World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, fresh off completing the Career Grand Slam, remains unbeatable in 2026.
Although much of the offseason discussion centered around how the Spaniard would cope without long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in his player box, Alcaraz has produced the strongest start to a season of his career.
The numbers speak for themselves: 16 consecutive victories in 2026, titles in Melbourne and Doha, and another deep run at Indian Wells, where he had already secured at least a semifinal appearance by the time this article was written.
Interestingly, it was Jannik Sinner who opened each of the previous two seasons by winning the Australian Open. Last year's comparison is somewhat misleading, however, as his triumph was followed by a three-month suspension. In 2024, Sinner's winning streak also reached 16 matches—before it was snapped by Alcaraz.
Can the Italian return the favor this time?
The two could potentially meet in the Indian Wells final, although they have yet to face each other in an official match this season. Their only meeting came in an exhibition event in South Korea back in January, where Alcaraz came out on top.
Or perhaps Daniil Medvedev will be the one to end the Spaniard's unbeaten run in the semifinals?
The odds don't appear particularly favorable. To beat Alcaraz, Medvedev would likely need to produce a near-perfect performance in the scorching afternoon conditions of the California desert, where the combination of heat and high-bouncing courts seems to suit Carlos perfectly.
Any opponent faces an even greater challenge when considering Alcaraz's remarkable record across the Indian Wells–Miami swing.
His current streak of 34 consecutive victories on outdoor hard courts at those events already ranks as the third-longest in history, trailing only Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.
Looking slightly further ahead—to the European clay-court season—the outlook doesn't become much more encouraging for Alcaraz's rivals.
Last year, he lost only one match on clay: the Barcelona final against Holger Rune.
Accumulated fatigue eventually forced him to withdraw from the Madrid Open—a major disappointment for organizers eager to see Spain's biggest tennis star, and now World No. 1, competing at home.
This year, it's entirely possible Alcaraz chooses to skip one event from the demanding Barcelona–Madrid–Rome stretch. Of course, that would likely only happen if he once again reaches the finals of the other two tournaments. The longest unbeaten start to a season still belongs to Novak Djokovic. During his extraordinary 2011 campaign, the Serbian won his first 41 matches before finally falling to Roger Federer in the Roland Garros semifinals.
If Alcaraz hopes to come anywhere close to that mark, the first step will be completing the Sunshine Double—a feat he has yet to accomplish in a single season. On one hand, the Spaniard has already achieved his primary objective for the year by finally winning the Australian Open. On the other, Alcaraz hardly seems like the type of player who struggles to find new motivation after reaching a milestone. Every Australian Open champion begins dreaming of the Calendar Grand Slam, and this year is no exception.
Veteran journalist and passionate tennis fan Vladimir Pozner believes Alcaraz has everything required to accomplish that historic feat as early as this season. Olympic champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov disagrees, arguing that the current two-man rivalry at the top of men's tennis makes such a run highly unlikely—and that Sinner simply won't allow it to happen. One thing, however, is beyond dispute.
Neither Alcaraz nor Sinner will be lacking motivation in 2026.
