Five Grand Slam champions who could retire from tennis in 2026

Five major winners who could retire from tennis next year

1. Novak Djokovic

To many people, Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time, having won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other player in the Open Era (24).

However, Djokovic has been unable to win a major title since the 2023 US Open, and he did not even reach a Grand Slam final in 2024, the first year in which this has happened since 2017.

The three biggest obstacles to Djokovic are his fitness, and the two current best men’s tennis players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic has been beaten by either Alcaraz or Sinner at three of the four Grand Slams this year, with his other defeat coming via retirement in his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open.

The Serbian has been very open about the fact that Grand Slams are his biggest priority at this stage of his career, and if he continues to face the same obstacles it may push him into a decision to retire from tennis.

Perhaps the only thing that could get Djokovic to continue playing other than major success is his goal to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, when he would be 41 years old.

2. Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios has never won a Grand Slam singles title, but he did enjoy major success in doubles at the 2022 Australian Open alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis.

The 2022 Wimbledon finalist has dealt with many injury struggles in recent years, with Kyrgios only playing six singles matches in the past three years.

Kyrgios has been very open about the fact that he is closing in on retirement, and that could be in 2026 if he is unable to have a good run of fitness.

The first chance tennis fans will get to see the 30-year-old in ATP competition is in January, with Kyrgios playing the Brisbane International ahead of the Australian Open.

3. Venus Williams

Venus Williams made a shock return to tennis at 45 years old in 2025, and even won a singles match against Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open.

While the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion can still compete on the WTA Tour, retirement certainly feels like a likely possibility for Williams in 2026.

This was only heightened when her younger sister Serena Williams, who retired from tennis in 2022, re-entered the doping testing pool, which you have to be part of to be an active competitor.

Serena has denied rumours about her returning to tennis, but fans have speculated that she could be making a comeback to play doubles one final time with Venus for a retirement at the US Open.

There are still many months until the US Open, and Venus is scheduled to start her 2026 season at the WTA tournament in Auckland ahead of the Australian Open.

4. Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka is a two-time Grand Slam champion, and was world number one for 51 weeks in her career.

However, the 2025 season was far from ideal for Azarenka, who played just 21 matches in an injury-plagued year.

After playing her last match at the US Open, there have been questions about what the future holds for Azarenka, who is now 36 years old.

These questions were only heightened after the Australian Open entry list was released, with Azarenka not appearing on the qualifying list and also not having received a wildcard.

It is unclear as to when Azarenka plans to compete in 2026, but it does feel as though the end could be near for the Belarusian.

5. Sloane Stephens

While Azarenka has not confirmed her plans for 2026, former US Open champion Sloane Stephens has already entered two tournaments,

Stephens was out of action for seven months in 2025 due to a foot injury, and is now ranked outside the top 1000 in the WTA rankings.

The American has used her protected ranking to enter Australian Open qualifying, and has also received a wildcard for the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland.

While Stephens is planning to compete next year, she will be desperate to bring an end to her losing streak, which is now at 12 matches.

Stephens has not won a singles match since Wimbledon in 2024, and the former world number three may want to call it a day if she cannot make huge strides back up the rankings next year.

During her time away from the match court, Stephens has also been working for tennis media, which suggests that she is already thinking about what she will do when her on-court career comes to an end.

Time will tell to see how many of these players retire next year, with the 2026 season getting underway on January 2 at the United Cup.