The return of a big three
All indications towards the end of 2025 were that the duopoly between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner would continue into the new year. Between them, they have won every grand-slam title since the start of 2024, and are far ahead of the rest in the ATP’s world rankings.
Few got bored in the early years of the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but it added far more intrigue when Novak Djokovic came along to shake things up — the regular contention of Andy Murray at the sport’s biggest tournaments also added to the interest from a British perspective.
There is the feeling now that a challenger to Alcaraz and Sinner is needed to add something fresh, and it would certainly be fun viewing if it were to be the 19-year-old Brazilian João Fonseca.
Draper’s comeback
Jack Draper had high hopes of becoming that third man last March when he won the Indian Wells Open, which is widely considered to be tennis’s unofficial fifth grand-slam event. The Briton then reached a career-high world ranking of No4 during the summer, prompting many to believe that he could indeed mount a challenge at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Draper celebrates after defeating Denmark’s Holger Rune to win last year’s Indian Wells Open
MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES
Sadly it has all gone wrong since after Draper discovered a bruised humerus, the bone that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. He has struggled to recover despite playing no matches since August and reluctantly withdrew from the Australian Open. All eyes will be on that left arm when the 24-year-old makes his return, potentially for the Great Britain Davis Cup team in Norway next month.
A second wind for Raducanu
Emma Raducanu has had various physical problems throughout her career but there were signs in 2025 that her body was becoming more robust. She was far more consistent in terms of the matches she was able to play on a regular basis on the WTA Tour, although it is an early concern this year that her pre-season preparations were heavily disrupted by a foot problem.
A significant goal has already been achieved by moving inside the world’s top 32 to secure a crucial seeding for this month’s Australian Open, and the next step for the 23-year-old in 2026 should be winning a first title of any sort since that famous triumph at the 2021 US Open. If you had told Raducanu that night at Flushing Meadows that she would still not have claimed another trophy four years later, she would have been extremely disappointed, and it is time to set that right.
Djokovic eyes title 25
Having turned 38 last May, it was a remarkable achievement by Novak Djokovic to reach the semi-finals of all four grand-slam tournaments in 2025. But it is clear he took little satisfaction from this as his ultimate goal is to win a record 25th major singles title, which would put him clear of Australia’s Margaret Court as the all-time record-holder.
Djokovic proves there’s still life in older legs
YORGOS KARAHALIS/AP PHOTO
As time goes on the task becomes increasingly difficult, but this incredible athlete should not be counted out yet. If the draw can fall in his favour at the Australian Open or Wimbledon, with a shock early exit for Alcaraz or Sinner, then Djokovic is still more than capable of beating the vast majority of players over the best of five sets.
A Sabalenka v Swiatek grand-slam final
The best rivalry in the women’s game is Aryna Sabalenka v Iga Swiatek, yet they have never contested a grand-slam final against each other. Indeed, only two of their 13 matches have taken place at one of the four majors, showing that it is rare for both to be playing at their best on the biggest stage at the same time.
There is such a great contrast between the two. You have the raw power and outwards passion of Sabalenka against the intelligent movement and quiet nature of Swiatek, making for a fascinating clash that deserves to be the championship match on the likes of Centre Court or Arthur Ashe Stadium. Hopefully the stars align at some point in 2026 to make this come to fruition.
Sabalenka beat her biggest rival in last year’s French Open semi-final, but they have never met in a major final
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More tensions over revenue
There is rarely a peaceful period in tennis politics. Last year was dominated by calls from top players for a greater share of the growing revenue that the grand-slam events are generating and complaints about the demands placed upon them by a gruelling schedule.
It is hard to see how the players can force the governing bodies into a corner on this unless they start threatening some form of boycott, which is never going to happen as it will be near-impossible for a collective agreement on this. One mooted idea to continue monitoring is the proposal by the grand-slams for a streamlined “Premium Tour”, which could potentially be the subject of some bargaining with top players to meet their requests.
Return of the old guard
A fun rumour to finish on: there is growing chatter around the possibility of a return to the court for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the form of a global exhibition series. Both players, and their agents, are well aware of the money they could command in coming together to play matches in untapped locations around the world, and there is a possibility that they could decide to cash in during 2026.