The Australian Open once again lived up to expectations, offering two weeks of top-level tennis. The tournament ended this weekend with victories for Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.
Sunday’s men’s final will go down as one of the greatest moments in tennis history : after a fierce battle (2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5), Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first Australian Open title. The Spaniard thus becomes the youngest player in the Open era to achieve the Grand Slam, i.e., to win each of the four major tournaments during his career.
After a first set dominated by Djokovic, Alcaraz came back to win the next three sets, claiming his seventh Grand Slam title at just 22 years of age.
In the women’s tournament, the final was also a high-level contest, with Elena Rybakina defeating Aryna Sabalenka (6-4, 4-6, 6-4). By defeating the world number one, Rybakina climbs the ATP rankings to become world number three and also wins her second Grand Slam title, nearly three and a half years after her victory at Wimbledon in 2022.
Records and new developments
The 2026 edition broke numerous attendance records, with more than 1.36 million spectators attending Melbourne Park over the fortnight, surpassing the already impressive figures of 1.2 million spectators in 2025. The final day alone attracted 56,931 people, a record for a closing Sunday.
The overall prize money for the tournament also reached a historic high, with a total of AUD 111.5 million (nearly EUR 64 million), up 16% from the previous year. The singles winners pocketed AUD 4.15 million(nearly EUR 2,4 million), marking a 19% increase in the amount awarded to the champion.
In terms of innovation, the 2026 Australian Open also highlighted Tennis Australia’s strategic initiatives to strengthen the tournament’s international reach. At the heart of this strategy is the ambitious “Million Dollar 1 Point Slam” format, unveiled before the tournament and integrated into Opening Week. This unique competition, in which each match is played on a single point with AUD 1 million at stake, attracted many amateurs and professionals.
In addition to this new format, the tournament featured integrated activations and unique experiences for the public during Opening Week : the entire Melbourne Park site remained open from the very first days, with open practice sessions, meetings between young fans and tennis stars, and even evening concerts.
The innovation was not limited to the court : thanks to a strengthened partnership with Infosys, the tournament incorporated cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems designed to make the event more interactive. These innovations included a tactile MatchFeel experience, which transmitted real-time court action in the form of physical feedback for visually impaired spectators, and an interactive AI mascot named Rally, which engaged spectators through personalized interactions around score predictions.
Luxury brands respond to the call
While sport obviously dominated the fortnight in Melbourne, it was also an opportunity for brands to showcase themselves. And as with every major tennis event, Rolex was there as the tournament’s official sponsor.
Also, for the third consecutive year, Louis Vuitton remains an official partner of the Australian Open and presented two custom-made trophy cases to hold the women’s Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the men’s Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, each designed in a distinctive blue reminiscent of the tournament stadium’s colors.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Emirates airline also continued its long-term partnership this year, which began in 2015 and has been renewed until 2029 by Tennis Australia. Emirates not only ensures the tournament’s global visibility through its transportation services and media presence, but also offers a high-end hospitality area inspired by Dubai with luxury amenities for VIP guests.
Marriott Bonvoy is the Official Hotel Partner of the Australian Open, allowing Marriott to offer its members and tournament guests luxury accommodation in prestigious establishments such as The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels, and Sheraton, as well as exclusive experiences.
Finally, Ralph Lauren has been a partner of the event since 2020. In addition to offering an exclusive collection to the public, the brand dresses up to 4,000 people, including referees, ball kids, and other officials on the courts. New this year, Ralph Lauren is expanding its role by becoming the Official Sunglasses Partner, showcasing its collection of sunglasses, essential for protection from the Australian sun.
See you in May for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, this time on our beloved clay courts : Roland Garros !
Read also > Carlos Alcaraz crowned in Monaco at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters
Featured photo : © Getty Images
