Australian Open and only the US Open has she reached the final (2024). Ranked No. 5 in the world, maybe this will be the year Pegula finally wins her first grand slam. This year's Australian Open could be the springboard she needs to make that happen. 

#7. Alexander Bublik built on his Hong Kong title: After winning the title at the Hong Kong Open, world No. 10 Alexander Bublik reached the 4th round, where he lost to No. 6 Alex de Minaur in straight sets 4-6, 1-6, 1-6. It was the best performance Bublik has had at the Australian Open and ties for the best performance he's had at a grand slam (2023 Wimbledon & 2025 US Open). The big question with Bublik is can he breakthrough to reach the quarterfinals at a grand slam? So far, that answer has been no, but it was still overall a good tournament for him. 

#8. Elina Svitolina gets back to a grand slam semifinal: For the first time since 2023 Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals of a grand slam, losing to Sabalenka in straight sets 2-6, 3-6. It was a great tournament for her as she cracked the top ten in the world as a result. She's now ranked No. 9. While it feels unlikely she'll ever win a grand slam, maybe this is the year she'll break through. Having a strong result at the Australian Open is always a great way to start the year. 

#9.  Jannik Sinner showed he can be beaten: Ranked No. 2 in the world, losing to Novak Djokovic showed that Jannik Sinner can be beaten by someone other than Alcaraz and that should give the rest of the tour some hope. At the same time, he lost to a man who is arguably the greatest of all-time. Still, Sinner not reaching the final was a reminder that he is human. Especially since the hard court is his best surface. 

#10. Naomi Osaka still has work to do: Ranked No. 16 in the world, Naomi Osaka is working her way back to being a top player. She lost in the 3rd round via walkover after winning her first two matches. At 28 years of age, there's still plenty of time for Osaka to get back in the mix to contend for more grand slams, but at the same time, this year's Australian Open was a reminder that she still has a lot more work to do. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for her. 

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Eight takeaways from the 2025 China Open

 

                                                       (Credit: ChinaOpen.com) 

Earlier this month, the China Open (中国网球公开赛) in Beijing (北京) concluded. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner won the men's singles title, defeating Learner Tien in the final 6-2, 6-2. World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova won the women's singles title, defeating Linda Noskova in the final 6-0, 2-6, 6-2. It is an ATP 500 event and a WTA 1000 event, so it is more important on the women's side than on the men's side. Given the number eight (八) is a lucky number in Chinese culture, I thought it would be fun to take a look at eight takeaways from the event. Ok, let's get after it. 我们开始吧! 

#1. Jannik Sinner can be pushed, but he'll find another gear: Jannik Sinner had a strong tournament overall given that he won the event. That said, he was taken to three sets a couple of times. In the second round, Sinner defeated qualifier Térence Atmane 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 and then in the semifinals, Sinner defeated world No. 7 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. If you are the rest of the ATP Tour looking for a glimmer of hope, you should be encouraged to see a couple of different guys, especially a qualifier take a set off Sinner. At the same time, you have to be pretty discouraged to see him respond emphatically in the third set, not allowing either Atmane or de Minaur to have much life. This tournament was another reminder that as of now, only Carlos Alcaraz is capable of beating Sinner when he's playing at his best. 

#2. Amanda Anisimova can hang with the best in the world: Amanda Anisimova came out on top while also having world No. 3 Coco Gauff and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the field. Anisimova crushed Gauff 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals while also defeating world No. 8 Jasmine Paolini 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Anisimova should take a lot of confidence from this tournament, especially after reaching the US Open final last month. It'll be interesting to see how the reset of the Asian swing goes for Anisimova with the Australian Open capping it all off in January. 

#3. Alexander Zverev continues to disappoint: Alexander Zverev is ranked No. 3 in the world and came into the tournament as the number two seed. Despite that, he flamed out in the quarterfinals, losing in straight sets to world No. 18 Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6. I know this wasn't a grand slam event, but after the way he flamed out in the 3rd round of the US Open this year, it sure seems like Zverev is trending in the wrong direction. If he wants to find success at the Australian Open next year, he better pick things up during the Asian swing of the season. 

