The 2026 Australian Open men’s draw was revealed on Thursday and all eyes were on which half of the draw 10-time champion Novak Djokovic would land. When the dust settled, the No. 4 seed appeared in the third quarter, making him a projected semifinal opponent for defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Sinner is looking to win a third straight Australian Open title, having won his first major title Down Under back in 2024. Seeded just behind world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the Italian will open against France’s Hugo Gaston, with Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca serving as his first projected seeded opposition in the third round. American Ben Shelton is seeded to face Sinner in the last eight.
Djokovic, who is looking to end an eight-Slam streak of victories for Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner, will open against Spaniard Pedro Martinez, and could face No. 27-seeded American Brandon Nakashima in the third round. No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz and No. 16 seed Jakub Mensik—who beat Djokovic at last year’s Miami Open final—also feature in Djokovic’s quarter.
