Jack Draper returned to tennis with a 6-2 6-2 win over Norway’s Viktor Durasovic. In his first match since last August, he earned Great Britain’s first point in a 4-0 win in under an hour. After a positive showing, he will look to build on this and work his way back up to the level that he showed last season.<\/p>\n
The 2026 Australian Open was truly a Slam to remember. You can be in danger of saying that about every Grand Slam, and well, funnily enough, when 128 of the best males and females around the world turn up, they tend to produce good tennis.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, it was a slow burner. In a bid to find headlines in the opening week, we turned to Coco Gauff smashing a racket and Naomi Osaka and Sorana Cirstea’s on-court needle.<\/p>\n
However, as the Happy Slam developed, so too did the storylines. On the women’s side, 18-year-old Iva Jovic added to the production of American talent, making a run to the quarter-finals without losing a set, before falling to world #1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian would meet Elena Rybakina in a rematch of the 2023 final, before losing an epic three-set battle 6-4 4-6 6-4.<\/p>\n
On the men’s side, Learner Tien knocked Daniil Medvedev out for the second week running and reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final. He would lose to former Olympic gold medallist and twice ATP Finals Champion Alexander Zverev. Two days later, the German lost to Carlos Alcaraz in an all-time semi-final 6-4 7-6 6-7 6-7 7-5.<\/p>\n
Yet, that would only be the second best match of the day as Novak Djokovic later rolled back the years to beat defending champion Jannik Sinner 3-6 6-3 4-6 6-4 6-4. Two days later, with history on the line, Carlos Alcaraz stopped the Serb’s attempt at a quarter-century Grand Slam total and in doing so, became the youngest ever Career Grand Slam winner. Defend his title next year and he’ll join Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as men in the Open Era to win the double Career Slam.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, with the adrenaline and quality of the opening slam coming to a close, the subsequent period can feel a little dull at times. Lower-end ranking events, which those who have excelled in the Australian Open skip, don’t attract the same eyeballs. Your attention to them in some ways can be the equivalent of a tennis-fan loyalty test. Just how hardcore are you?<\/p>\n
Yet, there are storylines aplenty as always in the tennis world. With a focus on team tennis, after a disappointing 2025, Great Britain started their Davis Cup qualifiers brightly with a dominant 4-0 win over Norway.<\/p>\n
All eyes were on Jack Draper’s return after a five-month absence due to an upper arm injury. Making his debut five years ago in Miami, fitness issues have always plagued him. In the sustained periods of good health, he has shown incredible promise. None more so than last year, when it was finally seeming to come together. An excellent first half of the season, including a BNP Paribas Open title and a Madrid Open runners-up place, propelled him to world #4. Yet, since an US Open opening round victory against Federico Agustin Gomez, it’s been yet more time spent on the treatment table.<\/p>\n