Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, Shelton lead the 2026 Australian Open men's field

A look at some of the men to watch at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday (Saturday night EST), with money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook:

Seeded: 1

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Spain

Age: 22

Career Titles: 24

Grand Slam Titles: 6 — French Open (2: 2024, 2025), Wimbledon (2: 2023, 2024), U.S. Open (2: 2022, 2025)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-Lost in Quarterfinals, 2024-QF, 2023-Did Not Play, 2022-3rd, 2021-2nd

Aces: Trying to win his first title at Melbourne Park to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam. ... Has two trophies from each of the other three major tournaments but never past the quarterfinals in Australia. ... Recently split from longtime coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and is sticking with his other coach, Samuel Lopez, who reconstructed Alcaraz's service motion. ... 6-1 in major finals.

He Said It: “Obviously, it is important to start strong and show all the rest of the players that you are strong and you are playing well and you did an important preseason and that can show them, ‘OK, I’m ready to play a really good season.’”

Read All About It: Carlos Alcaraz's variety allows him to adapt from match to match

Odds Are:+150

Seeded: 2

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Italy

Age: 24

Career Titles: 24

Grand Slam Titles: 4 — Australian Open (2: 2024, 2025), U.S. Open (1: 2024), Wimbledon (1: 2025)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-Won Championship, 2024-W, 2023-4th, 2022-QF, 2021-1st

Aces: Reached the finals at each of the last five Grand Slam tournaments, winning three, including a year ago in Australia, where he was the champion for the second consecutive year. ... Since the start of 2024, Sinner is 2-7 against Alcaraz and 129-5 — a winning percentage of .963 — against everyone else. ... The Australian Open is his first event of 2026.

He Said It: “I’m going to aim to … be a bit more unpredictable as a player, because I think that’s what I have to do.”

Read All About It: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have split the past eight Grand Slam titles

Odds Are: +100

Seeded: 4

Career-Best Ranking: 1

Country: Serbia

Age: 38

Career Titles: 101

Grand Slam Titles: 24 — Australian Open (10: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023), French Open (3: 2016, 2021, 2023), Wimbledon (7: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), U.S. Open (4: 2011, 2015, 2018, 2023)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-SF, 2024-SF, 2023-W, 2022-DNP, 2021-W

Aces: Still seeking to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles trophies. ... His most recent major title came at the 2023 U.S. Open, the last time a man other than Sinner or Alcaraz won a major. ... In 2025, he reached the semifinals at all four Slams; in Australia, he was booed when he quit after one set in that round because of a torn hamstring. ... Withdrew from a tune-up event in Adelaide this month.

He Said It: “I can do only as much as I can do. Yeah, it will be very difficult for me, in the future, to overcome the hurdle of Sinner-Alcaraz in the best-of-five at the Grand Slams.”

Read All About It: Novak Djokovic vows not to give up on Grand Slam success

Odds Are: +1000

Seeded: 8

Career-Best Ranking: 5

Country: United States

Age: 23

Career Titles: 3

Grand Slam Titles: Zero — Best: Semifinals, Australian Open (2025), U.S. Open (2023)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-SF, 2024-3rd, 2023-QF, 2022-DNP, 2021-DNP

Aces: A big-serving left-hander who is at his most dangerous on hard courts. ... In Australia last year, made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Sinner. ... Shelton criticized some of the questions and comments made by post-match TV interviewers at the Australian Open. Made his top 10 debut last June. ... Stopped playing at the U.S. Open because of an injured left shoulder. ... Reached Week 2 in six of his 13 career Grand Slam tournaments.

He Said It: “The media will keep, probably, asking questions and debating until (an American man wins a major title). I can’t wait for that to happen. Then we can kind of move on to a different question.”

Read All About It: Ben Shelton criticizes TV interviewers at the Australian Open

Odds Are: +1600

Seeded: 9

Career-Best Ranking: 4

Country: United States

Age: 28

Career Titles: 10

Grand Slam Titles: Zero — Best: Runner-Up, U.S. Open (2024)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-3rd, 2024-QF, 2023-2nd, 2022-4th, 2021-3rd

Aces: Still dealing with knee issues that bothered him last season. ... Led the ATP Tour in total aces in 2025 with more than 850 and averaged 11.7 per match. ... Has come the closest of any U.S. man to getting the first Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick's at the 2003 U.S. Open, making it to the final in New York in 2024 before losing to Sinner. ... Reached his second major semifinal at Wimbledon last season before losing to Alcaraz.

