Carrying the momentum shift following a barren stretch of some 882 days between titles, former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev finds himself back in a winning frame of mind ahead of his opening Brisbane International outing of 2026.
It was slim pickings for the 29-year-old before the he finally shook his hoodoo last September in Almaty, Kazakhstan, a welcome 19th hard-court trophy amid a welcome return to form during the Asian swing.
Now the top seed in Brisbane shifts his focus to his opening stoush of the new season on Monday night – a sixth career meeting with Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, a ledger he leads 4-1.
“It's a strong field. It's great to start the year with a strong tournament,” the 2021 US Open champion said. “Looking forward, because first tournament of the year, nobody ever knows how you cope with the pressure …
“Closer to the end of the year, I was playing good tennis, making good results. Still think I could play a bit better in couple of matches, but it was getting better and better.
“It was pretty important even for the preseason, you know, to start with the same team, to continue working kind of the same way that we did in the end of the season.
“Beginning of the season is never kind of easy, because you usually have one tournament and then it's a Slam straightaway. So it's going to be interesting for everyone.”
Also under the lights, 17-year-old local wildcard Emerson Jones makes her main draw debut at Pat Rafter Arena on Monday night against crafty German veteran Tatjana Maria.
The Queensland Tennis Centre is the former junior No.1’s home base and while 21 years younger than her more experienced opponent, she will bank on the home crowd as she bids for just her second tour-level win on home soil.
“I have seen her play a couple of times, and I know she's got a couple of kids and I'm a kid, so yeah, I don't know. I know she's a great player and it's going to be really tough,” Jones said. “Like every round here, they are all top 100, so it's definitely going to be a challenge for me, but I'm willing to give it my best shot.”
Reigning men’s champion Jiri Lehecka is no stranger to his first-round opponent, Tomas Machac, having risen the ranks with him as among the next wave of Czech men’s hopefuls.
Only a year separates the two Davis Cup teammates in age yet the only time they have squared off was in a lowly Futures final in the Czech Republic 2018 when both were teenagers.
“Tomas is definitely great player. He proved it last year that he can play amazing tennis,” Lehecka said. “Actually, we practised together before we headed here to Brisbane, so I think it's gonna be great match-up.
“I have never had a problem to play against a guy from the same country. I see it as another match. So I have never had any issues by feeling, you know, like nervous or unwell before.”
Twelve months ago, Kimberly Birrell came in hot when she derailed No.2 seed Emma Navarro en route to her maiden WTA 500 quarterfinal in her home tournament in Brisbane.
Following a leaner patch mid-year, the 27-year-old rebounded for her second WTA final in Chennai to end the season back inside the top 100.
Birrell faces Slovak qualifier Rebecca Sramkova for the first time in the opening match at Pat Rafter Arena.
Fellow Aussie wildcard Alexei Popyrin closes the PRA day session against French qualifier Quentin Halys, who booked his berth following a come-from-behind win over Kamil Majchrzak on Sunday afternoon.
The Aussie men’s No.2, who cracked the top 20 for the first time last season after his run to the Toronto Masters quarterfinals, will need to overturn a 0-2 record against the Frenchman.
Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. Tickets for the Brisbane International are on sale via Ticketmaster. Prices start at $30. Premium Experiences are on sale via Ticketmaster and the Premium Experiences Team.