DOHA RETURN: JANNIK SINNER BACK AT QATAR OPEN AFTER 2025 SUSPENSION NIGHTMARE
Jannik Sinner returns to Doha! Discover why he’s practicing with Kamil Majchrzak and his plan to beat Carlos Alcaraz in Qatar.
Jannik Sinner is set to play in the Qatar Open next week.
He couldn't make it to Doha last year because he was suspended from tennis for three months.
But he's ready for the 2026 tournament as the number-two seed.
Other players joining Sinner in Qatar include Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Daniil Medvedev.
Who has he been practising with to get ready?
In Qatar, Jannik Sinner is training with Kamil Majchrzak.
Kamil Majchrzak from Poland posted a photo on his Instagram story with Sinner, Simone Vagnozzi, and his coaching team.
He wrote, Great practice with the team. Thanks, Jannik Sinner.
Majchrzak is ranked 55th in the world and is Poland's top player.
He hasn't won an ATP title yet, but has won nine Challenger Tour titles and five Grand Slam matches in 2025, which is his best.
Majchrzak is 6 ft 0, right-handed, and uses a two-handed backhand, just like Alcaraz, who might be Sinner's biggest competition.
It's not clear if that's why Sinner chose to practice with Majchrzak.
Either way, it's great to see Sinner back on the court after a tough loss last time.
What happened to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open?
Sinner went to Melbourne as the favourite, hoping to win the Australian Open for the third year in a row.
Even with some trouble in the heat, Sinner beat Hugo Gaston, James Duckworth, Eliot Spizzirri, Luciano Darderi, and Ben Shelton. This got him to a semifinal match with Novak Djokovic, who has won the title 10 times.
Many thought Sinner would beat Djokovic easily, since Djokovic hadn't won a set in his last four Slam semifinals.
Sinner started strong, winning the first set 6-3, but Djokovic came back and won the second with the same score.
The momentum kept shifting, and Sinner won the third set, getting close to his sixth straight Grand Slam final.
But Djokovic stepped up his game and won the last two sets, moving on to the final match.
Sinner's attempt to win his third Australian Open title ended quickly.
We'll see if he's bounced back from the disappointment in Melbourne.
The 2026 Qatar Open starts on Monday, February 16.
HISTORY ON LINE: NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEGINS INDIAN WELLS RUN TO SNATCH FEDERER’S TITLE RECORD
Is Djokovic the GOAT? Discover how Novak plans to break Roger Federer’s Indian Wells title record in the 2026 California desert.
Novak Djokovic is gearing up for his 17th run at Indian Wells, chasing a sixth Masters title in California. The draw hasn’t done him any favours, but plenty of experts still see him as a real threat to win it all.
He’s coming in hot, too. Djokovic kicked off the season by making it to the Australian Open final, only falling to Carlos Alcaraz at the very end.
There’s even more at stake this year. If Djokovic lifts the trophy at Indian Wells, he breaks a tournament record that Roger Federer currently shares with him.
Now, Federer’s name is all over the Indian Wells record books. Even after retiring in 2022, he still holds eight records there. You see his name next to most finals played, most matches played and won, and the most editions entered.
Right now, Federer and Djokovic are tied for most titles at Indian Wells, each with five. They also share a couple of other records, but this year, Djokovic has a shot at pulling ahead. If he wins, he grabs that title record outright, which would leave Federer with seven Indian Wells records to himself.
When it comes to head-to-head battles at Indian Wells, Djokovic has always had Federer’s number. They’ve faced off three times on those courts, and Djokovic came out on top every single time.
Here’s how some of the big records at Indian Wells stack up:
Most titles: Djokovic 5, Federer 5
Most finals: Federer 9
Most consecutive titles: Federer (2004–2006) and Djokovic (2014–2016), both with 3.
Most consecutive finals: Federer (two separate runs of 3), Djokovic (2014–2016)
Most matches played: Federer 79
Most matches won: Federer 66
Most consecutive matches won: Djokovic: 19
Most editions played: Federer 18.
Oldest champion: Federer (35 years, 7 months, 11 days in 2017)
So, while Federer still dominates the record books, Djokovic has a real chance to add another chapter to the rivalry and maybe take home another record for himself.
THE 3.3.26 DATE: UNEARTHING THE ROMANTIC DETAILS BEHIND ARYNA SABALENKA’S PROPOSAL IN CALIFORNIA
Aryna Sabalenka is engaged: Read about the 3.3.26 proposal to Georgios Frangulis and the reactions from Gauff, Alcaraz, and Djokovic.
Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz are just a couple of the tennis stars who rushed to celebrate Aryna Sabalenka’s big news: she’s engaged to Georgios Frangulis.
Sabalenka dropped the announcement on social media right before kicking off her run at Indian Wells. As the world number one, she’ll jump straight into the second round, waiting to face either Alycia Parks or Himeno Sakatsume. But honestly, her focus seems split lately, and who can blame her? Off the court, she’s soaking up all the love and congratulations pouring in from fellow players.
She posted a video of the proposal on Instagram, adding a simple, sweet caption: “You & me, forever, 3.3.26.” Coco Gauff chimed in with a quick "Congratulations", and Alcaraz went all out with a stretched-out “Congratulatiooooons!” Ben Shelton and Amanda Anisimova also sent their best, and even Novak Djokovic shared some love. Sabalenka’s close friend Paula Badosa joined in, and skiing legend Lindsey Vonn couldn’t resist commenting either.
Now, with all the excitement swirling around her engagement, you have to wonder, can Sabalenka keep her head in the game at Indian Wells? Wedding plans are probably swirling in her mind, but if history tells us anything, it’s that Sabalenka knows how to lock in when it matters. Her serve is as deadly as ever, and she’s already put together an 11-1 win-loss record this season, with two finals under her belt.
She kicked things off with a title in Brisbane, then hit a snag in the Australian Open final against Elena Rybakina. No doubt, she’s itching to get back to her winning ways in California. The hard courts there play right into her strengths, and all four of her Grand Slam titles have come on this surface. Plus, she’s been a finalist at Indian Wells twice, so she’s got plenty of motivation to finally go all the way.
The field is stacked, so it won’t be easy. But honestly, if anyone’s primed for a breakthrough at Indian Wells, it’s Sabalenka.
