VOLUME 37 • ISSUE 1 • 2 JANUARY 2026

Photo: Tennis Australia

SUN, SEA, SURF... SUCCESS?

Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff are bidding to open their respective 2026 seasons by taking their country to a third United Cup title.

Fritz, the No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and WTA No. 3 Gauff headline the roster for top seed the United States at the 2026 edition of the mixed-teams event. Fritz and Gauff, who combined to power Team USA to the trophy a year ago, are playing their group matches in Perth. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Team Greece), Naomi Osaka (Team Japan) and Stan Wawrinka (Team Switzerland) are among the other players in action at RAC Arena.

Meanwhile in Sydney, World No. 3 Alexander Zverev spearheads the charge of the other previous United Cup champion, Team Germany. Host country Australia, led by Top 10 ATP star Alex de Minaur, also competes at Ken Rosewall Arena, while two-time finalist Team Poland is once again led by Hubert Hurkacz and Iga Swiatek.

Photo:  Jade Gao/AFP via Getty

TOP 3 AS 2026 BEGINS
1  Carlos Alcaraz  (12,050 points)
2  Jannik Sinner  (11,500 points)
3  Alexander Zverev  (5,110 points)

Rankings Spotlight: World No. 3 Alexander Zverev starts his 2026 campaign at the United Cup, where he led Team Germany to the title two years ago. Zverev will look for another strong start to his season, after opening 2025 with an eight-match winning streak, highlighted by a run to the Australian Open final.

1. Carlos Alcaraz's offseason training: Photos of his work on & off court

2. Tsitsipas, raring to go in Perth, reveals his ‘biggest wish for 2026’

3. ATP announces Player Advisory Council for 2026

4. #NextGenATP star Jodar turns pro, ending college career

5. Fonseca, Bublik, Coric & more... The Challenger 175 champs of 2025

WATCH: Tennis fans have voted Carlos Alcaraz’s sizzling Cincinnati showcase as the ATP Perfect Serve of the Year by Stella Artois. Watch Alcaraz’s winning performance here!

Photo: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP

Team Canada and Team China took the time to explore Sydney before the start of the United Cup, visiting the Sydney Zoo where they interacted with kangaroos and koalas.

The Canadians in attendance were Felix Auger-Aliassime, rising WTA star Victoria Mboko, Alexis Galarneau and Kayla Cross. Auger-Aliassime, currently at a career-high No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings, won 50 matches during the 2025 season and he will try to make a quick start to the new year.  

"I have great memories playing in the past team events here in Australia," said Auger-Aliassime, who is serving as playing captain for Team Canada. "We actually won with our team in Sydney [at the 2022 ATP Cup], so it would be nice to get a win again."

PARTING SHOT

"Here we are again in Perth. I feel like we can soon be baptised here... Perth seems like it's becoming part of one of the biggest cities of Greece little by little."

Stefanos Tsitsipas on the support from the local Greek community in Perth

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