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The ATP Tour season has come to an end and the end-of-season report can now be finalised, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic the big winners in the rankings battle.

When the final ATP Rankings list for 2024 is compared to the position the world’s top players are sitting in now, there are some stark stories of success and failure standing out.

Here is your Tennis365 guide to the players who will be enjoying their off-season with a sense of satisfaction for their achievements, with Jannik Sinner among those who suffered a rankings dip after finishing as world No 1 at the end of the 2024 season.

Carlos Alcaraz 

End of 2024 ranking: No 3

End of 2025 ranking: No 1

The Spaniard ended 2025 as the world No 1 in a season when he added two more Grand Slam titles to his collection at the French Open and the US Open.

He needed to beat his big rival Jannik Sinner to win those two major titles, as he took his career tally to six in double quick time at the age of 22.

Sinner’s three-month suspension from February to May helped Alcaraz clinch the year-end No 1 ranking, but this was still a stunning season for the brilliant Spaniard.

Novak Djokovic

End of 2024 ranking: No 7

End of 2025 ranking: No 4

Djokovic infuriated some tennis fans with his final act of the 2025 season, as he pulled out of the ATP Finals a day before the event started and broke some unwritten tennis rules by pulling out after the draw had been made.

The Serbian can look back on an impressive season, as he was one of only two players to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams and even though he was well beaten by Alcaraz and Sinner in those events, he has vowed to come back and chase even more in 2026.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime

End of 2024 ranking: No 29

End of 2025 ranking: No 5

Auger-Aliassime was one of the form players on the ATP Tour in the second half of the season, as he reached the US Open semi-finals and sealed his spot in the end-of-season ATP Finals.

This Canadian’s career has been on hold for the last few years, but he is firmly back on track and will head into 2026 as a player to watch.

Ben Shelton

End of 2024 ranking: No 21

End of 2025 ranking: No 9

The big-serving American confirmed he has the firepower to reach the latter stages of the biggest events in the sport and now he needs to add some finishing touches to his all-round game.

Shelton came up short against the very best in the men’s game, but his huge rankings rise confirms he is a man making forwards steps in his career.

Jack Draper

End of 2024 ranking: No 15

End of 2025 ranking: No 10

When you consider Draper only played 17 tournaments in an injury-plagued season, his top 10 finish in the ATP Rankings is an impressive effort.

He will have plenty of points to defend when he gets to March and he returns to Indian Wells after his win there last year, but the big-serving Brit will have plenty of scope to gain ranking points in 2026 after missing so much tennis this season.

Alexander Bublik

End of 2024 ranking: No 33

End of 2025 ranking: No 11

Bublik has always had the talent to challenge the best in the game, but this was the season when he put it all together.

His win against Sinner on grass in Halle was a highlight and he will be a player no-one wants to draw in the Australian Open next month.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

End of 2024 ranking: No 61

End of 2025 ranking: No 14

One of the most underrated seasons of the year was delivered by Davidovich Fokina, who put together a 44-26 winning record this season.

He reached the last 16 at the Australian Open and was also a semi-finals at the Monte-Carlo Masters as he finished the season with a career high ranking.

2025 ATP year-end rankings (numbers in brackets highlight ranking movement from end of 2024 season)

1. Carlos Alcaraz (+2 from 2024)
2. Jannik Sinner (-1)
3. Alexander Zverev (-1)
4. Novak Djokovic (+3)
5. Felix Auger-Aliassime (+24)
6. Taylor Fritz (-2)
7. Alex de Minaur (+2)
8. Lorenzo Musetti(+9)
9. Ben Shelton (+12)
10. Jack Draper (+5)
11. Alexander Bublik (+22)
12. Casper Ruud(-6)
13. Daniil Medvedev (-8)
14. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (+47)
15. Holger Rune (-2)
16. Andrey Rublev (-8)
17. Jiri Lehecka (+11)
18. Karen Khachanov (+1)
19. Jakub Mensík (+29)
20. Tommy Paul (-8)

The post Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic appear on list of ranking winners as Jannik Sinner drops appeared first on Tennis365.

Former WTA Tour star Anna Chakvetadze has identified the differences between the current generation of women’s tennis — led by Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff — and the era she competed in.

Having turned pro in 2003 and retired in 2013 — at the age of just 26 due to injuries — Chakvetadze’s stellar career took place during a strong period in the women’s game.

The Russian won eight WTA Tour titles and peaked at fifth in the rankings, while she reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2007 — a career-best year that she ended as the world No 6.

