2026 Schedule Update | Grigor Dimitrov opens in Brisbane as Monfils returns to South American clay

The ATP stars continue to finalize their calendars for 2026, and Grigor Dimitrov was the latest player to confirm his participation in the Brisbane International. This will be his first tournament of the year, at a location that has suited him well in his career, boasting two titles so far.

Meanwhile, France's Gael Monfils is signaling his path in his final year as a professional—prior to his retirement—and will travel to the South American swing to play the Argentine Open. The 39-year-old player has made a change from his previous calendars and will return to the South American swing and Buenos Aires for the first time since 2018.

The Brisbane International has been held in the men's category since 2009, with an interruption between 2020 and 2023. In 13 editions, there have been 11 different champions, and only two have repeated the title: Andy Murray (2012, 2013) and Grigor Dimitrov (2017, 2024). The Bulgarian—currently World No. 44—has been one of the tournament's most successful players, as in addition to his two titles, he was runner-up in 2013 (losing to Murray), making him the only player to have reached the final three different times. This time, the tournament will be played from 5-11 January.

The former World No. 3 last lifted the title in 2024, which was the last time he won a trophy. In fact, since claiming the biggest title of his career at the ATP Finals 2017, the Bulgarian has played seven other finals but only managed to win in Brisbane, defeating Denmark's Holger Rune (7-6(5), 6-4).

At the start of 2025, he was close to achieving back-to-back finals, but in the semifinal match, he suffered physical discomfort that forced him to retire when the score was 4-6, 4-4 against Jirí Lehecka. The Czech player went on to win the tournament—curiously—after a retirement from his opponent in the final, Reilly Opelka, with only five games played (4-1, ret.).

Dimitrov will seek this time to leave behind the physical problems that plagued him in 2025 and forced him to retire consecutively at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon. The latter led him to miss much of the rest of the season; he has only played one tournament since the injury he sustained in the Wimbledon fourth round (when he had a two-set lead against Jannik Sinner). Dimitrov reappeared after almost four months at the Paris Masters, achieving a first-round win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, but later aggravated the pectoral muscle issue and withdrew before his second-round match against Daniil Medvedev.

The 39-year-old Gael Monfils is continuing to determine his schedule for the 2026 season and has already decided his path immediately after the Australian Open. Unlike previous years—in which he favored European indoor hardcourt tournaments—this time the Frenchman will make a stop on the South American clay swing in February, a decision he hasn't made since 2018, when he reached the semifinals in Argentina (losing to Dominic Thiem) and the quarterfinals at the Rio Open (losing to Diego Schwartzman).

Not many top stars choose to travel to the clay courts immediately after the Australian swing, but Monfils’ decision this year may be influenced by his desire to perform at his best level in the European summer.

Although he has not given clear dates for his retirement, Monte-Carlo Masters and especially Roland Garros will surely be among Monfils' priority tournaments, as one of his last opportunities to perform in front of his home crowd. Therefore, Monfils may have made this choice thinking about having more preparation time for the clay tournaments, where he certainly hopes to peak.

The Argentine Open, held in Buenos Aires, will take place from February 15th to 26th as part of the South American Golden Swing. It remains to be seen if the Frenchman will take the opportunity to add the nearby ATP 500 Rio Open or the ATP 250 Santiago to his schedule, completing the trio of South American summer tournaments.