📲🖥️ Bookmark for 2026: Stream the United Cup on the Tennis Channel App!
United we start.
For the fourth year, tennis kicks off its 11-month schedule with the United Cup in Australia. The event began, in 2023, as a hopeful model of gender unity, in a sport that hasn’t had a ton of it over the decades. Since then, it has established itself as a table-setting tournament that balances camaraderie with competition and showcases both tours in one place.
It’s still a hopeful way to begin. While United Cup may not inspire the intensity of Davis Cup or BJK Cup, or radiate the star power of Laver Cup, it’s the only place where we see the men and women teaming up and hanging out on the sidelines, and then playing together for their countries, and for ranking points. From here, the tours mostly go their separate ways.
As in seasons past, the 2026 edition will be an advertisement of the sport’s depth, rather than its leading lights. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, as usual, will begin their seasons at the Australian Open; Novak Djokovic starts at the 250 in Adelaide; and Aryna Sabalenka will be in Brisbane.
Read More: Will the U.S. repeat at the 2026 United Cup? Czechia, Italy or Japan may have something to say
What United Cup gives us instead is an early look at the next tier of contenders, from energizing newcomers like Victoria Mboko, Jakub Mensik, and Flavio Cobolli, to established Top Tenners like Taylor Fritz, Jasmine Paolini, and Alex de Minaur. There are high-profile names, too, particularly on the women’s side, including major champs Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Raducanu.
With the draw made, and play set to run from Jan. 2 to 11 in Perth and Sydney, here are team matches and individual players to watch for.
