Elites of ATP Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have arrived for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, the ATP 500 outdoor hard court tournament, which will be held from February 16 to 21 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha, Qatar. Alcaraz enters the tournament after clinching the Australian Open title, where the Italian star faced a semifinal loss.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz Arrive for Qatar ExxonMobil Open as the Top Two Seeds
The World No. 2 led an impressive campaign at Melbourne Park, where he defeated talents including World No. 9 Ben Shelton, Eliot Spizzirri, and others to reach the semifinal round, where he faced the legend Novak Djokovic. In a five-set thriller, the 38-year-old emerged victorious, surpassing Sinner in four hours and nine minutes, with a final scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
After wrapping up his run in the first Grand Slam of the season, the Italian star has entered the Qatar Open as the second seed. He will be making his debut in Doha and is set to face World No. 31, Tomas Machac, in the round of 32. Against the Czech star, Sinner leads their head-to-head 2-0, having defeated him in the semifinals at Shanghai and in the quarterfinals at Miami in 2024.
The Innichen native arrived at the Khalifa complex with his bodyguards, wearing a white shirt and black shorts, and was also seen engaging in a practice session with fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, who had clinched the 2026 Brisbane International.
VIP Jannik Sinner pic.twitter.com/KDnNIQesMM
— SandrineKem🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@SandrineK92) February 14, 2026
Sinner, who is preparing for his Qatar Open run, had recently reflected on what he had learned from his loss against Djokovic in the semifinal at the Australian Open: “The match against Nole taught me a lot. I think it was a great match, both on my part and on his. I had my chances, sometimes it doesn’t go as you hope, but that’s sport. We’re changing small details on the court, things that take a bit of time to become as natural as possible. Now we’ll see how things go going forward.”
READ MORE: Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s Qatar Open Draw Revealed
Considering the changes that he is working on, he revealed, “It’s not just technical, it can also be tactical or mental: how to view certain situations on and off the court. There are many things that can be improved.”
💪🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz has arrived in Doha 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/mKQzoLQnZ4
— Olly Tennis 🎾 🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) February 14, 2026
Alcaraz, who became the youngest player to complete a Career Grand Slam after clinching the Australian Open, is entering the Qatar Open as the first seed. He was also seen arriving at the court and practising with his team.
He is set to clash against Arthur Rinderknech in the round of 32, against whom he leads their head-to-head 4-0. Along with them, top stars including Alexander Bublik, defending champion Andrey Rublev, Jakub Mensik, Karen Khachanov, and others will also be competing.