During her prime years in the mid to late 2000s, Chakvetadze faced Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport and Amelie Mauresmo — all of whom reached world No 1 and won multiple Grand Slam titles.

Chakvetadze also played Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber — who would all top the rankings in their careers.

In addition, she took on Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Myskina, Petra Kvitova, Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska — players who peaked at world No 2.

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Since 2020, six women have won multiple Grand Slam singles titles: Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty, Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Barbora Krejcikova and Coco Gauff.

Barty, Swiatek and Sabalenka are the only WTA players to reach world No 1 so far this decade, with Osaka having occupied top spot in 2019.

Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff are currently first, second and third in the WTA Rankings, with the leading trio having each won one major in 2025, while Madison Keys won the Australian Open.

Swiatek leads the way with six Grand Slam titles, while Sabalenka has four and Gauff has two.

What did Anna Chakvetadze say about the current WTA generation?

In an exclusive interview, Tennis365 asked Chakvetadze how she compares the current WTA Tour to the era she played in, and whether women’s tennis has improved.

“I feel that today’s WTA Tour has become more even overall,” the former world No 5 said.

“Of course, there are players who clearly stand out because of their physical qualities and athleticism — Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are all outstanding and very interesting players to watch.

“But in general, the tour feels more balanced than before. At the same time, I would say it has become a bit less diverse in terms of playing styles compared to my era. Has it become more physical? Possibly. But above all, it feels more even.

“Personally, I would love to see more creative players again — more variety in styles and more individuality on tour.”

READ NEXT: Where will Aryna Sabalenka, Amanda Anisimova, Elena Rybakina, Madison Keys start 2026 season?

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Emma Raducanu made significant progress in the WTA Rankings in the 2025 season, and she will have the opportunity to continue her climb early in 2026.

The Brit halved her ranking this year as she finished the 2025 campaign as the world No 29, having ended 2024 ranked 58th. This is Raducanu’s best year-end ranking since 2021 — a year she finished as the world No 19 after winning the US Open.

Raducanu‘s current ranking of 29 is her highest position since August 2022 — before the points from her US Open title win dropped. She reached a career-high ranking of world No 10 in July 2022.

The 23-year-old compiled a 28-22 record from the 22 tournaments she played in 2025, and she sits on 1,563 WTA ranking points.

Raducanu’s 2025 season began at the Australian Open after she pulled out of the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland due to a back injury.

She is, therefore, not defending any points until the Australian Open — where she will defend 130 points having reached the third round this year.

This will give Raducanu a good opportunity to increase her points total prior to the season’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne.

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Raducanu will start her 2026 season at the United Cup — a mixed team competition in Australia at which she will be making her debut.

Players have the opportunity to earn up to 500 ranking points at the United Cup, with Great Britain having been drawn to face Japan and Greece in Group E.

In the current WTA Rankings, Raducanu trails Sofia Kenin (No 28) by 26 points, Dayana Yastremska (No 27) by 41 points, Marta Kostyuk (No 26) by 96 points, and Paula Badosa (No 25) by 113 points.

Some strong performances at the United Cup will give Raducanu a great chance of climbing the rankings given her lack of points to defend.

Greg Rusedski has set Emma Raducanu a ranking target for 2026

In an exclusive interview with Tennis365, former world No 4 Greg Rusedski revealed he expects Raducanu to get into the top 20 of the rankings in 2026.

“She has got back to where she is in the rankings and has not played a full schedule,” said the former British No 1.

“So I’d expect her to get back into the top 20 next year and the challenge then is to go beyond that and win titles.

“Tennis players tend to be on a journey. They start by winning smaller events, work their way up the rankings and then they challenge for Grand Slams when they reach the top level.

“Raducanu now has to win tournaments. She needs to get to finals. She hasn’t done that yet and she needs to start building by winning the lesser events on the main tour.”

READ NEXT: Emma Raducanu on player schedule ‘moaning’ & Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach evolving her game

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Billie Jean King won the most famous Battle of the Sexes, and the tennis icon has given her verdict on the controversial upcoming match of the same name between Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios.

WTA world No 1 Sabalenka and former ATP world No 13 Kyrgios will meet in a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 28 December. It has been organised by Evolve, a sports agency founded by Naomi Osaka, which represents both Sabalenka and Kyrgios.

The contest will be best-of-three sets, with a 10-point match tiebreak used in place of a third set if required. Each player will be limited to using one serve.

