We analyze the names with the most potential to make their debut win this 2026, both in ATP and WTA. Which player could secure their first major title?
The start of the 2026 season raises multiple questions and truly interesting narratives within the global tennis scene. We are living in periods of very prominent kings and queens, with power concentrated in very few hands: in men’s tennis, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the Grand Slams over the last two seasons, while in the women’s field, although there has been greater variety, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek also start with a favoritism above the rest of the main actresses.
For all these reasons, compiling a list looking at potential new Grand Slam champions is not at all easy: if we strictly focus on the ATP, there has been a complete dominance of two players in men’s tennis who seem to be sharing the cake as they please, and their main competitor is someone who knows well what it means to triumph on big stages (Novak Djokovic). Despite this, names like Alexander Zverev or Ben Shelton emerge as clear candidates in a list with more depth than some might think.
Alexander Zverev (#3 ATP):
While people lose faith over the years, the German is dangerously nearing his thirties without having won any Grand Slam yet. Every year, it seems like we tell the same story, but it’s hard to see a contemporary, excluding Alcaraz and Sinner, who is equally consistent and steady throughout the season. His role seems to be increasingly limited, but his shots earn him another spot in this category for another year, although he will need to show his hunger and a renewed physical state throughout the Australian tour.
Ben Shelton (#8 ATP)
For impudence, personality, and bravery, few vie with such strength to start their major palmarès as Shelton, who had a 2025 with many highlights and few shadows. His evolution in many aspects of the game is evident, although there are still areas with immense room for improvement. His ability to work on transitional play and have more plans beyond settling points in a couple of shots are the issues limiting him, but his age, explosiveness, and character always make him someone to keep a close eye on.
Alex de Miñaur (#6 ATP)
His journey to win his first Grand Slam seems the antithesis of Ben’s own: work, work, and more work. Silent improvements to elevate his tennis to ceilings he did not know: that’s how Demon has climbed into the top 10 after years of hard work. His faith and belief in himself seem to limit him in big events more than his own game, but when it comes to consistency, physicality, and stability, few (beyond Jannik and Carlos) handle the demands of a Grand Slam better than him. He only lacks that major victory, but if he achieves it, he will be high on the list of contenders.
Casper Ruud (#12 ATP)
The candidate with the most Grand Slam finals on the list (alongside Zverev) begins his 27s with the feeling of having slightly changed his role on the circuit. Formerly a paragon of consistency, he is now a man of spectacular weeks and somewhat surprising losses. In terms of ranking and career, a shift for the worse, undoubtedly. When it comes to being a threat in a Grand Slam? It might suit him: if he displays the form of weeks like Madrid or Stockholm in 2025 during a significant week, especially at Roland Garros (few specialists on clay of greater importance will be found on the circuit), perhaps he will find what he came so close to three seasons ago, albeit belatedly.
Joao Fonseca (#29 ATP)
Yes, I know, some will be eager to criticize this choice, but there is no younger player than the current dominators who has shown such immense potential as the Brazilian. Handling the pressure of going far in a Slam is a pending task, but his evolution resembles that of Carlos Alcaraz in 2021… and we know what happened the following year. Will it happen with Fonseca? Due to the established duopoly, unlike the much more transitional 2022 Alcaraz experienced, it seems almost unthinkable… but, sometimes, the best talents do not understand cooking times and break the boundaries of logic. If an unexpected candidate must be added, let it at least be someone aiming to be part of the favorites in the long run.
