When Australian Open 2026 launched in October, many of the high-profile guests at the launch event were asked what they were most looking forward to seeing on court in January.<\/p>\n
The near-universal answer<\/a>? A final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n And who wouldn\u2019t want to see that, given how the Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry hit new heights in 2025? The world\u2019s dominant top two clashed in three consecutive Grand Slam finals, setting the stage for a fourth straight at the Australian Open \u2013 the only major tournament where they\u2019re yet to meet.<\/p>\n But it got us thinking: what are the other rivalries in tennis, beyond Alcaraz v Sinner, that excite fans and light up Centre Courts around the world?<\/p>\n This question was discussed on the latest episode of The Tennis<\/a>, and we\u2019re diving into it too, examining some other brilliant match-ups we\u2019re hoping to see at AO 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Aryna Sabalenka v Iga Swiatek<\/p>\n Alcaraz and Sinner are the world\u2019s top two men, so how about a clash between the world\u2019s No.1 and No.2 women?<\/p>\n “I think all the superstars on the women’s side of tennis at the moment are really interchangeable with their rivalries, but I went with the top two: Sabalenka and Swiatek,\u201d said The Tennis panellist and ausopen.com contributor Rhys de Deugd. “I think in terms of contrasting games, [they have that] a little bit too.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they come up against each other, it is the best spectacle in women’s tennis at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Sabalenka versus Swiatek has, historically, been a phenomenal occasion; their 2024 Madrid Open final clash was considered the finest of that WTA season<\/a>. Between them, they own 10 Grand Slam titles, and for the past three seasons have ended the year as the top two players.<\/p>\n Swiatek leads the head-to-head 8-5, but Sabalenka has won the past two, the most recent of those in the Roland Garros semifinals \u2013 one of only two matches between them at Slams.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The match-up has taken on a mystique due to how often they\u2019ve narrowly missed meeting in Grand Slam finals. Sabalenka was a set away from facing Swiatek in the 2025 Wimbledon final, and held a match point in the 2023 Roland Garros semifinals, only to lose to Karolina Muchova, who went on to play Swiatek.<\/p>\n It was the same in the AO 2025 semifinals, where after Sabalenka had sealed her place in the final, Swiatek held a match point to meet her there \u2013 only to fall to Madison Keys.<\/p>\n Will we finally get that highly-anticipated Grand Slam final at AO 2026?<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic v Alexander Zverev<\/p>\n They\u2019re the world\u2019s highest-ranked players after Alcaraz and Sinner, and Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are no stranger to meeting on the game\u2019s biggest stages.<\/p>\n Zverev first played Djokovic more than eight years ago in May 2017, upsetting the then-world No.2 in the Rome final for his first ATP Masters title.<\/p>\n Since then, they\u2019ve met five times in big Grand Slam matches \u2013 a combination of quarters and semis \u2013 and have engaged in gruelling battles on almost every occasion.<\/p>\n PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode of The Tennis<\/a><\/p>\n Djokovic has gotten the better of Zverev in four of those five Slam meetings, but Zverev pushed Djokovic to five in the 2021 US Open semifinals, and kept him on court for almost three-and-a-half hours in their four-set battle at Roland Garros this year.<\/p>\n