Sabalenka’s side of the court will be 9% smaller, with Evolve saying that data shows female players move about 9% slower than men on average.

The match has drawn criticism, with some expressing concerns that it could have a negative impact on women’s tennis.

Which previous matches have been labelled a ‘Battle of the Sexes’?

Sabalenka and Kyrgios’ showdown will be the fourth match in tennis history billed as a ‘Battle of the Sexes’, with two of them having featured former American player Bobby Riggs in 1973.

Riggs, a Wimbledon and US Open champion, was 55 when he played two legends of women’s tennis: Margaret Court and Billie Jean King.

He crushed a 30-year-old Court 6-2, 6-1 in May 1973 before losing 4-6, 3-6, 3-6 to a 29-year-old King four months later in what was by far the most prominent and significant ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match.

King’s victory, which was watched by an estimated 90 million viewers worldwide, was seen by many as being hugely important for gender equality and women’s sports.

In 1992, 40-year-old Jimmy Connors defeated a 35-year-old Martina Navratilova 7-5, 6-2 in a third ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match played under hybrid rules.

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Speaking to BBC Sport, King revealed she does not see many similarities between her Battle of the Sexes and the match between Sabalenka and Kyrgios.

“The only similarity is that one is a boy and one is a girl. That’s it,” said King, a winner of 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

“Everything else, no. Ours was about social change; culturally, where we were in 1973. This one is not.

“I hope it’s a great match — I want Sabalenka, obviously, to win — but it’s just not the same.

“Mine was really political. It was rough, culturally, what was coming in with it.  I knew I had to beat him for societal change. I had a lot of reasons to win.”

On whether the match could hurt women’s tennis given Sabalenka’s status as the world No 1, King said: “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask her (Sabalenka) after she plays, but we have never said we are better than men — ever.

“We have talked about our entertainment value — sometimes a women’s match ends up being better than a guy’s match.

“I get upset when people say, ‘you think you are better.’ We have never said that, never.”

READ NEXT: Aryna Sabalenka gives verdict on transgender women competing in tennis in interview alongside Nick Kyrgios

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Aryna Sabalenka clearly doesn’t comprehend the level of animosity she has caused by signing up for her ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash with Nick Kyrgios later this month.

In a series of interviews to promote her match against Kyrgios on December 28 in Dubai, the world’s No 1 female player looked a little bemused by any suggestion that her participation in this eagerly-awaited match could be damaging to the women’s game.

“I don’t agree,” she told the BBC, when asked if she was potentially harming the image of the WTA Tour. “I am not putting myself at any risk. We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.”

“It’s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it’s not about that. This event is only going to help bring women’s tennis to a higher level.

“It’s not going to be an easy match for Nick. I’m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment. He’s in a lose-lose situation. I’m in a win-win situation.”

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Sabalenka’s belief that this is merely an event that will draw eyes to tennis that might not normally be following the sport at this time of the year is an alternative argument and it is not without foundation.

If this was a boxing match between a man and a women, we would all have bigger objections and even if you are not a fan of the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tagline on this match, some of the emotions it is stirring up seem pretty lavish.

This will eventually be an exhibition match between the best female player in the world and an opponent who is effectively retired from professional tennis.

None of us need to be told what would happen if a fully fit Kyrgios from three years ago took on Sabelenka, but this is a much-depleted version of the Aussie and he knows his role in this spectacle is not to humiliate his opponent by blasting her off the court.

They share a management agency and while we can’t say either player will be playing below their best in a match that will see both players have just one serve and Sabalenka playing on a slightly smaller court, this is not a grudge match that will give us too many new answers.

If Kyrgios is fit enough, he will have too much power for Sabelenka and the end result will be an entertaining showpiece that does no one any harm.

Yet listen to the words of Katherine Whittaker from The Tennis Podcast and you get a radically alternative verdict on this match-up.

“Nick Kyrgios is a man that stands for something and that’s not an accident. He is choosing to stand for and represent misogyny,” said Whittaker.

“This is what Nick Kyrgios will be representing and fighting for in the self-titled Battle of the Sexes. A validation of his belittling of women’s tennis and the way he perceives women and women’s sport of being lesser purely on the basis of brute power.

“This event is a dog whistle. It feels like a dog whistle publicity stunt. A symbol of the populist Trumpian age of do-whistles and division and stupidity.”

This follows up from Whittaker’s previous comments, as she made her position clear on the event.

“I see absolutely nothing to be gained for women’s tennis – I see only bleakness,” she told BBC Sport.

