Tennis Predictions for 2026

Will Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continue to dominate next season? Who will be the top-ranked American players? Will any stars retire? This and more in our look ahead.

Can anyone disrupt the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2026? / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Welcome back everyone, and happy 2026. We hope the year is not merely new but improved. We’ll start Australian Open preview coverage next week. (Happily, Tennis Channel will be on site.) But this week, with a nod to Nick K.—columnist and former Oregon gubernatorial candidate Kristof; not self-saboteur and episodically committed tennis player Kyrgios—let’s start with a game of predictions for the new year.

We can revisit in 11-plus months and see how we all performed. My answers are in bold.

In 2026 …

• Tennis will:

A) Survive and advance, despite inevitable high-profile retirements and the usual, inevitable political infighting.

B) Update its clip-sharing policies. 

C) Take a stand against “data companies” that sully the sport with betting opportunities.

D) Take a stand on the goitrous blight that is the 12-day Masters 1000 event, aka the extended dance version no one asked for. 

E) Dispose with the PTPA lawsuit that—while raising legit concerns about the lack of player empowerment—is a poorly drafted, poorly reasoned, wildly expensive publicity stunt masquerading as legal action.

F) All of the above.

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• The four majors on the men’s side will be won by:

A) Jannik Sinner and/or Carlos Alcaraz. And the drawbridge remains up—for the third consecutive year—for the rest of the field.

B) Sinner only. He’ll defend in Australia. He’ll win that one additional point in Paris. He’ll defend at Wimbledon. He’ll replicate 2024 and win in New York. The first Grand Slam winner since Rod Laver.

C) Alcaraz only. He’ll win the Career Slam in Australia. He’ll defend in Paris. He’ll defend at Wimbledon. He’ll replicate 2023 and ’24 and win Wimbledon. He’ll defend in New York. The first Grand Slam winner since Rod Laver.

D) An interloper or two—Ben Shelton? Alexander Zverev? Félix Auger-Aliassime? A lightning-in-a-bottle Alexander Bublik on grass?—who will break containment and break the Sinner-Alcaraz stronghold.

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• Novak Djokovic will:

A) Win that 25th singles major, as early as Australia.

B) Reunite with Andy Murray.

C) Continue to exist in this no-man’s-land, good enough to make the latter rounds of majors, but, at 38 (going on 39), not capable of taking six sets in 48 hours from Sinner and Alcaraz.

D) Keep the Los Angeles Olympics in his sights.

E) Call an end to an unrivaled career.

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• Aryna Sabalenka will:

A) Continue her transcendent tennis and retain the top spot, causing more casual fans to appreciate her generosity of power … and generosity of spirit.

B) Finally win Wimbledon, the event that might be best suited to her skill set.

C) Continue her admirable/vexing habit of playing deep into events but often stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.

D) Leave tennis abruptly to become a full-time influencer.

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• This player will still be “active” at the end of 2026:

A) Venus Williams

B) Stan Wawrinka

C) Gaël Monfils

D) Novak Djokovic

E) Danielle Collins

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• The WTA will:

A) Finally, reach a deal with the ATP, an acquisition masquerading as “commercial aggregation.”

B) (Personal pet peeve/cause to support) Remind the world that, amid this women’s sports boom, for decades, the WTA has been the standard-bearer, the piston and most lucrative women’s league. (Over 60 players made more than $1 million in 2025; eight of the 10 highest-paid female athletes are WTA stars. The Mercedes deal blows away any comparable sponsorship for women’s sports. Take a victory lap! Remind the world who is boss! Tennis is the OG of the women’s sports boom and should be hailed as such!)

C) Improve its media rights, both in terms of dollar figures and distribution.

D) Deal with its “quiet quitting” issue. So many players who should be in their prime years are failing to find joy and fulfillment, and taking time off or leaving the sport entirely.

E) All of the above.

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 • Come summer, Alcaraz’s coach will be:

A) Juan Carlos Ferrero, after they hash out their differences of money and priorities. (“We are family and families fight, but always are there for each other.”)

B) Samuel López

C) Patrick Moura … never mind.

D) David Ferrer, called in as a relief pitcher (summoned from the Spanish bullpen as it were) after a slow start to the season.

E) Rafael Nadal/Carlos Moyá, super coach.

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• Peng Shuai will:

A) Announce a tennis comeback.

B) Depart China and become an outspoken dissident against authoritarianism, censorship and autocracy.

C) Become an honorary tournament director, a show of good faith (and good optics) now that the WTA has backpedaled (as if chasing down a topspin lob) and returned to China.

D) Remain largely forgotten and unmentioned—out of sight, out of mind—even though her mysterious situation barely four years ago has played an outsized role in shaping the finances and future of the WTA.

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• The highest-ranked American male will be:

A) Ben Shelton

B) Taylor Fritz

C) Frances Tiafoe

D) Tommy Paul

E) Sebastian Korda

F) Other

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• The highest-ranked American female will be:

A) Jessica Pegula

B) Coco Gauff

C) Madison Keys

D) Amanda Anisimova

E) Other

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• The highest-ranked of the following young players will be:

A) João Fonseca

B) Learner Tien

C) Jack Draper

D) Jakub Menšík

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• The highest-ranked of the following young players will be:

A) Victoria Mboko

B) Iva Jovic

C) Mirra Andreeva

D) Clara Tauson

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• Tennis X (formerly Twitter) will:

A) Take a stand against the bad-faith actors, pool-poisoners, unreasoning partisans and pitchfork-wielders who make the community less pleasant for everyone.

B) Continue its seep into toxicity, helpless to fight the algorithms that reward the most noxious and obnoxious posts and posters.

ENJOY THE YEAR. BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. WE CAN SEE HOW WE FARED ON THE ABOVE QUESTIONS IN 11 MONTHS …

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