Injured Danish star Holger Rune will be the only notable absentee from the 2026 Australian Open men’s field, with 99 of the world’s top 100 players confirmed starters at Melbourne Park next month.
World No.15 Rune is sidelined after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the semi-finals of the Stockholm Open in October.
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However, it’s another star-studded field heading to Melbourne, where world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to complete a career Grand Slam.
Standing the way of Spaniard Alcaraz – who is yet to progress past the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park – will be world No.2, Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who will bid for a third successive Australian Open title.
The men’s field will also include 10-time Australian Open champion, 38-year-old Novak Djokovic.
The women’s field is similarly strong, with it including 98 of the world’s top 100 female players.
The only players missing from the women’s top 100 will be world 64th-ranked Danielle Collins and world.No 76th-ranked Ons Jabeur, who is on maternity leave.
Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka heads the women’s field that also includes defending champion Madison Keys and world No.2 Iga Swiatek.
Australia’s contingent currently consists of 12 players, including two wildcards with more to be announced over the coming month.
They will be headed in the respective men’s and women’s fields by projected No.7 seed Alex de Minaur and projected No.32 seed Maya Joint, while Thanasi Kokkinakis has entered the tournament using a protected ranking.
Should she hold onto her ranking, Joint will be seeded at a grand slam for the first time, after a strong 2025 season including two titles (Rabat and Eastbourne) and wins over the likes of world No.12 Clara Tauson, world No.21 Diana Schnaider, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin (twice) and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Being seeded would allow her to avoid a fellow seed until at least the third round – by comparison, last year her opening match was against reigning US Open finalist Jessica Pegula.
Joint has previously won just two grand slam singles matches, both first-rounders at the US Open.
Australian star Alex de Minaur has no intention of slowing down before the new season after claiming a $964,000 pay cheque for his Ultimate Tennis Showdown victory.
De Minaur is in good form, having won the Ultimate Tennis Showdown final on Monday (AEDT) in London over Norway’s Casper Ruud.
“I’ve had some tough matches here this week and playing Casper in the final was always going to be difficult,” de Minaur said.
“It is amazing to come through. There is no rest for me now. I might take (Tuesday) off, but then it’s back on court practicing for the new season.”
The Australian Open starts on Sunday January 18, with the qualifying competition also taking place at Melbourne Park from January 12-15.
AUSSIES IN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN MAIN DRAW
Men
7. Alex de Minaur
54. Alexei Popyrin
78. Adam Walton
82. Aleksandar Vukic
84 (PR). Thanasi Kokkinakis
100. Tristan Schoolkate
Wildcard: James Duckworth (more TBA)
Women
32. Maya Joint
37. Daria Kasatkina
80. Ajla Tomljanovic
98. Kim Birrell
Wildcard: Emerson Jones (more TBA)
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