“It’s a crass commercial venture and a vehicle for one of the most outspoken misogynists in tennis who just wants attention.

“If Sabalenka wins, she beats a man who is unfit and has been a total irrelevance for a number of years. What does she win? Nothing. Unless she wins 6-0 6-0, people will only find ammunition to fire at women’s tennis.

“If Kyrgios wins, he and others of the same mind will claim it legitimises everything he’s already spewing out. It’s disgusting to be giving him a platform.

“I find it utterly ludicrous this is going to be happening in 2025.”

Kyrgios’ guilty plea in a domestic abuse case in Australia back in 2023 adds to the criticism from those who don’t believe this match should be taking place and amid the negativity, the only winners may be the two players who will pocket a huge fee for their participation in a match that has inspired more negativity than any story in tennis since Jannik Sinner’s doping ban earlier this year.

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The WTA Tour and Mercedes-Benz have agreed to a historic deal believed to be worth over £375 million, with Billie Jean King labelling it as ‘the most important deal in our (WTA Tour) history.’

The deal, which was announced at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, will see Mercedes-Benz become WTA’s Premier Partner and Exclusive Automobile Partner – starting from January 1 2026.

Whilst there is no iron-clad commitment, the agreement is expected to run for ten years, with a six-year break clause allowing one or both parties to leave after the mandated period.

Remarkably, the deal with worth £35.5 million per year, with the WTA Tour’s previous partnership with medical technology company Hologic rumoured to have stood at £15 million per year.

Just a few days prior to the partnership being announced, world No 3 Coco Gauff was named as a global ambassador for Mercedes-Benz.

“The partnership with Mercedes-Benz feels super special to me, and I would like to thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis and their ambitions,” stated the American, who spoke via video link during the WTA-Mercedes-Benz event.

“I’m super excited for the next few years, breaking boundaries and pushing our sport in a great direction.

“I think it’s so cool and an important partnership for our sport. To see how far our sport has come to have a partnership with Mercedes-Benz is super special and I think Mercedes-Benz and WTA partnering together are proving that the dreams of young girls in sports are worth investing in.

“I think for a long time, women’s sports were maybe pushed to the side or maybe not seen in the way as our male counterparts.

“But for Mercedes-Benz to do this and also, not only invest in our sport, but invest in someone like me, a woman of colour, is super inspiring and I’m looking forward to this partnership with them through the WTA and also with me individually.”

Thanks to deals with companies such as New Balance, Rolex, Head, and Emirates, Gauff was the highest-paid female athlete for a third consecutive year, with off-court earnings hovering around £20 million.

The Mercedes-Benz global ambassadorship will only further her off-court earnings empire.

Roger Federer, who has been a global ambassador for Mercedez-Benz for over 20 years, appeared at the event in Stuttgart – endorsing the historic partnership.

“The partnership with Mercedes-Benz feels super special to me, and I would like to thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis and their ambitions,” remarked the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“I’m super excited for the next few years, breaking boundaries and pushing our sport in a great direction.

“I think it’s so cool and an important partnership for our sport.

“To see how far our sport has come to have a partnership with Mercedes-Benz is super special and I think Mercedes-Benz and WTA partnering together are proving that the dreams of young girls in sports are worth investing in, and I think for a long time, women’s sports were maybe pushed to the side or maybe not seen in the way as our male counterparts.

“But for Mercedes-Benz to do this and also, not only invest in our sport, but invest in someone like me, a woman of colour, is super inspiring and I’m looking forward to this partnership with them through the WTA and also with me individually.”

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Billie Jean King, who founded the WTA as the association’s first president, was also in attendance at the event and gave her highly-valued endorsement – despite not being an ambassador for the car company.

“Our mission statement when we founded the WTA was that any girl born in this world, if she was good enough, would have a place to compete, be respected and make a living playing tennis,” said the 39-time Grand Slam champion.

“This is a real partnership and Mercedes are in it for the long term.

“Seeing a brand like that stand with us sends a message that echoes far beyond tennis.”

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Aryna Sabalenka has brushed off claims that she is ‘damaging’ women’s tennis by competing in a Battle of the Sexes-style exhibition with Nick Kyrgios.

The pair are due to face off on December 28^th in Dubai, with the clash having been subject to much discussion on social media.

The match seeks to emulate the 1973 battle between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which was watched by a television audience of over 90 million viewers – later being branded the ‘Battle of the Sexes.’

