Who will become the 'disrupter' to Alcaraz and Sinner in 2026?
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have shared the last eight Grand Slams between them so who can become the "disrupter" and break the monopoly?After two years of total 'Sincaraz' Sinner and Alcaraz domination we're waiting on the player who will invade and grab a major championship for themselves.
Two big questions:
A) Is that going to happen?B) If so, who's that guy?
Image:
Commentator Jonathan Overend casts his expert opinion on the Australian Open in Melbourne
Logic suggests it will be Sinner who will win the Australian Open simply because Jannik has such a good record in Melbourne and Alcaraz doesn't, so that is the one major where there is clear historical difference between the two on record and I wouldn't necessarily predict anything to happen to change that.
Alcaraz is the dominant player on clay, although that is one of the great reflections of 2025 that Sinner was match point away on multiple occasions in that incredible Roland-Garros final, and he could have held all four major championships at the same time had he won one more point in Paris.
I think Alcaraz might pinch Wimbledon this year and I think Sinner might win the US Open so we could be looking at a role reversal of 2025. Again, two Grand Slams apiece. Sinner, Alcaraz, Alcaraz and Sinner in that order.
Monterosa
This content is provided by Monterosa, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Monterosa cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Monterosa cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Monterosa cookies for this session only.
Who is going to be the disrupter?
Image:
Could Alexander Bublik become the disrupter to Alcaraz and Sinner?
Enter the disrupter! If there is to be a slip from one or both of them, who's going to take advantage? I think it's entirely possible this year.You're doing incredibly well to go a 12-month season avoiding injury and one of those Grand Slam upsets. They have happened! It's happened to Roger Federer, it's happened to Rafael Nadal, but less so Novak Djokovic. We have seen a Lukas Rosol and Sergiy Stakhovsky over the years create this big disrupting moment at a Grand Slam.For me, there is one guy emerging as the guy who could be that disrupter and his name is Alexander Bublik.
Bublik over the years has had this reputation as a character, performer, underarm server, extravagant shot-maker, someone with so much natural ability but without necessarily the consistency or the dedication to send him to the very top of the game. But there was a transformation in 2025 which happened after an awful start to the season where he lost so many matches in the first couple of months but then it all turned at the Phoenix Challenger and a trip to Las Vegas that he talked about during the French Open.And then in the second half of the year if we start at the grass season, his was as good as absolutely anybody. With four titles, Bublik is showing us that he can go on a tear and when he does, he's hard to stop.
Bublik could meet Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, but could he be that disrupter?I would reasonably say 'yes' - I think he could be that guy! Simply because the likes of [Alexander] Zverev and [Taylor] Fritz as good as they are - the nearest challengers in ranking terms - have that scar tissue from previous meetings.Bublik will come in with no fear with this renewed confidence and with recent history of beating Sinner in one of the great performances of 2025 in Halle. I don't think that performance got as much credit as it deserved. That was an extraordinary heavy-hitting display from Bublik and he can do it again.Predicting him as the player most likely to cause an upset and beat Alcaraz or Sinner at a Grand Slam this year is a wild prediction, as wild as some of Bublik's tennis over the years. I just feel more confident backing him in a one-off match like that than I do one of the top eight challengers.
What about the other contenders?
In terms of the other men, I see Taylor Fritz contending again. He's done extremely well the last couple of years and is an established top-five player now which I don't see changing. I don't see Zverev breaking his duck.I don't see Djokovic winning another Grand Slam and of the others, one of the most interesting is Felix Auger-Aliassime. When he goes for it and trusts his game, plays with instinct and speed, he could potentially be the third best player in the world.Does he believe in it that much? Does he believe in the way that he needs to play to consistently beat the very best? If he does and can have that mindset for the whole season then he could be a big danger.Then there are the Italians! [Lorenzo] Musetti had a brilliant clay-court season and some real career achievements ticked off. His compatriot [Flavio] Cobolli is a very talented young player and he's on the rise. I expect him to have his best season so far.As for Raducanu...
Image:
Emma Raducanu is seeded at a major for the first time since the 2022 US Open
Emma Raducanu leads the way for the Brits, and as I said at the end of 2025, the fact that over two years she's gone from being outside the top 300 to the verge of the top 50 is incredible progress. If you're starting your career and you had that trajectory, you would receive all the plaudits and you would be marked as one to watch, so I see no reason why that trend shouldn't continue for Raducanu.It's great that she's got that consistency with coach Francisco Roig by her side - clearly a very good person to have in her corner and let's hope that relationship lasts and is sustained, big things could still happen for her. She's still so young! Hopefully it's a fully fit, exciting year for Raducanu.
Will Sabalenka be favourite again?
The established top two have been [Aryna] Sabalenka and [Iga] Swiatek but it doesn't feel like that coming into this season because Swiatek suffered some unexpected defeats to her nearest rivals, including [Coco] Gauff at the United Cup at the start of 2026 and [Amanda] Anisimova in Riyadh.These are worrying results for Swiatek, who for so long was the consistent player on the WTA Tour.She was the player to back to not have unexpected defeats and now it feels like that has definitely shifted, creating an interesting balance of power because Sabalenka has firm control at the top of the rankings.Sabalenka has started the season strongly with another title [in Brisbane] so she will be firm, firm favourite going into the Australian Open.Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Sky Sports or stream with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
