Men’s Australian Open 2026 Predictions: Shock for Djok as Dimitrov delights Down Under

The 2026 Australian Open starts this Sunday, January 18, with two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner looking to defend his trophy in Melbourne. World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who is looking to complete his majors collection, provides the Italian's stiffest opposition, while 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic can never truly be discounted.

Below are my Men's Australian Open 2026 Predictions.

Name The Finalists - Jannik Sinner (ITA) - Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) @ 10/11

Sinner made the final of all four Grand Slams last year, beating Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, respectively, and losing to Alcaraz at Roland-Garros and the US Open.

Alcaraz only made the quarter-finals of last year's Australian Open, but made the final of the next three majors, facing Sinner in all three finals, and it's tough to see anyone outside of the top two stopping a fourth consecutive Grand Slam final meeting on February 1.

Men's Australian Open 2026 Odds

Sinner (5/6) is favourite to retain his title Down Under, while Alcaraz (11/8) is comfortably positioned in second amongst the hopefuls hoping to stop the Italian recording a third consecutive triumph at the Australian Open.

I'm backing Sinner to come up trumps in Melbourne, but at a similar price, I'd choose the World No. 2 and the World No. 1 in the Name The Finalists market, instead.

Quarter 3 - Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) @ 20/1

A former semi-finalist (2017) at the Australian Open, Dimitrov endured a tough 2025 as he battled injuries, starting with his retirements in both tournaments Down Under at the Brisbane Open and Australian Open.

The Bulgarian retired a further three times last season, including in the last 16 of Wimbledon, where he was leading No. 1 seed Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 before suffering a pectoral problem.

Still, he showed the type of skill and tenacity that once saw him reach a career-high No. 3 in the ATP Rankings.

Dimitrov's best performance at a hard-court tournament last year came at the Miami Open when he beat four opponents, including Karen Khachanov and Francisco Cerundolo, en route to the semi-finals, where he fell 2-6, 3-6 to Djokovic.

The Djoker (6/4) is favourite to win Quarter 3 and progress to the final four of this year's Australian Open, but the 38-year-old has been battling fitness issues himself and hasn't played competitively since winning the 2025 Hellenic Championship (indoor) on November 8, while his last hard-court outing was a 3-6, 4-6 semi-final defeat to Valentin Vacherot in the Shanghai Masters on October 11.

Taylor Fritz (4/1) and Lorenzo Musetti (7/1) are among the six others ranked between Djokovic and Dimitrov in the Quarter 3 market, but the former lost both of his matches at the United Cup, against Stefano Tsitsipas (4-6, 5-7) and Hubert Hurkacz (6-7, 6-7) in straight sets, while the latter has never advanced beyond the third round at the Australian Open.

If Dimitrov can stay injury-free in Melbourne, he looks like great value in the Quarter 3 market at 20/1.

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