Australia's Alex de Minaur ready to be a 'disruptor' and end the two defending grand slam champions' reign

The gap to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be front of mind for all playing this summer, but Alex de Minaur is hungry to be the "disruptor" that halts the duos' power.

With the big three era well and truly over, all eyes turned to the dominance of an Italian and Spaniard who have been collecting all the major titles over the past two years.

Holding the world number one and two spots, there is no hiding the power of Sinner and Alcaraz, but one question still lingers on: who will win what major titles in 2026?

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Sinner is the defending champion of the Australian Open, the first grand slam tournament of the calendar year, and also holds the Wimbledon title for 2025.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz's impressive form saw him collect the US Open and French Open trophies as well as a remarkable $31.79m in winnings this year.

That success has not gone unnoticed by any person in the tennis world, rather instead has fuelled the fire over the recent Christmas break for many of the pair's competitors.

De Minaur is one of the many who are nearing closer to upsetting the rhythm of the world's top two, with his first challenge against the pair likely to come on home soil.

The Aussie tennis summer kicks off with the 2026 United Cup from Friday, January 2. Watch it live and free on Nine and 9Now.

The 26-year-old, world No.7, has not defeated either Alcaraz or Sinner but is confident that he may have discovered a possible answer to claiming victory over the pair.

"I've played some very close matches over the years with both of them, and you feel like you are getting closer and closer," he told reporters in Sydney.

"You have to work on your game, find new weapons. For me, it is finding different ways to hurt these players. It might be being ready to take more risks or to be a disruptor.

"It's a couple things here and there that we've been trying to work towards, in hopes to take that next step. There is no other way than just getting better, that's all it is."

De Minaur has made just one change to his team leading into the summer, bringing on a new fitness coach who has never stepped foot on Australian soil.

The work the pair have done is something de Minaur, nicknamed the Demon, is proud of.

But it is not just his fitness that has helped his mentality in recent weeks, his frequent breaks throughout the season have also assisted to get his body back to top form.

"I feel great. This has probably been the longest off season I've had in a long time," de Minaur, who is competing with Team Australia in the United Cup next week, said.

"I had about a week off, it's not like we are talking about a whole month or anything. It is enough time to make you miss the sport and be ready for the tough pre-season ahead.

"I've had time to relax and time to train for the new season. I want to make sure I'm in my best condition. I always want to start off well here.

"What I found over the years, for me to bring my best tennis, I need to be able to switch off when I'm off the court. As soon as I leave the court, I try to switch off, go for nice dinners, get a coffee, go for a wander ... that's my way of making sure I don't burn out.

"For me, that helps me make sure that when I step on court I am all ready to go.

"It's no secret that the (Australian Open) is a tournament that I want to do well at and play my best tennis at," de Minaur added, looking to his upcoming schedule.

"The Australian fans are passionate, they are the best in the world. For any of the Aussies competing, there is nothing we want to do more than play well in front of our home fans.

"There has been a real effort over the last few years to keep on getting the best out of myself. I've been improving every year so I am hoping that I will have a great summer."