"My goal for 2026 is to win the Australian Open" - Alcaraz states overall intention for 2026 as he attempts to overcome dreadful form Down Under

Carlos Alcaraz is a force to be reckoned with anywhere he competes. He is almost unbeatable on his day and currently reigns supreme as world number one. However, he does have a thorn in his side: the start of the season, especially the Australian Open where he is looking to finally make it to the business end of the tournament.

The Spaniard has not had many other problems at the other major events. He has won six Grand Slams in total, two at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. He has made seven finals, only losing to his arch-rival Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Wimbledon final where he was looking for a hat-trick of triumphs.

It does not matter what court type or setting you are in, Alcaraz will almost certainly be the overwhelming favourite every time stepping onto the court. That then makes his poor form Down Under an outlier. Out of the 24 titles from 32 finals, none of them have come in Oceania at the start of the season. It is a stat that has bemused fans and pundits in the tennis world, wondering why Alcaraz cannot get to grips with the competition at the other side of the world.

He tried to explain it. "The fact that it takes place at the beginning of the season complicates my competitive preparation, but I wouldn't say I'm bad in this context. It's just that other players perform better at this time. I think I played very well in Australia, and it was small details that cost me the victory. I'm missing that little something extra to go far, but I believe and hope that this year will be different," he commented after winning the best athlete of the Murcia region.

By February, there is a chance that Alcaraz has finally sealed the Grand Slam while finally unlocking the code for success in Australia. It is his first and main goal for 2026 as the tennis world turns its attention to Melbourne for another exciting year of tennis.

"I'm resuming training this week. I'm eager to work hard and prepare myself as best as possible, both physically and mentally, for the start of the year," Alcaraz stated. "My goal for 2026 is to win the Australian Open. The fact that it's the first tournament of the year is both an advantage and a disadvantage. I want to be ready to perform at the highest level."

After losing in the ATP Finals to Jannik Sinner, the 22-year-old pulled out of the Davis Cup Finals due to a minor hamstring injury. He was fit enough to travel to the USA to compete in a brace of exhibitions. He lost out to Frances Tiafoe in A Racquet at The Rock before a day later defeating Joao Fonseca in the Miami Invitational. He is set to take part in a rigorous training camp to put him in the best shape possible for the 2026 season. While many top players are choosing to compete on the ATP Circuit, Alcaraz is sticking to exhibitions to get him into match sharpness. The best way to do that is playing against the best, and that is what he is doing with Sinner at the Hyundai Card Super Match, in Incheon, South Korea, on January 10. Following that, all attention will be firmly on the Australian Open, commencing from January 18 - February 1.

Alcaraz first competed at the Australian Open back in 2022. He qualified with flying colours but was defeated by Mikael Ymer in four sets in the second round. A year later, he made it one step further, losing out in the third round to the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in a thriller.

After suffering an abdominal injury in the 2022 Paris Masters, Alcaraz could not compete at the 2023 Australian Open. He was now a Grand Slam champion and world number one. He went into Melbourne in 2024 as the world number two, but was no match for Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. This was his best run in the event, and would get matched a year later after Novak Djokovic also dumped him out at the last-eight stage. He will be hoping for a better result this year, with the title the only thing that would seem to satisfy him.