CHASING HISTORY: WHY ELENA RYBAKINA IS THE NEW FAVOURITE FOR WORLD NUMBER ONE
Elena Rybakina is eyeing World No. 1: Discover how the Australian Open champion can overtake Iga Swiatek at the 2026 Dubai Open.
Elena Rybakina isn’t shy about it; she wants to be world No. 1. That’s the goal, plain and simple. She’s coming into the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships still buzzing from her second Grand Slam win at the Australian Open and sitting at a career-high No. 3 in the rankings, a spot she first hit back in June 2023.
Right now, Rybakina has 7,523 ranking points. After making the quarter-finals in Doha last week, she’s just 280 points behind Iga Swiatek at No. 2, though Aryna Sabalenka holds the top spot with a bigger lead, 3,347 points ahead. Here’s the thing: neither Sabalenka nor Swiatek is playing in Dubai this week. That opens the door for Rybakina. She can move up to No. 2 and maybe chip away at that gap at the top.
She’s actually leading in the Race to Riyadh, too, the annual race that decides who makes it to the season-ending WTA Finals.
Before Dubai got underway, reporters asked Rybakina if she’s thinking about grabbing the No. 1 spot this year. She didn’t hesitate. “Well, it’s definitely a goal,” she said. Still, she knows it’s not just about her; how the other players perform matters, too. The season’s long, and there’s no room to slow down. “You need to improve every day,” she said. “We have so many tournaments. You need to catch up, and you need to keep on going.”
She’s honest; she wants to climb higher, win another Slam, and keep pushing. “Definitely, that’s the goal,” she said. “We’ll see just how this season goes.”
She’s 26 now, and besides that Wimbledon title in 2022, people want to know what surface she likes best after grass. “Probably the hard courts,” she said, but she’s quick to point out she’s done well everywhere, even on clay, even if that part of the season is short. “I think I can play on all the surfaces,” she said. “Definitely the faster ones are better for me, for my game.”
As for Dubai, it’s home. She lives there, trains there, and knows the courts even if they resurface them before tournaments. “I really love Dubai,” she said. “I’ve been practising and doing pre-season on these courts. Everything is familiar. So yeah, it’s good.”
ANDY MURRAY CONFIRMS HE "PROBABLY WOULD" RETURN TO COACHING IN THE FUTURE
Andy Murray tells The Athletic he’s open to a coaching return but slams "easy" tennis punditry in a candid update.
Andy Murray said he “probably would” consider a return to coaching in the future but admitted his “priorities are lying elsewhere just now.”
Since hanging up his racket in August 2024, Murray has largely kept himself away from tennis instead focusing on his business ventures and a passion for golf, but he did return to the court in November 2024 to serve as Novak Djokovic’s head coach for the following year.
That relationship ended in May 2025, but Murray has now said he would be open to returning to the role.
“I think at some stage I probably would (consider a return to coaching),” Murray told The Athletic.
“My priorities are lying elsewhere just now, but I would do it again in the future.
“I do like the idea of helping a much younger player, a little bit like not that I would expect it to turn out like this, the (Juan Carlos) Ferrero-(Carlos) Alcaraz relationship.
“A younger player that you’re really able to help and have a really positive influence on. I would find something like that quite interesting, but certainly not right now.”
Another popular post-playing career for any athlete is punditry, but Murray has had limited experience of that to date, suggesting it is not really something he has an interest in currently.
“My feeling is that punditry in general, particularly when you have a name within the sport, is quite easy,” he said.
“There are some people who are very good at it. Jim Courier and Andy Roddick were great at the game, but also love the game and are very well researched and speak really, really well and are very passionate about it. And do the job extremely well. They’re not just turning up because they’re getting paid and just throwing out random comments, having not really watched the players and not really thinking much about what they’re saying.
“So it can be done extremely well, but I don’t think that’s always the case. And I think tennis needs to sort of improve the way that they do punditry, but it’s not something that right now I’m massively into doing. I wouldn’t rule out doing it in the future, but I don’t really want to do it right now.”
CARLOS ALCARAZ BEGINS CLAY SEASON AT MONTE-CARLO FOLLOWING EARLY MIAMI EXIT
Carlos Alcaraz targets Roland Garros glory as Jannik Sinner threatens his world No. 1 ranking after the Sunshine Double.
Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Samuel Lopez, recently shared some insight into the world No. 1’s plans for the upcoming clay season. Alcaraz is aiming to start strong at the Monte-Carlo Masters and hopes to hit his peak by the time Roland Garros arrives.
After a tough run during the Sunshine Double, where he left without any titles, Alcaraz is gearing up for the clay swing. At Indian Wells, Medvedev’s aggressive play proved too much, and then at Miami, Sebastian Korda knocked him out in the Round of 32. It was a rare setback for the top star, prompting him to head home for a break before Monte-Carlo, which kicks off on April 5.
Before the season really takes off, Lopez revealed that Alcaraz plans to compete in Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and Roland-Garros after Monte-Carlo. Lopez also mentioned that if things had gone better in Miami, they might have skipped Monte-Carlo altogether. But given the current situation, Monte-Carlo will act more as a tune-up event.
“We’re going in with the idea of playing everything, the full clay swing. Monte Carlo wasn’t initially part of the plan if Miami had gone well. But now, it’s more about preparation, Lopez said in an interview with Eurosport ES.
Alcaraz will defend his Monte-Carlo title and try to set the tone for the rest of the clay season. Lopez emphasised that the ultimate goal is for him to be in the best possible shape for Roland Garros, with an eye on clinching a third French Open victory.
“Preparation tournaments help you find your rhythm fast. For us, Monte Carlo is similar to last year’s approach. Last year, everything fell into place, and he won. But the first clay event is tough for almost everyone, as it’s their first on this surface. So, the priority is managing the schedule and arriving in top form at Roland Garros. We’ll see how it goes,” Lopez added.
The qualifying rounds for Monte-Carlo start on April 4, and the main draw begins on April 6. Alcaraz’s first opponent hasn’t been decided yet. Besides defending his title, this tournament is crucial for him as his ranking points are on the line.
Meanwhile, his main rival, Jannik Sinner, made the most of the Sunshine Double, winning both Indian Wells and Miami, dominating Medvedev and Jiri Lehecka along the way. This achievement has made Sinner just 1,190 points shy of Alcaraz in the rankings. With both players set to compete in Monte-Carlo, their battle for the top spot could come down to the final match.
If they both reach the final, whoever wins will claim No. 1 in the world.
Despite their rivalry, Alcaraz took a moment to congratulate Sinner on his Sunshine Double success. He shared a message on Instagram, writing:
“Congratulations @janniksin and team for winning Sunshine Double.”
The two have faced off 16 times, with Alcaraz holding a 10-6 lead. When it comes to major titles, Alcaraz’s 15 to Sinner’s 13 reflect just how close their competition remains.
