The calendar is out...

Monday 8th December 2025

While everyone is counting down to Christmas, here at Ones to Watch we’re crossing off the days until the new tennis season starts…

There’s not much downtime on the ATP & WTA Tours. And the argument against players complaining about their busy weekly match/ tournament schedules is: well, why take the big bucks to play in exhibition events around the globe at this time of year, then? I think the answer is in there somewhere (and it rhymes with ‘honey’).

Anyway, tennis politics aside – the official 2026 calendar is out. And you and I will be straight into the action in the new year…

January 2026…

With both men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) tournaments from the off in January. All part of the road to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of 2026 – the Australian Open. I’m getting excited already…

Here are the official January schedules…

Note: January’s ‘United Cup’ is an international team event, featuring both the men and women. As such, it’s not our usual fodder in terms of targeting players at Each Way prices in the Outright Winner markets. I will look at the prices and draws, for sure. But we’re most likely to get involved in the standard ATP & WTA tournaments from the week commencing 5th January:

Underdog opportunities on the road to Melbourne Park…

As players look to hit the ground running in the new campaign, other (bigger) names may have one eye on the Major trip to Melbourne – and not be fully zoned-in to match sharpness at the very start of January…

In other words – we should be on the lookout, as ever, for big-odds, outsider opportunities. Right from day one of the 2026 season…

For example:

• This season (January 2025), the tournaments played before the Australian Open produced a 300/1 finalist, further 66/1 and 33/1 Each Way runners-up… along with champions at 40/1, and 22/1 (x 3)… with those events seeing 2 Qualifiers reaching finals, and producing 3 first-time trophy winners on the tour

• January 2024 also turned up 3 maiden title winners… and January 2023 delivered 4 Qualifiers going all the way to finals – with 2 of those taking the silverware, including an 80/1 shot

The stage is set. Watch this space. I’ll be on the ball with the markets and prices from day one of the 2026 season, and that’s a promise…

Before then…

Keep an eye on your inbox for your free annual pre-season report landing in your inbox. I’m working on my Ones to Watch in 2026 list now. And it will contain some very promising and exciting young players – names that may well go on to provide our next 25/1, 33/1, 50/1, 80/1, or even 100/1 payout…

I’ll be in touch before Christmas with your 2026 Report.

And next week – we’ll be having a little look at the Next Gen ATP Finals…

P.S
Want to get in touch? Email me direct at:

oliver@spapublishinggroup.co.uk 

Enjoy the tennis…

Best wishes,

Oliver Upstone

Ones to Watch