The dominance of AO champions like Jannik Sinner or Aryna Sabalenka always sets a benchmark for the next generation.
When players achieve the once-unthinkable — like Novak Djokovic’s 24 Grand Slam titles — it sparks new belief and opens the door to fresh possibilities, and Australian Open 2026 is rich with them.
Here are seven rising stars to watch at Melbourne Park, who are working towards reaching those heights.
Joao Fonseca
Once or twice in a decade, a generational star steps into the light.
The magic of the moment isn’t the score, or any one highlight – it’s witnessing, in real time, a kid grasp what they’re meant to be.
The world saw a glimpse of this at AO 2025, when 18-year-old Fonseca stunned world No.9 Andrey Rublev — a 17-time ATP titlist — in straight sets.
What stood out wasn’t just the quiet belief, but the way he kept detonating down-the-line forehands as if he’d been doing it on Rod Laver Arena for years.
The rest of the season confirmed the promise fans glimpsed in Melbourne. Fonseca collected ATP titles in Basel and Buenos Aires, rocketing to world No.24 at season’s end.
Mirra Andreeva
Andreeva has felt like a tsunami rising from the distance since her second-week surges as a 16-year-old at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2024.
In 2025, she backed it up with WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells – defeating four Grand Slam winners along the way – before reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals and soaring to a career-high world No.5.
The now 18-year-old is the total package of skill, court coverage and heavy hitting. Add Conchita Martinez, a coach with a proven track record of taking players to the top, and you get a teenager wise beyond her years.
Andreeva is known to bring her journal to court for tactical and technical purposes, a strategy she says Martinez suggested.
“When I feel nervous or want to remind myself of something, I open the notebook,” Andreeva told Tennis Channel. “I have two pages for every player.”
Victoria Mboko
Mboko became the second-youngest player in the Open Era (behind Serena Williams) to defeat four Grand Slam champions at a single tournament when she won the Canadian Open on home soil.
The 19-year-old then added a WTA 250 in Hong Kong and finished the season ranked No.18, leaping more than 300 places in 12 months.
Mboko’s relentless tenacity on court saw her win 60 of a possible 75 matches in 2025, momentum she hopes to carry into her first Australian Open campaign.
"I'm playing with the top [players] now so I'm going to be winning, losing a lot of matches and if I have to find my rhythm and stuff, it can take me a while," she told Olympics.com. "I'm still excited and it's a privilege to play against these kinds of players.”
Jakub Mensik
Much like Mboko, Mensik announced himself with a breakout run at a 1000 event, toppling Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic to lift the Miami crown while ranked outside the top 50.
“The Menimal” is a 195cm modern baseliner in the mould of Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev, built around first-strike power and relentless depth.
Before turning 20, Mensik upset world No.6 Casper Ruud as an unseeded player at AO 2025.
Now ranked No.19, his game looks tailor-made for the pace and bounce of Melbourne Park.
Maya Joint
Australia’s new No.1 woman collected two titles, in Eastbourne and Rabat, in her first full year on the WTA tour.
With five semifinal runs and 52 match wins, Joint’s season quietly blossomed into a year-end ranking of No.32, putting her in a position to secure a seeding for her home Grand Slam.
Her coach, Chris Mahony, says the foundation of that rise is composure.
“You see a lot of young players have ups and downs through the course of a year on different surfaces. Maya has been very consistent on all surfaces,” Mahoney said.
“Winning Eastbourne made her believe she belonged in the top 100, even though she was already there.”
Learner Tien
Unlike the brute force of Fonseca and Mensik, Tien is building a game on left-handed craft, defensive acuity and endurance.
As the name suggests, he’s a calm competitor who problem-solves in real time. A typical Tien match is enthralling for spectators, but his opponents might say otherwise.
“It’s a good feeling to find a way through a match where you don’t feel your best,” Tien told atptour.com.
At Australian Open 2025, the American announced himself by outlasting Camilo Ugo Carabelli in five sets, before grinding down two-time AO finalist Daniil Medvedev in a near five-hour epic.
Clara Tauson
Clara Tauson made her mark early in 2025, stunning two Australian Open champions to win a WTA 250 in Auckland.
A month later, she followed that with victories over world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and No.14 Karolina Muchova to reach the WTA 1000 final in Dubai.
The rise accelerated with a win over Elena Rybakina at Wimbledon, then triumphs over Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys at the Canadian Open, before she finished the year ranked No.12.
At 182cm, the Dane’s 358 aces were the third most on tour in 2025. With an improved net game, she’s carved out an aggressive style capable of beating anyone on her day.
“I want to be the kind of player who serves well and plays big shots like Petra Kvitova,” Tauson told wtatennis.com. “She’s not afraid to hit the ball. I really think I can be that type of player.”