It was King who defeated the 55-year-old Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a result which was seen as a major step forward for women’s tennis.

However, ever since the clash was announced by the 2022 Wimbledon finalist in July, critics have argued that the event may distract from women’s tennis rather than enhancing it.

“I don’t agree,” commented the WTA world No 1 during an interview with BBC Sport.

“I am not putting myself at any risk. We’re there to have fun and bring great tennis. Whoever wins, wins.

“It’s so obvious that the man is biologically stronger than the woman, but it’s not about that.

“This event is only going to help bring women’s tennis to a higher level.”

Sabalenka ended the 2025 season with a title at the US Open and a runner-up appearance at the WTA Finals in Riyadh (losing to Elena Rybakina).

As a result, the Belarusian secured her place as the year-end No 1 with a lead of nearly 2500 ranking points over world No 2 Iga Swiatek.

Kyrgios, on the other hand, is currently ranked world No 672 after having only played five matches this season due to long-standing wrist pain.

To somewhat mitigate any biological differences, Sabalenka’s side of the court will be nine percent smaller than the Australian’s.

In addition, both players will only be able to utilise one serve in the best of three set match – decided by a 10-point tiebreak if the first two sets are split.

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“It’s not going to be an easy match for Nick,” Sabalenka later added.

“I’m going to be there competing and showing women are strong, powerful and good entertainment.

“He’s in a lose-lose situation. I’m in a win-win situation.”

Kyrgios hasn’t played a professional singles match since losing to Karen Khachanov in the second round of the Miami Open, still seemingly affected by wrist pain which has plagued him since mid-2023.

In September of that season, he underwent full wrist-reconstruction surgery to repair a ruptured ligament.

More recently, Kyrgios played against Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul in the Garden Cup exhibition event, falling to both in competitive appearances.

“Tennis doesn’t really have that (razzmatazz) that often and I think that when something like this occurs it is pretty special,” said Kyrgios, who is no stranger to altered exhibition formats.

“We are helping tennis to grow,” Sabalenka concluded, pushing back on criticism.

“It’s fun, it’s challenging and I think that’s what people want to see.”

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The entry list for the 2026 Brisbane International has been revealed and Novak Djokovic’s name is missing, which suggests he will stick to his current approach of not playing warm-up matches before Grand Slams.

Djokovic has played one tournament before the Australian Open the past three years as in 2025 he kicked off his season in Brisbane, last year he was part of Serbia’s United Cup team and in 2023 he featured at the Adelaide International.

The 2026 ATP Tour season starts on January 5 with three events – the Brisbane International, United Cup and Hong Kong Open – the former world No 1 appears to have decided not to enter any of those tournaments.

It means he will start the season-opening Grand Slam in Australia without any events under his belt unless he accepts a late wildcard.

The fields for all three events have been confirmed and world No 13 Daniil Medvedev is the highest-ranked player in Brisbane with No 14 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, No 17 Jiri Lehecka and No 20 Tommy Paul also set to play.

Lehecka is the defending champion after Reilly Opelka – who got the better of Djokovic in the quarter-final – retired while 4-1 down in the final.

World No 50 Opelka will also return next year alongside 2024 champion Grigor Dimitrov while rising star Joao Fonseca, Cameron Norrie, Frances Tiafoe and Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot are also in the draw.

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The United Cup will feature the likes of Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jack Draper and Casper Ruud while Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Bublik, Andrey Rublev and Karen Kachanov are the big-name players in action in Hong Kong

As for Djokovic, the decision not to play in Brisbane is in line with his strategy to play a reduced schedule with the main focus on the four Grand Slams, the Davis Cup and a few tournaments that he has a special connection with.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner played only 13 tournaments in 2025 as he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. He also played five ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, one ATP 500 event and three ATP 250 tournaments.

The Brisbane International and Geneva Open were the only warm-up tournaments before Grand Slams this year as the Geneva event was staged just before the French Open.

The Geneva Open and Hellenic Championship – one of the events that he played due to his special connection – were the only two titles he won.

Of course, Djokovic can still opt to play the week before the Australian Open as the Adelaide International and Auckland Open will run from January 12-17 before the hard-court Grand Slam starts on January 18 at Melbourne Park.

But, as things stand, the Serbian appears more likely to reduce his schedule even further and it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he fails to register double digits in terms of events in 2026.

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Great Britain’s United Cup match schedule has been revealed and Emma Raducanu will face a humdinger season-opener as she will take on former world No 1 Naomi Osaka in Perth.