He Said It: “Last year was probably my best serving year, for sure. I felt like my serve has kept improving.”

Read All About It: American men have been getting closer to winning a major title

Odds Are: +2200

Ranked: 139 (Not Seeded)

Career-Best Ranking: 3

Country: Switzerland

Age: 40

Career Titles: 16

Grand Slam Titles: 3 — Australian Open (2014), French Open (2015), U.S. Open (2016)

Last 5 Australian Opens: 2025-1st, 2024-1st, 2023-1st, 2022-DNP, 2021-2nd

Aces: Has said this will be his final season before retirement. ... Each of his three Grand Slam titles, including at the 2014 Australian Open, came via victories over the No. 1-ranked player in the final. ... Will be playing in the Australian Open for the 20th time but hasn't won a match there since 2021. ... His career was interrupted by operations on both knees and on his left foot.

He Said It: “After more than 20 years on tour, of course, it’s going to be really special playing all those tournaments that I play so many times for one last time.”

Read All About It: Stan Wawrinka elbowed his way into the top of tennis with 3 Slam titles

Odds Are: Not Listed

Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland hits a forehand to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland during their final match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Taylor Fritz of the U.S. hits a forehand to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland during their semifinal match at the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

FILE - Ben Shelton of the U.S. plays a forehand return to Jannik Sinner of Italy during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

FILE - Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a shot against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy during the ATP 250 tennis tournament final match, in Athens, Greece, Nov. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis, File)

Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a backhand to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during an exhibition tennis match in Incheon, South Korea, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (Shin Jun-hee/Yonhap via AP)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz serves to Italy's Jannik Sinner during an exhibition tennis match in Incheon, South Korea, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (Shin Jun-hee/Yonhap via AP)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a “massive” missile and drone strike on Friday near the Ukrainian capital, killing one person and injuring eight, regional authorities reported, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signaled Kyiv's openness to a potential Easter truce. The holiday is celebrated on April 12 in both Ukraine and Russia.

Another person died Friday after a Russian bomb struck an apartment block in northern Ukraine, according to local officials.

“The Kyiv region is once again under a massive Russian missile and drone attack," said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional military administration, in a Telegram post on Friday morning.

According to Kalashnyk, one person died and at least eight more suffered injuries as a result of strikes on three of Kyiv's satellite towns — Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv. About 20 animals died after a veterinary clinic was struck, Kalashnyk added.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on X that “almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles” attacked Ukraine overnight.

“This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine’s Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks,” Sybiha said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday signaled Kyiv's continued openness to a potential truce on Easter, which falls next week according to the Julian calendar followed by Orthodox churches in Ukraine and Russia.

Zelenskyy told reporters that the proposal had been communicated to Moscow through U.S. channels. He added that the Kremlin's response remains unclear.

Zelenskyy has previously offered a ceasefire for the Easter period — but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow wants a lasting peace settlement, not a temporary truce.

President Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

One person died on Friday in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, near the Russian border, after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck a residential block in the city of Shostka, local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov reported. He said three more people were hospitalized with injuries following the strike, including a 29-year-old woman whose condition was serious.

In Russia, 192 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over Russia and occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday morning.

Two people were hospitalized on Friday following a Ukrainian drone strike on the Leningrad region, over 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) from the border, regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko reported. According to Drozdenko, the drones also set fire to an “unoccupied” building within the Morozov industrial zone.

The settlement of Morozov houses a state-owned plant that makes explosives and components for ammunition, including solid fuel used in Topol-M missile systems. The plant was put under U.S., EU and other Western sanctions following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Twelve people, including at least three Russian soldiers, were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike late Thursday on Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported. Separately, he said that seven people were wounded in the region after a drone struck a commercial facility.

Four drones were downed during the night on the approach to Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported Friday. He did not reference any casualties or damage.

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Russian soldiers fire a grenade launcher towards Ukrainian positions on an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)