Australian Open: What ranking points are Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic and other ATP stars defending?
The Australian Open starts in less than one week, and the opening Grand Slam tournament of 2026 looks set to make a notable impact on the ATP Rankings.
Several big names on the ATP Tour have significant ranking points to defend inside Melbourne Park over the coming fortnight, though a few will have the opportunity to make sizable gains and potentially break new ground.
Here, we look at the ATP ranking points that the current top 10 — and a handful of other notable names — have to defend at the tournament this year.
1) Carlos Alcaraz – 400 ranking points
Alcaraz heads into the Australian Open looking to become just the sixth man to complete the Career Grand Slam, though he has never previously made it past the last eight in Melbourne.
Beaten by Novak Djokovic in the last eight in 2025, the Spaniard has just 400 ranking points to defend at this year’s event — comparatively fewer than many of his closest rivals.
2) Jannik Sinner – 2,000 ranking points
Having lifted the Australian Open title in 2024 and 2025, Sinner looks to become just the second man — after Djokovic — to win three consecutive titles at the event in the Open Era.
The Italian has a full 2,000 points to defend at the tournament following his triumph twelve months ago, meaning he will be unable to challenge Alcaraz for the world No 1 ranking over the coming fortnight.
3) Alexander Zverev – 1,300 ranking points
Zverev fell to 0-3 in Grand Slam finals with a defeat to Sinner in the final at this tournament last January, and then struggled at points throughout the remainder of the season.
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The German is under some pressure in the ATP Rankings coming into the tournament, with a not-insignificant 1,300 ranking points to defend in Melbourne.
4) Novak Djokovic – 800 ranking points
Having won a record 10 men’s singles titles at the Australian Open, Djokovic has fallen at the semi-final stage the past two years — retiring injured versus Zverev in the last four back in 2025.
The Serbian has 800 ranking points to defend in Melbourne this year, although the world No 4 ultimately reached the semifinals of every Grand Slam tournament last season.
5) Lorenzo Musetti – 100 ranking points
A career-best 2025 season helped Musetti reach a new career-high of world No 5 this very week, and the Italian will look to break new ground in Melbourne — the only Slam where he is yet to reach the last eight.
The Italian reached the third round of the tournament for the first time in 2025, and has 100 ranking points to defend this year as a result.
6) Alex de Minaur – 400 ranking points
Home hopes will sit on the shoulders of world No 6 de Minaur at the Australian Open, with the 26-year-old looking to reach a first major semi-final after falling in all six of his Grand Slam quarter-finals.
De Minaur was beaten by eventual champion Sinner in the last eight of this event twelve months ago, and has 400 ranking points to defend as a result.
7) Felix Auger-Aliassime – 50 ranking points
After a strong closing spell of 2025, Auger-Aliassime is back inside the top 10 of the ATP Rankings and will be hoping to back that up with a strong run in Melbourne.
The Canadian was beaten in the second round of the 2025 Australian Open, meaning he has just 50 ranking points to defend over the coming fortnight.
8) Ben Shelton – 800 ranking points
One of the most consistent Grand Slam performers of 2025, Shelton embarked on his best-ever Australian Open run last January.
The American reached the semi-final in Melbourne and has a significant 800 ranking points to defend as a result, with his place inside the top 10 potentially under threat should he fall early.
9) Taylor Fritz – 100 ranking points
After looking far from his best at times during the United States’ campaign at the United Cup, world No 9 Fritz will hope to rediscover some of his best form at the Australian Open this week.
Fritz was beaten in the third round of the event by Gael Monfils twelve months ago, meaning he has just 100 ranking points to defend Down Under.
10) Alexander Bublik – 10 ranking points
Bublik’s stunning rise over the past few months saw him break into the top 10 following his victory at last weekend’s Hong Kong Tennis Open, and the Kazakh could be in line for further breakthroughs in Melbourne.
The world No 10 was beaten in the opening round of the Australian Open in 2025, meaning he has just 10 ranking points to his name — and they will automatically be defended by him entering the tournament.
Selected others
Tommy Paul and Lorenzo Sonego: Both quarter-finalists at the Australian Open in 2025, world No 21 and world No 40 Sonego both have 400 ranking points to defend, and could be at risk of notable drops.
Learner Tien: Twelve months on from his staggering breakthrough run, how will world No 27 Tien — the 25th seed — fare in Melbourne this year? He has 200 ranking points from the main draw to defend, alongside 30 points from his qualifying campaign last year.
Holger Rune and Jack Draper: Rune and Draper are the top-20 players missing from the draw, with both men long-term injury absentees. Both will be unable to defend 200 ranking points after reaching the fourth round in 2025.
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