#4. Zheng Qinwen needs to rest her elbow: Hubei native and world No. 10 Zheng Qinwen wanted to give it a go as China's top ranked player, but her elbow ended up doing her in as she retired in the third set against Linda Noskova 4-6, 6-3, 0-3. 

"I know already in the second set I couldn't push more," Zheng said after the match. "Maybe I can play the first set, but to arrive at the third set is too much for my elbow. I believe with time it is going to be better." 

It was a disappointing result for Zheng, but given her injury, she shouldn't feel bad about not being able to finish. This really should be a reminder to her that she needs to give her elbow more time to heal and not force anything. The last thing she wants to have happen is for his to linger into the Australian Open. 

#5. Learner Tien balled out: Even though he came up short, Learner Tien had a fantastic tournament, defeating world No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 6-3, 3-0, ret. in the quarterfinals and then Medvedev 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 ret. in the semifinals. Tien is currently ranked No. 36 in the world and just on the cusp of being a seeded player at a grand slam. The highest he's ever been ranked. If can keep up this level of tennis down the stretch of the season, he should be well positioned to get a top 32 seed at the Australian Open. 

#6. Jessica Pegula found a nice groove: World No. 6 Jessica Pegula had a nice tournament, reaching the semifinals before falling to Noskova 3-6, 6-1, 6-7. Pegula was really close to winning this tournament and should be feeling confident with how she is playing. She's never gotten past the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, but with how she's playing, she has to feel confident that in 2026, that trend could change for the better. 

#7. Alex de Minaur should be feeling good: Currently ranked No. 7 in the world, Alex de Minaur on the whole should be feeling good about how the tournament went for him. He pushed Sinner to a third set in the semifinals and also pulled out a gritty 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 victory over lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech in the second round. Given he's an Aussie, he's going to have home court advantage at the Australian Open in January. If he can keep building momentum, maybe he makes a deep run at his home country's grand slam. He reached the quarterfinals last year. 

#8. Naomi Osaka needs to build her stamina back up: Ranked No. 14 in the world, Naomi Osaka is returning to her old form as she reached the semifinals of the US Open last month. However, she had a bit of a setback in Beijing as she lost in the second round to qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-1, 4-6, 2-6. As she continues to get back to her old self, Osaka is going to need to build up that consistency again. I'm confident that she'll get there, but this tournament was a reminder that she has more work to do. 

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10 things to look for at the 2025 US Open

 

The US Open actually began on Sunday, so I'm a bit late to getting this up. Below are my 10 things to look for at the 2025 US Open in New York. Click here to check out the draws in case you haven't yet seen them. Ok, let's dive in! 

#1. How healthy is Jannik Sinner? No. 1 Jannik Sinner pulled out of the final in the Cincinnati Open due to an illness, handing the title to No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. A lot of questions have swirled around about how healthy Sinner is and whether or not he'd even compete. Well, he's in the main draw and will give it a go. But will he stay healthy the entire tournament or could he be in for an early exit? The first couple rounds will tell us a lot. 

#2. Can Aryna Sabalenka defend her title? No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the defending champion with many picking her to defend her title. However, she did lose to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final earlier this year, unable to defend her title there. Sabalenka will be eager to not have that happen again and this time defend her crown. If she does, she'll be sending a message that she truly is the top hard court player in the game. 

#3. Does Novak Djokovic have one more slam in him? No. 7 Novak Djokovic has won 24 grand slams and is gunning for his 25th. He cruised to a 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 victory over Learner Tien in the first round, so he's off to a good start. The key for Djokovic will be to make sure he takes care of business in straight sets through the first four rounds. The less tennis he has to play, especially on the hard courts, the better. Djokovic has to make sure in these early rounds he doesn't get pushed. Otherwise, fatigue will certainly catch up with him in the later rounds. 