With Great Britain paired with Japan and Greece in Group E, there were always going to be some tasty rematches on the cards as Raducanu has faced both Osaka and Greece’s No 1 Maria Sakkari on the WTA Tour.

Greece and Japan will square off on January 2 before the latter faces Great Britain on January 4 at the RAC Arena and British No 1 Jack Draper will take on world No 92 Shintaro Mochizuki in the opening clash before four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka faces the 2021 US Open champion in the second match.

It will be a first-ever meeting between Draper and Mochizuki, but Osaka and Raducanu will square off for a second career meeting with the latter winning their previous clash 6-4, 6-2 with the match coming in the round of 16 match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in July this year.

The 23-year-old was naturally pleased with her performance as she stated afterwards: “I thought it was going to be a really difficult match. Naomi, she’s won four Slams, she’s been world No 1, won Masters.

“She’s so dangerous, and on the hard courts I think she’s particularly comfortable, so I knew I was going to have to play really well and manage my own service games – which I’m really proud of how I did.

“I was kind of making some inroads in her service games after I got used to it a little bit. I’m really pleased with how I handled the ball speed and the conditions here in D.C.”

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She will no doubt be looking to copy that game plan for her next encounter against Osaka, but the latter has improved in recent months as she has climbed to No 16 in the WTA Rankings, while Raducanu will start the new year at No 29.

Great Britain will conclude their group phase against Greece on January 5 with Draper taking on Stefanos Tsitsipas before Raducanu faces world No 51 Sakkari in what will be their fifth top-level meeting.

Raducanu is yet to drop a set against the former world No 3 with a 4-0 lead in their head-to-head rivalry as she won their first-ever meeting 6-1, 6-4 in the semi-final of the 2021 US Open and then won 6-2, 6-3 in the round of 32 at Wimbledon in 2024.

They also faced each other twice in 2025 with the British No 1 winning 6-4, 6-2 in Dubai and 6-4, 7-5 in Washington DC.

The 2026 United Cup features 18 teams and they are divided into six groups. Each tie will consist of one men’s and one women’s singles match plus one mixed doubles encounter.

The six group winners will go into the quarter-finals while the best runner-up in each city (Perth and Sydney) will also qualify for the last eight.

Great Britain finished top of their group in the 2025 edition, but then lost 3-0 in the quarter-final against Poland, who in turn lost the final 2-0 against the United States.

The post Emma Raducanu’s blockbuster first match of 2026 season revealed appeared first on Tennis365.

Andy Roddick has recounted a story when Andre Agassi said he was an “a**hole” for complaining about the weather whilst on tour.

Roddick was not the first or indeed last professional player to complain about conditions but during one Australian Open, there was one person who no longer wanted to hear it.

Speaking on his Served podcast, Roddick recalled a time that Agassi labelled him an “a**hole” for repeatedly complaining about the temperature.

“I remember I was on tour with Andre,” he said. “And the greats have this ability to take something that seems really stressful or hard and they put in very simple terms.

“One time we were in Australia, it was one of those days where it felt like a hair dryer outside. It’s 140(°F) on court and the wind’s blowing, it’s just disgusting.

“And so I’m in the training room. Kind of just bulls**ting and having fun. Guys are walking in and Andre’s in the corner, kind of not saying much, having a conversation with someone.

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“I talk and the person leaves, and Andre goes ‘dude, it’s the third fucking person you’ve talked to about how hot it is. You’re an asshole.’

“I’m like ‘what do you mean? Like, you’re right, but why?’

“And he goes ‘you’re sitting here complaining. How many people in the world have to be better than one person a day at their job?’”

Roddick said that rather direct point of criticism ‘blew my mind” and helped him change his mindset when approaching his playing.

“It blew my mind, right? Because it’s like you put it into a thing where it’s like the day you’re not motivated, you don’t have to be more motivated than everyone. You have to be better, physically, mentally than the person you’re playing.

“You don’t have to be perfect every day until you get to the semis then you got to bring it a little bit.”

Roddick was joined on the podcast by Frances Tiafoe who agreed that you only have to be a little better than those in front of you during the early rounds.

“That’s a crazy comment, because honestly, you only have to be just a little bit better than that guy, especially in the early rounds,” he said. “It’s kind of like, I don’t have to be exceptional. I have to be a little bit better than that guy on that day, whatever conditions, climates, whatever the case may be. Sometimes we make it really complex.”

Read next: Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca react to their first-ever match as Brazilian makes ‘skill’ joke

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