The final stretch of the 2026 season still has plenty to offer, even with the Grand Slam calendar complete. The battle for year-end No. 1 in both tours promises to shape the closing weeks, while the progress of emerging names and returning players will also draw attention.

On the ATP side, Alexander Zverev has moved into pole position to finish the year at No. 1 after adding the US Open title to the French Open crown he collected in June. That result has opened a healthy gap over Jannik Sinner, but the story is far from over. Zverev has committed to a demanding schedule as he pursues the top ranking for the first time in his career, while Sinner has points to defend and is expected back from the knee injury that ruled him out of the US Open. His position will depend heavily on how well he recovers.

In the WTA standings, Elena Rybakina has emerged as the leading candidate to end the season at No. 1. The newly crowned US Open champion has now beaten Aryna Sabalenka in two Grand Slam finals in 2026, having also defeated her at the Australian Open in January. Rybakina now faces the task of maintaining that level through the finish, with a strong chance to defend the WTA Finals title she won last year.

Alex Eala is set for a major run of attention during the Asian swing. She will represent the Philippines at the Asian Games and compete in several tournaments across the region, where her popularity is expected to grow even further.

There is also interest in the comebacks of Holger Rune and Emma Raducanu. Rune returned to action in Davis Cup after a torn Achilles tendon last November, while Raducanu continues to recover from a stress fracture in her foot and is targeting a return in 2026.

The closing weeks of the season may already be underway, but several important storylines are still waiting to unfold.

Rafael Jodar announced himself on Davis Cup duty for Spain with a commanding first appearance, easing past Cristian Garin 6-0, 6-2 to help put his side 2-0 up away to Chile. Earlier, Daniel Merida had already given Spain the opening point by defeating Alejandro Tabilo, leaving the visitors in a strong position.

At 20, Jodar arrived as Spain’s highest-ranked player in the tie, with Carlos Alcaraz absent, and that placed added responsibility on the young player. Even so, he handled the occasion with notable authority and delivered a result that stands out in Spanish Davis Cup history.

His start has actually bettered the one made by Rafael Nadal. Nadal made his Davis Cup debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old, but it did not begin with a win, as he lost to Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic. Jodar has therefore opened his Davis Cup account with a cleaner beginning than Nadal managed, even if matching the scale of Nadal’s team record would be an enormous task.

After that early defeat, Nadal went on to stay unbeaten in Davis Cup singles for Spain for two decades, until his final match against Botic van de Zandschulp in 2024. That straight-sets loss brought only his second defeat in Davis Cup singles and also marked the end of his career.

Nadal closed with a 29-2 singles record in the competition and also finished with winning doubles numbers, taking eight victories and suffering four losses. Those contributions helped Spain secure four Davis Cup titles between 2004 and 2019.

For Jodar, the focus now turns to his next rubber against Tabilo in Chile. Spain already hold a 2-0 advantage, and another victory would seal their place in the Davis Cup Finals.

With Carlos Alcaraz potentially back for the Davis Cup Finals, Spain could still be among the leading contenders for the title this year. The Finals are scheduled for 24 to 29 November in Bologna, Italy, where Italy will defend the crown after winning in 2024 and 2025. Spain’s last title came in 2019, when Nadal was part of the team.

The Davis Cup remains one of tennis’s most prestigious competitions, yet the format introduced in 2018 has continued to draw criticism.

The event once followed a home-and-away model, with ties contested over best-of-five sets. That structure was replaced just under a decade ago, when the Davis Cup Finals were transformed into a single-site knockout event featuring eight teams.

The switch has not won universal approval. Several leading players have voiced their dissatisfaction, among them Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. Roger Federer also opposed the move, even though he appeared only sparingly in the competition during the later stage of his career.

Federer’s objection was rooted in concern for what the change meant for the next generation. Speaking in 2018, he said: “Then for Davis Cup, I don’t know how the votes work, to be honest. But clearly the ITF has never historically involved the players, so that is saying — but the federations, yeah, we’re kind of there but we’re actually not there.

“They decided to do that. I’m still a bit surprised. I feel sad about not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. Will never be the same. This is for the next generation, and I just hope that every penny will be paid of that mass of money that has been paid for the next generation, because we have seen a similar situation way back when with the tour and it set us back in a big way.

“I don’t want that to happen again. But, look, I’m all for innovation, and gotta give them a chance to some extent. It will be interesting to see how it’s going to work.”

Despite his reservations about the modern setup, Federer did experience one memorable Davis Cup triumph. His only title in the competition came in 2014, when he and Stan Wawrinka helped Switzerland defeat France in the final and secure the nation’s first-ever victory in the event.

Federer opened that final with a straight-sets loss to Gael Monfils, but he recovered to beat Richard Gasquet. He then partnered Wawrinka in doubles, and the pair also defeated Gasquet and Julien Benneteau in straight sets as Switzerland completed a 3-1 win.

He finished his Davis Cup career with a 40-8 record in singles and a 12-10 mark in doubles.