#4. Will Coco Gauff's coaching change pay off? No. 3 Coco Gauff fired her catch Matthew Daly just days before the US Open in a move that sent a bit of a shockwave through the tennis world. It's a bold move to make that only will look smart if she goes all the way. If she doesn't, it will look like a desperate move that should have at least waited until the end of the season. It certainly adds more pressure on Gauff to perform well at this tournament, but then again, maybe this will help her out mentally. Time will tell. 

#5. Can Carlos Alcaraz build on his win at Cincinnati? After winning the Cincinnati Open, Carlos Alcaraz comes into the US Open with a lot of momentum. But will it ultimately matter? If Sinner is not able to play to his full strength, one has to like Alcaraz's chances of winning it all. The only reason to pause is he hasn't won the US Open since 2022. It's a bit of a dry spell in New York that Alcaraz would love to end. 

#6. Can Iga Swiatek build on her win at Cincinnati? No. 2 Iga Swiatek defeated No. 7 Jasmine Paolini to win the Cincinnati Open. Just like Alcaraz, Swiatek is eager to build on the momentum she has coming into the tournament. Also like Alcaraz, she hasn't won the US Open since 2022. Will this be the year she wins it all again in New York? It should be interesting to see. 

#7. Can Alexander Zverev contend? No. 3 Alexander Zverev is still seeking his first grand slam title. He only reached the US Open final once in his career (2020), but he did reach the Australian Open final earlier this year. If Sinner is unable to go deep in the tournament, Zverev in theory should be the guy to take advantage as the number three guy in the world. But can he actually do it? That's the question. 

#8. Can Madison Keys threaten? After winning the Australian Open, No. 6 Madison Keys will look to wrap up the 2025 season how she started it: winning a hard court grand slam. Keys should have a lot more confidence in her US Open chances after the way she performed Down Under, but as a word of caution, she has only reached one US Open final in her career and that was back in 2017. If Keys does go the distance this year, that would be quite a story. 

#9. Can Taylor Fritz go the distance? If there's an American man to threaten to win it all this year, it would be No. 4 Taylor Fritz. Fritz reached the final last year and really fed off the American crowd. While not the same level of pressure that was on Andy Murray to win Wimbledon as a Brit, it has been 22 years since an American man won a grand slam (Andy Roddick, 2003 US Open). Fritz is the best chance the United States has to end that drought. It would be cool if he did. 

#10. Can Jessica Pegula go the distance? The number four seed on the women's side is also an American in Jessica Pegula. She reached the final last year just like Fritz did and is also in search of her first grand slam. It'll be interesting to see how she does and whether or not she can once again feed off the energy from the New York crowd. 

Prediction: I'm gonna pick both Cincinnati winners to win the US Open. I got Carlos Alcaraz winning on the men's side and Iga Swiatek winning on the women's side. They're both playing great tennis right now and seem eager to win a second US Open title. 

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10 things to look for at the 2025 French Open

 

 

The French Open at Roland Garros in Paris is set to begin this upcoming week, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Click here for the draws in case you haven't gotten a chance to look at that and do feel free to scroll through the blog for some recent content that is French Open related. Okay, let's dive in! 

#1. Can Jannik Sinner build on his Italian Open success? While he came up short in the final to Carlos Alcaraz, world number one Jannik Sinner did reach his first career final at the Italian Open earlier this month. That should give Sinner a lot of confidence as he is set to begin his quest for a French Open title. If Sinner does win the French Open, I think we'll be able to look back on his performance in Rome as a catalyst. 

#2. Can Coco Gauff go the distance for the first time? Coco Gauff comes in as the number two seed in the women's draw and has been knocking on the door at Roland Garros. She reached the final back in 2022 and reached the semifinals last year. Earlier this month, she reached the final of the Italian Open, so she's continuing to be a major threat on the dirt. At some point, she'll win a French Open. It's just matter of her having that breakthrough tourney. Will this be the year? That's the question. 

