Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner announce exhibition for 2026

Fans will be treated to even more action from the two best ATP players worldwide when Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner meet in an announced exhibition.

There have been notable stories on the men's circuit this season outside Alcaraz and Sinner, including Valentin Vacherot's extraordinary run to the 2025 Shanghai Masters title. He was a qualifier who started the tournament ranked outside the Top 200.

However, Alcaraz and Sinner's battles have been the most recurring excitement in 2025. They contested the last three Grand Slam finals, with their French Open final broadly regarded as one of tennis's best ever matches.

The duo has utterly dominated men's tennis since the start of 2024, splitting the eight Grand Slams played during that time period. It has proved impossible for other players to match them.

Despite consistently battling for the most significant prizes in tennis, Alcaraz and Sinner share a very strong relationship, which contrasts with many in tennis history, such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, or the early years of Djokovic and Roger Federer's rivalry.

That closeness has been demonstrated again after an exhibition between them was announced for January 10th, 2026. It will occur in Seoul, Korea, at the Incheon Inspire Arena, which has a capacity of 15,000.

The news was revealed on Alcaraz and Sinner's Instagram accounts. Both shared a post on their respective accounts that contained the message 'See you in Korea!', which was greeted with a positive response.

An exhibition between Alcaraz and Sinner would be exciting for fans of any country, but it is particularly notable for those in Korea because no ATP events are played there. A WTA 500 event is played in Seoul each year.

The match occurring between the two best men's players worldwide means demand for tickets, when they are announced, will be extremely high. They could sell out in a matter of minutes or even seconds.

Neither man usually plays any ATP tournaments before the Australian Open. The 2026 iteration of the year's first Grand Slam is scheduled from January 18th to February 1st, and the exhibition all but confirms that they will not play in any other events before the Australian Open.

The Top Two were the first players to qualify for the 2025 ATP Finals. Sinner confirmed his place in Turin more swiftly than anyone outside of Alcaraz despite serving a three-month suspension for testing positive for clostebol.

Sinner is the defending ATP Finals champion. Alcaraz, who has been less successful in indoor conditions, has yet to reach the final at the year-end championships. He will try to change that when it is held from November 9th to 16th.

Alcaraz lost in straight sets against Sinner at last week's 2025 Six Kings Slam. Although an exhibition that does not count in their official head-to-head, it was the Italian's second consecutive win against him in the Six Kings Slam final.

Sinner has had a matchup problem against Alcaraz on outdoor courts, but he will probably be most confident against him on an indoor hard court. The Spaniard will hope to play his rival at this year's ATP Finals.