Carlos Alcaraz will play his first competitive tournament of the season at the Australian Open.
The world number one has not played competitively since the ATP Finals, although Alcaraz did beat Jannik Sinner in an exhibition match in South Korea.
Alcaraz’s record at the Australian Open is surprisingly poor, with the star failing to get past the quarter-final stages in four attempts.
However, there could be a good omen for Alcaraz at this year’s Australian Open as he looks to win his first major Down Under.
History is on Carlos Alcaraz’s side at the 2026 Australian Open
Three top players have previously won the Australian Open for the first time at Alcaraz’s current age of 22 years old.
Roger Federer collected the trophy for the first time in 2004 at that age, by defeating Marat Safin in the final in straight sets.
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Five years later, and Federer’s greatest rival Rafael Nadal achieved the same feat. The Spaniard won his maiden Australian Open at 22 by beating Federer in a classic five-set final.
Sinner’s first Australian Open title in 2023 also came at the age of 22, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final.
Alcaraz heads into the Australian Open at the same age, looking to win his very first Grand Slam Down Under and earn a Career Grand Slam.
Carlos Alcaraz’s record at the Australian Open
Alcaraz’s first appearance at the Australian Open in 2021 saw him become the youngest winner of a main draw match since Bernard Tomic in 2009.
The Spaniard defeated Botic van de Zandschulp in his opening round match, before losing to Mikael Ymer in the next round.
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Alcaraz went one better the next year by reaching the third round in 2022 after picking up wins against Alejandro Tabilo and Dušan Lajović.
Two quarter-final appearances followed in 2024 and 2025, where he was beaten by Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic.
Having won all three of the other Grand Slams, Alcaraz’s record Down Under is bemusing but he should absolutely rectify that in 2026.
