India’s top-ranked male player, Sumit Nagal, has asked Chinese officials to intervene after a visa refusal that threatens his place in the Australian Open Asia-Pacific wildcard playoff later this month in Chengdu. Nagal said the visa was denied with no explanation and addressed his appeal directly to Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong and the Chinese embassy.

“I am supposed to fly to China soon to represent India at the Australian Open playoff,” Nagal posted Tuesday. “But my visa was rejected without reason. Your urgent help would be much appreciated.”

Australian Open officials were asked for comment on Wednesday. The 2026 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam event of the year, begins Jan. 18 in Melbourne.

The move to seek diplomatic help comes as relations between India and China have shown signs of improvement. The two countries last month planned to resume direct flights between some cities after a five-year suspension as ties begin to thaw.

Press Trust of India reported there’d been no immediate response from the embassy or playoff organizers. The post Nagal shared on social media also appeared in full: “[URGENT] Respected @China_Amb_India and @ChinaSpox_India I am Sumit Nagal, India’s No.1 Tennis player I am supposed to fly to China soon to represent India at the Australian Open Playoff. But my visa was rejected without reason Your urgent help would be much appreciated 🙏🏽”

Nagal, 28, reached a career-high singles ranking of 68 in July 2024 and is currently ranked 275. He has been a member of India’s Davis Cup team since 2018. One of his career highlights came at the 2019 U.S. Open when he took the opening set against Roger Federer before Federer won the next three. In January, Nagal lost in the first round at the Australian Open and he also failed to progress through qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He won the 2015 Wimbledon boys’ doubles title with Vietnam’s Ly Hoang Nam, becoming the sixth Indian player to win a junior Grand Slam title.

The Asia-Pacific wildcard playoff is scheduled Nov. 24-29 at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre. The event features 16-player men’s and women’s singles draws and 12 teams in men’s and women’s doubles. In last year’s playoff in Chengdu, Zhang Shuai of China and Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej earned spots in the 2025 Australian Open main draw.

Nick Kyrgios confirmed he expects to appear at the 2026 Australian Open “in some way,” even as recurring injuries force him to weigh the end of his playing career. The 30-year-old Australian was limited to four events in 2025 — Brisbane, the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami — compiling a 1–4 record as injuries curtailed his season.

This week Kyrgios returned to courtside activity at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Hong Kong, not as a competitor but in mixed off-court roles. After withdrawing because of injury he joined the commentary team and stepped in as coach for French veteran Richard Gasquet. “I really like it,” Kyrgios said of coaching Gasquet, who fell to China’s Jerry Shang in the quarterfinals. “He’s an absolute legend of the game… all the players here respect him. It’s an absolute honor to be next to him at the moment.”

Despite the time away from competition, Kyrgios told Unscriptd he remains active in preparation for a possible return. “I’m training pretty much every day and playing. I’m just not competing,” Kyrgios told host Josh Mansour. “The (ATP) Tour schedule’s nearly done, but there are a couple of events that I’m preparing for.” Those plans include high-profile exhibition appearances: The Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden on December 8, which will feature Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka and Tommy Paul, and a Battle of the Sexes–style match against world No. 1 Sabalenka in Dubai on December 28.

Kyrgios has been on a difficult injury path in recent years. He underwent knee and wrist surgeries and missed nearly two full seasons in 2023 and 2024. “I do know that I’m getting to the end of my tennis career now, especially with all these injuries,” he said. “I can’t do another surgery where you’re out for another six to nine months.” The former Wimbledon finalist in 2022 and 2022 Australian Open doubles champion with Thanasi Kokkinakis is focusing on closing his career on his own terms and ideally finishing in Melbourne. “I don’t know yet,” Kyrgios said when asked if 2026 would be his last season. “It’s just hard because I know what it takes to be at that level, and whether or not you can string those days together. That’s what’s tough…

The Australian Open has added a headline exhibition to its expanded Opening Week in 2026, with world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz confirmed as the leading pro in the Million Dollar 1 Point Slam. The event frames a single, high-stakes point as the deciding element: win that point and the eventual champion takes $1 million.

Tournament director Craig Tiley announced the format: the exhibition will pair Alcaraz and 21 other professionals against 10 amateurs drawn from across Australia. Matches are decided in a single point, with rock-paper-scissors determining who serves or receives. The winner of each point advances, and the final will be staged on Rod Laver Arena where the ultimate winner will be awarded the $1 million prize.

“I can reveal today that World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz will headline the pro player line-up in the Million Dollar 1 Point Slam—a thrilling new initiative where one point could win you $1 million,” said Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley.

Tiley said entries will open at clubs nationwide and that Opening Week finalists will earn the chance to face the pros on Rod Laver Arena. “Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, the ultimate winner will walk away with the prize. Entries will open soon at clubs across the country, and during Opening Week, finalists will compete for a chance to face the pros on Rod Laver Arena,” Tiley added. “With more big names to be announced soon, you now have a million reasons to pick up a racquet and get ready for January.”

The expanded Opening Week will open the Melbourne Park precinct to the public from the first day and will include four nights of charity events in Rod Laver Arena, qualifying matches, open practices and live entertainment. Tiley noted the tournament welcomed 1.2 million fans in 2025 and said Opening Week aims to broaden access and spectacle.

Alcaraz arrives with a busy schedule of exhibitions and non-mandatory events on his calendar in 2025 and is currently sidelined after withdrawing from the Shanghai Masters due to an ankle injury. He sustained that injury during his run to the Tokyo title, where he defeated Taylor Fritz in the final.

Alcaraz has voiced concerns about schedule density: “The calendar is so tight, a lot of tournaments, no days off or not as much days off as I want,” he said at the Laver Cup. “I’m the kind of player who thinks there is a lot of mandatory tournaments during the year, and probably during the next few years gonna be even more tournaments… I mean, probably they are going to kill us in some way.”

Novak Djokovic responded to such concerns with a focus on choice in professional schedules: “Look, it’s an individual sport, so there are choices to be made,” Djokovic said in response to comments from Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. “I see some players say there are rules imposed for the bonus… So you can miss the bonus. It’s the choice that you are willing to make if you want to play less.

“But then, there are exhibitions that players are signing up for as well, so it’s a little bit contradictory.”