#3. Can Carlos Alcaraz defend his title? Carlos Alcaraz comes in as the number two seed and defending champion on the men's side. He won the Monte-Carlo Masters and Italian Open, so he's coming into Roland Garros with a ton of momentum. He's the favorite to win the French Open, but this time he has to deal with the pressure that comes with being the defending champion. It'll be fun to see how he handles that extra pressure. 

#4. Can Iga Świątek overcome her seed to defend her crown? Iga Świątek comes in as the number five seed in the tournament while also having won three straight French Opens and four overall. If you look at her success at Roland Garros, Swiatek is the clear favorite. When you look at her seed and consider the fact that she lost in the 3rd round at the Italian Open, there is room for some doubt. Personally, I think she'll be motivated to prove that she's still the best clay court player in the world. The fact that she'll have a bit of a chip on her shoulder could make her even more dangerous. 

#5. Can Aryna Sabalenka win a grand slam away from the hard courts? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the number one seed and top player in the world on the women's side. However, she's never won a French Open or Wimbledon. The furthest she's gone at the French Open is the semifinals in 2023. At some point, she needs to prove she can win a grand slam on other surfaces after being a dominant force on the hard courts. She did win the Madrid Open on clay earlier this year, so that should give her some confidence to have her breakthrough moment at Roland Garros. 

#6. Can Novak Djokovic pull a rabbit out of his hat? Even though he's the number six seed, Novak Djokovic had a rough clay season, losing in the second round in both Madrid and Monte-Carlo while skipping Rome. If Djokovic is able to reach the semifinals, that would be phenomenal given his recent results. I wouldn't bet on it, but at the same time, you can never count the Joker out. He's always a threat. 

#7. Can Jasmine Paolini build on her Italian Open title to win Roland Garros? Jasmine Paolini comes in as the number four seed, fresh off a title at the Italian Open. Paolini reached the final at Roland Garros last year and should be feeling confident in her ability to go the distance this year. She's got a lot of momentum and is playing excellent tennis at the moment. 

#8. Can Alexander Zverev make a serious run? Alexander Zverev comes in as the number three seed and reached the final last year. However, he went out in the second round at Monte-Carlo, the fourth round at Madrid, and the quarterfinals at the Italian Open. I guess he's making progress and picking up a bit of steam, so maybe he'll make some more noise than I think. It certainly will be interesting to see how he does after having a lukewarm clay season coming in. 

#9. Can Jessica Pegula make some noise? Jessica Pegula comes in as the number three seed, so on paper she should be a favorite to reach the semifinals. That being said, she only has one quarterfinal appearance at Roland Garros back in 2022 and she didn't play Roland Garros last year. I'd say odds are well above 50% that she exits in somewhere between the first and fourth round, especially after she had back-to-back third round exits in Madrid and Rome (Italian Open). But hey, maybe she'll surprise me. 

#10. What will happen to Casper Ruud? Casper Ruud comes in as the number seven seed with clay results kind of all over the map. He reached the semifinals at Roland Garros last year and then this year, he lost in the 3rd round at Monte-Carlo, lost in the quarterfinals in Rome, and then won it all in Madrid. I could buy any number of results from Ruud at this year's French Open. I'll be very interested to see where the chips fall for him. 

Prediction: On the men's side, I got Carlos Alcaraz going the distance. He's playing the best clay tennis of anyone and comes in with a lot of momentum having won the Italian Open and Monte-Carlo Masters. I fully expect him to defend his title. As for the women's side, even though she's had a down clay court season and is seeded where she is, I still gotta pick Iga Swiatek to pull through and defend her crown. She's been the best clay player in the women's game these past few years and deserves to be treated as the favorite given her overall body of work. 

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10 things to look for at the 2023 Australian Open

 The 2023 Australian Open is underway, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for at the first grand slam of the year. Let's go! 

Note: To check out the draws for all events, click here. 

#1. Can Rafael Nadal defend his title? Rafael Nadal comes in as the top seed in the men's draw, eager to defend his title from last year. With Novak Djokovic back in the field after missing last year due to not getting vaccinated, things are going to be tougher for Nadal. Fortunately, Djokovic is on the other half of the draw for Nadal, so if he were to see Djokovic, it won't be until the final. It'll be fun to see how far Nadal goes and whether or not he'll be able to defend his crown. 

