OFFICIAL 2026 PREDICTION: NADIA PETROVA CONFIRMS ELENA RYBAKINA AS THE NEXT GRAND SLAM CHAMPION
Former No. 3 Nadia Petrova backs Elena Rybakina to win a 2026 Grand Slam following her undefeated WTA Finals run and $5.2M payday.
Nadia Petrova, who used to be ranked #3 in the world, thinks Elena Rybakina could totally win a Grand Slam singles title in 2026. She had a great finish to the 2025 season, so it's possible.
Rybakina is currently ranked #5 and already has a Grand Slam title from Wimbledon in 2022. She was also the runner-up at the Australian Open in 2023.
2025 was tough for the Kazakh player, especially at the Grand Slams. The 26-year-old didn't even make it to a quarter-final in any of the major tournaments, which hasn't happened since 2020.
But she bounced back and ended the season strong with an 11-match winning streak.
She won her second title of the year at the Ningbo Open in China and then made it to the quarter-finals of the Pan Pacific Open. She had to withdraw from her semi-final match, but she'd already qualified for the WTA Finals.
Rybakina then killed it at the WTA Finals, going undefeated and beating world #1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6(0) in the final.
The 26-year-old had some health issues in 2024, and there was some uncertainty about her coach, Stefano Vukov, in 2025. He was initially suspended from WTA events but was allowed back in August.
It's been three years since Rybakina reached her last Grand Slam final in Melbourne, but many people think she's going to become a major player in women's tennis next year.
Petrova, who made it to the semi-finals of the French Open before, said in an interview that she thinks Rybakina will have a great season.
She said, I'm so glad Rybakina was able to turn things around.
You can see how hard she works and how positive and calm she is. Next year could be huge for her.
She has a real shot at winning a Grand Slam, moving up in the rankings, and even giving Aryna Sabalenka a run for her money. Elena Rybakina is super talented with a great technique and feel for the ball.
I think she's got a lot more to achieve in women's tennis.
Hoping to keep her winning streak going, Rybakina will start her 2026 season at the Brisbane International, a WTA 500 event.
She won the title there in 2024, beating Sabalenka in the final, but skipped it in 2025 for the United Cup.
Rybakina is currently the third-highest-ranked player on the entry list for the tournament, behind Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova.
After that, she'll head to the Australian Open, which starts on January 18 in Melbourne.
Even though she was a finalist there in 2023, she hasn't done as well at the tournament since then.
She had a surprising loss to Anna Blinkova in the second round in 2024 and then lost to Madison Keys in three sets in the fourth round in 2025.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
