From 18 January to 1 February, as the world’s best tennis players descend upon Melbourne Park, here’s a spotlight on three tennis heroes: Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Światek, and Jannik Sinner.

Melbourne Park awaits the Australian Open tennis tournament, © Rolex/Jon Buckle

Timing is everything on the tennis court and the countdown to the first Grand Slam® event of 2026 is almost complete. A new year arrives full of promise, as the world’s leading players gather at Melbourne Park to compete at the Australian Open from Sunday 18 January to Sunday 1 February. The tournament marks the opening chapter of Rolex’s support for the international tennis calendar, with its vibrant atmosphere setting the tone for the season ahead. Adding to the heightened sense of anticipation, three of the sport’s leading lights arrive down under targeting their next crowning moment. Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek will both have the opportunity to achieve their career Grand Slam® – the quest to win all four of the most coveted trophies – while Jannik Sinner is seeking a rare third consecutive triumph in Melbourne.

Six time Grand Slam Champion and Rolex Testimonee, Carlos Alcaraz, © Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

Since joining the Rolex family of Testimonees in 2022 and at just 22 years of age, Alcaraz has won six Grand Slam® titles, becoming the youngest man to do so on all three tennis surfaces. In a standout 2025 season, the Spaniard recorded 70 match wins for the first time, while reaching more finals and winning more titles than any other player on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. Looking ahead to the Australian Open, the current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz says: “Winning all four Grand Slams is one of the greatest achievements in our sport, and having the chance to fight for it already is a privilege. It would be something truly special, something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. But at the same time, I want to approach it with calm and focus. I’ll prepare as always, giving my best every day, and if the opportunity comes, I’ll try to enjoy it and embrace the moment.”

A triumph in Melbourne would elevate Alcaraz and Świątek into an elite group of 18 players who have completed the career Grand Slam®, including fellow Rolex Testimonees Rod Laver, Chris Evert and Roger Federer. It is Laver’s legacy, in particular, that continues to set a benchmark for generations of players, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the Australian Open in his home country. Fittingly, if either player were to claim the title, they would secure their place among tennis immortality on Rod Laver Arena, with the Rolex clocks keeping time courtside. Laver won 11 Grand Slam® singles titles during his remarkable career. In 1962 as an amateur, he won all four tournaments, culminating with the US national championships in New York at age 24. “I was very fortunate to play my best tennis at the right time, and to take the opportunities when they were presented to me. The four Grand Slams are the pinnacle of the calendar, they are the tournaments all players want to win and the ones that Rolex supports, which is wonderful for tennis. If you don’t give up and work hard, things beyond your wildest imagination can come true,” says Laver.

Jannik Sinner, Australian Open winner, and Rolex Testimonee, © Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

Among those standing in the way of this milestone is Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz’s greatest rival and a four-time Grand Slam® champion. The Italian maestro has shared the past eight Grand Slam® titles with Alcaraz and could achieve his own historic feat at this year’s event. Should Sinner once again prevail, he would become only the second person to win three successive Australian Open men’s singles titles. “I was extremely happy with my 2025 season. Fortunately, there was some good success and not many losses, and in the losses, I always tried to see the positives and evolve my game. I believe that if you keep working hard and searching for ways to improve as a player, the results will come,” says Rolex Testimonee Jannik Sinner.

Rolex Testimonee Iga Świątek serves at the 2025 Australian Open, © Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

Since first partnering with Wimbledon in 1978, Rolex has supported the journey to excellence across the tennis world, becoming Official Timekeeper of the Australian Open in 2008. The Swiss watchmaker stands alongside the sport’s elite talents, many of whom will be reaching for the heights in Melbourne over the course of the 15-day event. Joining Alcaraz and Sinner in their pursuit of the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup will be Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and João Fonseca, all looking to improve on impressive 2025 seasons. In the women’s draw, Mirra Andreeva, Belinda Bencic and Coco Gauff are all vying for the Melbourne throne, as they compete alongside Świątek to etch their name on the Daphne Ackhurst Memorial Cup for the first time.

Rolex Testimonee Mirra Andreeva plays a backhand at the 2025 Australian Open, © Rolex/Antoine Couvercelle

Throughout the 2026 season, the sport will again demand its brightest stars perform under immense pressure and display remarkable levels of perseverance and precision to shine on the grandest tennis stages. With Rolex Testimonees on the brink of history, two weeks of thrilling tennis commencing this weekend will reveal if the time has come to welcome the holder of the next career Grand Slam®.