Tennis season shifts into high gear

The new year, which has already seen 10 tournaments so far, is now set for the first Grand Slam of 2026, the Australian Open

- Deepti Patwardhan

(from above) Italy's Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals in Turin, in November; Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka; and Iga Świątek of Poland.

Tennis is a sport that never sleeps. Even after the 2025 season officially wound down, drama continued to unfold. Off the court and in exhibition events.

The “Battle of the Sexes”, made famous in 1973 when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in a best-of-five sets clash that advanced the cause of women’s equality in the sport, got an overly-commercial and underwhelming reboot late December as Nick Kyrgios emerged from his self-imposed sabbatical and defeated women’s World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in two sets.

In the off-season, Carlos Alcaraz surprisingly parted ways with his longtime coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, who has been a constant, and crucial, presence in his corner as the Spaniard has surged towards greatness and captured six Grand Slam titles.

Novak Djokovic began the new year the same way he ended 2025, with tournament withdrawals due to injury. Djokovic also quit from the Professional Tennis Players' Association, a breakaway player body he had helped establish as a rival to the governing men's tennis body, Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), because it no longer aligns with his vision.

Only a fortnight into the new year, the season is already 10 tournaments deep. The frenzied start kicks into high gear with the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, which takes place in Melbourne from 18 January to 1 February. And some of the off-season narratives may well come into play as tennis stars begin life afresh in 2026.

The men's title may yet again come down to three players— Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic. While Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the men's game in the last two years, splitting the eight Grand Slams between themselves, the Serb is hanging in there for history and nostalgia.