Iga Świątek, Carlos Alcaraz chasing career Grand Slams at Australian Open

The GIST: The Australian Open, the 100th tennis Grand Slam of the 21st century, begins Down Under on Sunday, aka tomorrow on this side of the world. With the tourney’s largest-ever prize pool (a cool $74.9M) up for grabs, here are the men’s and women’s players to know.

👀 World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 2 Jannik Sinner remain the boys to beat: There are four majors on the tennis calendar, and Alcaraz and Sinner were the only men to win singles at these Slams last year. Many expect the two to meet in yet another final this tourney, but there’s something extra on the line for Alcaraz.

• Having already won Wimbledon, the French Open, and US Open, all the 22-year-old Spaniard needs is a dub Down Under to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam.

• That said, there are other guys to watch. All-time Grand Slam leader No. 4 Novak Djokovic reached all four major semis in 2025 (though he’s dealing with injury now), while No. 8 Ben Shelton is seeking redemption after a shoulder injury forced his exit from the US Open.

⭐ Parity apparent in star-studded women’s field: Unlike the men’s side, there were four different women’s Slam winners in 2025: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (US Open), No. 2 Iga Świątek (Wimbledon), No. 3 Coco Gauff (French Open), and No. 9 Madison Keys (Australian Open).

• Sabalenka is a consistent threat on the hard court, while Świątek, like Alcaraz, is chasing a career Grand Slam in Melbourne. Meanwhile, American phenom Gauff is still tinkering with her serve but defeated Świątek in straight sets during United Cup play last week. Crikey!