With the 2026 season officially kicking off in a couple of days, it is still not too late (or early) to have a feel for what might go down in the nine ATP Tour Masters 1000 events next year. With a field dominated by a top two as strong as ever, and a supporting cast with plenty to prove, here’s a look ahead at who could lift the biggest regular ATP tour trophies of the season.
1. Indian Wells
After losing out on a three-peat at this tournament last year, I think Carlos Alcaraz once again reigns king in the desert, clinching his third Indian Wells title at the age of 22.
While challengers such as Jannik Sinner, for whom Indian Wells is the lone hard-court big title he hasn’t won yet, will make Alcaraz’s path difficult, the slow and heavy conditions in the Californian desert suit the Spaniard perfectly. That gives me enough reason to see Alcaraz winning the first Masters tournament of the year.
2. Miami Open
I don’t see Alcaraz completing the Sunshine Double, though, with Sinner my early pick to not only return strongly to Miami after winning it in 2024, but to lift the title once again.
Just as Indian Wells conditions favor Alcaraz, Miami plays into Sinner’s strengths. The courts are faster, flatter strokes are rewarded, and a big serve becomes a weapon — all areas where the Italian excels.
3. Monte Carlo
A tricky tournament to predict, given that it is the lone non-mandatory Masters 1000 event on tour. Alcaraz and Sinner are obvious contenders, but there’s no guarantee either will even play.
So why not look elsewhere? Alexander Zverev rarely excels in Monte Carlo, possibly due to the wind. Stefanos Tsitsipas looks like a shell of the player who once won three titles here, while Holger Rune will likely still be sidelined following his Achilles rupture. That leaves me torn between Casper Ruud and Lorenzo Musetti, with the Italian getting a slight edge.
4. Madrid Open
After giving one of these tournaments to the field, it’s time for SinCaraz to strike back. I believe Alcaraz returns to winning ways in Madrid after an injury-riddled two-year run at this event.
The altitude turns his kick serve into a cheat code, and when you combine that with his movement and comfort on clay, it becomes an almost impossible task to stop him in Madrid, as shown by his 2022 and 2023 title runs, when he’s healthy and firing.
5. Rome Open
Jannik Sinner finally ends his drought of big clay-court titles in front of a home crowd in Rome.
He came close in 2025, but that run came immediately after returning from a three-month suspension, and the lack of match fitness showed in the final. With a full season under his belt in 2026, I see him going one step further and claiming a signature clay-court victory in front of a passionate Italian crowd.
6. Canada Open
This is another tournament that has suffered from top-player withdrawals in recent years, but I expect a near-full field in 2026 given the backlash those absences caused last season.
Do Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev have another deep run in them? Are Jack Draper or Holger Rune fit enough by that stage of the year? While I again lean toward one of Alcaraz or Sinner, for the sake of variety, I’ll go with Taylor Fritz finally winning a big title after years of consistently being part of the tennis’s top eight.
7. Cincinnati Open
Each of the previous three men’s singles champions in Cincinnati has gone on to win the US Open — a fascinating trend, despite the differing conditions.
While illness cost Sinner in last year’s final, his level across the US Open swing was noticeably lower than elsewhere. I expect him to correct that in 2026, winning Cincinnati along the way.
8. Shanghai Open
While this tournament produced one of the most surprising Masters champions of the century in 2025, it’s impossible to ignore the impact adverse weather, particularly humidity, had on the event.
Assuming conditions improve in 2026, logic points toward the most physically conditioned players. Few fit that description better than Carlos Alcaraz, who gets my nod here.
9. Paris Open
Indoor tournaments once felt like a complete lottery due to their timing, variety of playing styles, and general unpredictability. That changed when Jannik Sinner became a top player.
Sinner indoors is arguably the safest bet in tennis right now — and there’s no reason for me to go against that trend in Paris.
Well, those are my early picks on who I think can make meaningful runs at the Masters tournaments in 2026. What do you think — will the biggest titles once again belong entirely to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, or is this finally the year someone from the chasing pack breaks through?
Main Photo Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
