The eight players making their Grand Slam debuts at the 2026 Australian Open include three-time WTA quarterfinalist Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Guadalajara semifinalist Nikola Bartunkova and three-time WTA 125 champion Oleksandra Oliynykova.

The Australian Open will offer a record A$111.5 million ($74.73 million) in prize money this year and while players welcomed the increase, top names like Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka said the push for a bigger payout must continue across the Grand Slams.

Carlos Alcaraz knows what matters the most to him in 2026 and isn’t shy about telling the world: He wants to win the Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz will have the world watching him when he steps on the court at the Australian Open next week. The 22-year-old is looking to become the youngest men’s player to capture his career Grand Slam—winning at least one title in each of the four majors. He just needs the title in Melbourne to complete the lofty achievement.

The leaders of the men’s and women’s tours, and the organizers of the other three Grand Slam tournaments, spent Tuesday and Wednesday in closed-door meetings in London, according to three sources briefed on the discussions who, like all the sources in this story, were not authorized to speak publicly about them.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas had a dominant 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and then she became a central figure in many track and field events around the world. Whether it was the overly-anticipated Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track,