#2. Can Iga Świątek go the distance down under? Iga Świątek is the top seed in the women's draw and is establishing herself as the top player in the women's game. She won the US Open last year and will look to win her second straight grand slam, both on the hard courts. She reached the semifinals last year in the Australian Open and should be primed to make an even deeper run this year. If you're talking contenders on the women's side, she might be the one to pick. 

#3. Can Novak Djokovic re-establish his dominance? Novak Djokovic owns the Australian Open. Nine of his 21 grand slam titles have come in this event. He's had more success at this event than any other grand slam. However, he didn't play in this event last year and it's never easy to win an event after missing it the year before. Plus, he's likely to encounter mixed reactions from the fans for how he handled things last year. How he deals with the early rounds will be really key to his success. He needs to set a good tone and pick up right where he left off. If he does, he's going to be really tough to stop. 

#4. Can Ons Jabeur break through? Ons Jabeur is the number two seed in the women's draw after reaching back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. She's knocking on the door and is eager to break through to win her first grand slam. She reached the quarterfinals in 2020, so she's had some success at this event, but after not playing it last year, she's gonna have to adjust to being back in this environment. I think it's going to be really interesting to see if her past couple slams propel her forward and how she does if she finds herself in a third straight grand slam final. 

#5. Can Frances Tiafoe bring his US Open success with him? Frances Tiafoe is the 16th seed and is coming off a run to the US Open semifinals. This will be a real test for him as he won't have the home court advantage he had in New York. If he's able to reach the semifinals of this event, that'll be a really strong indicator that he is here to stay for the foreseeable future. 

#6. Does Victoria Azarenka have another run in her? Victoria Azarenka is seeded 24th and had a decent outing at the Australian Open last year, reaching the 4th round. She won the event back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013. It's been a while, but she knows how to win this event. It would be really cool for her to win a third grand slam and if there's any place she'd do it, it would be in Australia. Also, she did reach the US Open final in 2020, so she's recently shown she can contend at grand slams. 

#7. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas reach the final? Stefanos Tsitsipas is the number three seed on the men's side and is eying a third consecutive trip to the semifinals. The big question with him is can he get over the hump and into the final. He's reached the final at Roland Garros (2021), so it's not totally uncharted territory for him. Still, he hasn't yet figured out how to get to the final at this event. Getting past Nadal is not going to be easy, but I like his chances of sneaking past Nadal in the semifinals better than I do against Djokovic. So, he's got a shot. 

#8. Can Jessica Pegula reach the semifinals? Jessica Pegula is the third seed in the women's draw, but she's never gotten past the quarterfinals at any grand slam. She reached the quarters at three of the four grand slams last year, only failing to do so at Wimbledon. How she does at the Australian Open will be a really strong indicator of whether or not she's made progress from last season. 

#9. Can Casper Ruud make a deep run? Casper Ruud is the number two seed on the men's side and reached the final at both the US Open and French Open last year. As for the Australian Open, the furthest he's gone is the 4th round in 2021. He didn't play in it last year. How he does this year after a strong 2022 season is something to watch for. Definitely a strong candidate to at least reach the semifinals if not the final. 

#10. Will Coco Gauff finally breakthrough down under? Coco Gauff is seeded 7th and is coming off a strong 2022 in which she reached the French Open final and US Open quarterfinals. However, she has not had that same kind of success at the Aussie Open, with her best finish being the 4th round in 2020 followed by a 2nd round exit in 2021 and a 1st round exit in 2022. She's regressing at this event and needs to put together a strong run in 2023. Will it happen? Time will tell. 

Predictions: On the men's side, I gotta roll with Novak Djokovic. He owns this event and will be hungry to reclaim his rightful crown. On the women's side, I'm going to pick Iga Świątek. She's the top player in the world right now and is bound to win the Australian Open at some point. Why not this year? 

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