This is the brutal exhibition schedule before the 2026 Australian Open: Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev

Carlos Navarro | 6 Jan 2026 | 21.40

Alcaraz will return to Rod Laver Arena to play an exhibition match. Source: Getty

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The world of tennis is already gearing up for an exciting Australian Open 2026. The United Cup, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Auckland serve as appetizers for a menu that will reach its peak in Melbourne, in an event always longed for by fans and promising strong emotions. The limited time for competitive tournaments leads many top players to opt for an exhibition calendar as preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year... and this season is filled with major events.

One of the great innovations that the Oceanic Grand Slam has implemented in recent times is to give enormous importance to the week before the start of the competition. Seven days that were previously only designated for qualifying rounds and closed-door training have now turned into a week of total fun, focused on children's enjoyment and fully integrated into the competition structure. Thus, for a couple of seasons now, Australia has been promoting temporary events, such as the One Point Slam, and exhibition matches for which tickets can be purchased... and once again this year, will feature names like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

This is the full exhibition calendar leading up to the Australian Open: Alcaraz and Sinner will have two top-level encounters

However, the first event marked on the calendar will take place in South Korea, specifically in the city of Incheon. There, before heading to the Antipodes, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will face off on Saturday, February 10th, for the first time in 2026, in an exhibition match that promises to delight a territory without ATP tournaments. It will serve as a stopover before traveling to Melbourne, where they will arrive without official tournaments under their belts and with one additional match, respectively, in store.

The exhibition week at the Rod Laver Arena will begin on Tuesday, January 13th. While on the outer courts a group of players battle to reach the main draw, the stars will take over the Centre Court, forming a lineup of high caliber. On that same Tuesday, two high-voltage matches will serve as an introduction: Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina, two players who will also not participate in any official events prior to the first Slam of the year, followed by an Alexander Zverev vs Lorenzo Musetti match to gauge their title contender status.

Wednesday, January 14th will see one of the top title contenders, Amanda Anisimova, facing Elena Svitolina in another high-level match. This will be the prelude to one of the highlight events of the week: the renowned One Point Slam, an idea that Craig Tiley came up with last year and that captured the Australian public's attention. The format? Unusual to say the least: professionals and amateurs (from all over Australia) will compete in mini one-point matches, with a million at stake for the winner. The lineup? Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, or Daniil Medvedev will participate in an event that promises to delight the audience... and where they will mingle with club players from all over the country.

Moving on to the final two days of exhibitions, each featuring a major event that will showcase the preparation level of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. It will be the turn of the Spaniard on Thursday, January 15th, rounding off his preparation with a warm-up match against Alex de Miñaur (following the same path as last year, where he also faced the Australian in the same setting to prepare for the tournament); this will be followed by Jannik Sinner, as the defending champion, closing out the exhibition week with a match on Friday, January 16th, against Felix Auger-Aliassime. A series of high-profile matchups to kick things off; a sensational week that promises strong emotions. Are you ready?

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Este es el brutal calendario de exhibiciones antes del Open de Australia 2026: Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev...