Bagel Bites: I want a divorce!

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I'm back after a lovely week in the land where very tall and strong people learn to speed skate on frozen canals.

And now it's time to lock in a figure out WHAT THE HECK is happening in the tennis world. Here is what we know so far about the 2026 tennis season:

• Previously on The Bagel: Of Passports and Plagiarism.
• In news I truly did not see coming: Carlos Alcaraz will not be coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2026. The two have called it quits after seven incredible years. This is obviously very sad and gutting to anyone with eyes, a heart, and a soul. Ferrero and Samuel Lopez were named ATP Coaches of the Year just last week. Spanish press is reporting that Lopez will stay on.

• Spanish press is reporting that the breakdown came two days ago during Ferrero's contract negotiation. (RNE Deportes via Twitter)
• Sebastian Fest tries to read between the lines and says there have been long-running disagreements between Ferrero and Alcaraz's father. (Claytenis.com)
• Mercedes Benz has signed on to be a Premier Partner and Exclusive Automobile Provider for the WTA Tour in a deal that will bring in $50M per year for the up to 10 years. The long-term nature of the deal will definitely bring some additional stability during a time when everything just seems a bit TBD. According to the reporting, the deal will not impact any tournament's pre-existing car sponsors. (BBC)
• Props to Hard Court for being the first to break the news. Jessica Shiffer has been breaking a lot 0f news on Hard Court over the last couple of months and I hope everyone is taking notice of that. Good stuff.
• H0logic's title sponsorship agreement ends at the end of this year and I do hope people take the time to thank them. I truly mean that. They were an absolute lifesaver in every way and they did great work in using the WTA's platform to raise awareness on women's health issues. I don't even want to think about what the WTA would be if they hadn't stepped in when they did. And I always loved the narrative arc of the WTA going from Virginia Slims to Hologic in 50 years.
• This part from Charlie Eccleshare at The Athletic is important – emphasis mine:

The deal was agreed through WTA Ventures, which is the organization that would join commercially with the ATP Tour in any merger. Last month, the ATP Board and ATP Media shareholders voted in favor of a short-form, non-binding agreement for that merger, and a separate source briefed on those discussions said that an equivalent WTA vote is expected to take place before the end of 2025.

If the women’s tour also votes in favor, discussions will progress toward a long-form agreement, including details of revenue splits, the composition of the board and its chief executive. The proposed merger would not come with a 50-50 revenue split between the two tours at present.

• Coco Gauff signed with Mercedes, too. I've always been curious how it work when a tour's name sponsor also sponsors one of the tour's marquee players. I can't remember the last time it happened?

• Here are the full calendars: 2026 WTA Calendar (PDF), 2026 ATP Calendar (PDF) – and do not ask me why the ATP doesn't have a standalone 2026 calendar. Just scroll down the PDF.
• Bless this house for tennis not starting before the actual new year. The 2026 WTA and ATP seasons begins on Friday, January 2 with the United Cup in Perth. Sydney gets underway the next day.
• Speaking of the United Cup, here's who's confirmed (as of now) and how the teams drew out:

• Perth: With Taylor and Coco, defending champions USA should be heavily favored out of Group A. Italy (Cobolli/Paolini) will have the edge over Belinda Bencic's Swiss squad in Group C. And Group E is the Group of Death, with a GB Team of Draper/Raducanu, Greece's Tsitsipas/Sakkari, and Japan's Mochizuki/Osaka. GB proooooobably has the edge? This is definitely the who-is-healthy-who-is-in-form group.
• Sydney: Iga and Hubie will try once again to bring it home for Poland, who have finished runner-up the last two years. The team that beat them the first time? Germany, and the two will face in group. The home team has a strong squad this year with Demon and MAYA JOINT THE GOAT, but Mensik and Krej are going to be TOUGH. As for Group B, it really depends on how sharp Mboko will be. If it comes down to the mixed, I don't know if I'm betting against Elise Mertens' Belgian squad.
• If you're a real nerd and like to plan your life out so you know how to manage your sleep schedule to be awake for the matches you want, here is a match-by-match schedule:

• In addition to United Cup, Week 1 will see WTA action in Brisbane (500) and Auckland (250) and ATP action in Brisbane (250) and Hong Kong (250).
• Carlos and Jannik are playing an exo match in Seoul on January 10, but otherwise they'll be going straight into the Australian Open with no lead-ups. (BBC)
• Defending champ and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka returns to Brisbane, along with Amanda Anisimova and WTA Finals champion Elena Rybakina. They lead a pack of seven Top 10 players, including Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys. (WTA)
• A sight for sore eyes: Karolina Pliskova! The three-time champion and former No. 1 and Ace Queen is on the Brisbane entry list. We love Plisko. She's pretty much been out of the last two years due to, first, a wrist injury, and most recently an ankle injury sustained during her comeback during the summer.
• Daniil Medvedev, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Jiri Lehecka and Tommy Paul are the Top 20 players entered in ATP Brisbane. Also kicking off their seasons in Queensland: Learner Tien, Joao Fonseca, Frances Tiafoe, and HOORAY Grigor Dimitrov. (Tennis.com.au)

• Over in Auckland, Elina Svitolina and Emma Navarro are the two Top 20 in the main draw, though the draw also features Alex Eala and Janice Tjen which is fun. But the news is the wildcards, which have gone to Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, and Katie Boulter.
• And in Hong Kong, Lorenzo Musetti, Alexander Bublik, Andrey Rublev, and Karen Khachanov lead the ATP 250 field. Notably, the tournament has also confirmed Arthur Fils, who could only pay one tournament after Roland Garros last year due to a stress fracture in his back.
• In Week 2, Pegula, Keys, Mirra Andreeva and Ekaterina Alexandrova are the Top 10 players entered in the Adelaide International. Jess and Madi played the final last year, and that's where Madison pretty much told the world she was gonna win the Australian Open. It's a loaded entry list – the cut off is No. 28 Sofia Kenin – but as always, we'll see how the withdrawals shake out post Brisbane and United Cup.
• Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper lead the Top 10 for the men in Adelaide. Also in the field are Tommy Paul, Joao Fonseca, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. (Tennis.com.au)
• Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud top the entry list for the ATP 250 in Auckland. Defending champion Gael Monfils, who has said 2026 will be his last rodeo, is also set to return.

• As for the Australian Open, everyone in the ATP and WTA Top 100 are playing except for Danielle Collins, Ons Jabeur (maternity leave), and Holger Rune (achilles). (AO.com)
• Adidas appears to be going Dutch in Melbourne. (Women's Tennis Blog)
• There's quite a bit of reshuffling happening in doubles, with more moves to come, I suspect. On the WTA side, Dabrowski and Routliffe will split, with Erin set to play with Asia Muhammad. Those two are best buds and it's rumored to be Asia's last season. That leaves Demi Schuurs looking, but she's told Dutch press that she's already secured Ellen Perez. For the ATP, Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury are splitting, per Jim Courier, who said Salisbury will take a three-month break for mental health reasons.

• Just in time for the Australian summer, the ATP has come into alignment with the WTA and introduce the heat rule for 2026. Basically, if the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature – which takes into account multiple factors like temperature, humidity, wind, etc. – hits 30.1 C, things will start happening. (ATP)

10-Minute Cooling Break
Cooling measures will be implemented when the WBGT reaches 30.1°C or higher during the first two sets of best-of-three singles matches. When activated, a 10-minute cooling break after the second set may be requested by either player and will apply to both players in singles.

During the break, players may utilise cooling measures, hydrate, change clothing, shower and receive coaching, under the supervision of ATP medical staff.

Suspension of Play
Play will be suspended when the WBGT exceeds 32.2°C.

• I repeat and reiterate before commentators and fans start staying stupid-ass shit regarding the heat rule in a few weeks: THE WET BULB GLOBE TEMPERATURE IS NOT THE STRAIGHT UP TEMPERATURE SO DON'T BE WHINING ABOUT SUSPENSIONS OR NON-SUSPENSIONS JUST BECAUSE YOUR PHONE SAYS IT'S 32C.
• Sigh. You know it's still going to happen. I know it's still going to happen. We all know IT WILL STILL GOING TO HAPPEN.
• Interesting reading here: The Australian Open revamped its Extreme Heat Policy last year and this article thoroughly explains the why and how of it all. Per the article, the WBGT was developed in the 1950s by the U.S. military for troops training in the deep south, which means it's not exactly the best measure in regions that have dry heat. That's something to consider for events like Indian Wells. (ABC.net.au)
• Roger Federer is playing an exo ahead of the Australian Open.

• Garbiñe Muguruza will be co-tournament director at the Madrid Open and I think that's great news. The women need a strong advocate there. I hope that will be her. (The Athletic via Yahoo)

The assignment to oversee the tournament alongside her compatriot Feliciano López carries a good bit of responsibility for a former women’s world No. 1. For years, the Madrid Open had a well-earned reputation for treating women as second-class tennis players.

Its former owner, the Romanian billionaire and former player Ion Țiriac, long argued to revoke paying equal prize money. WTA Tour players complained that they received worse court assignments and scheduling compared with their male counterparts.

Sports conglomerate IMG purchased the tournament from Țiriac in 2022, but ugly moments continued. That year, organizers scheduled the women’s singles final between the men’s semifinals; in 2023, they prohibited the women’s doubles finalists from speaking during the trophy ceremony.

The players, Victoria Azarenka, Beatriz Haddad-Maia, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, all called the decision unacceptable. The disparity in the size of birthday cakes given to Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka also came under fire.

• The hottest tennis ticket of 2026 is the International Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Any argument against that indisputable fact is wrong. (tennisfame.com)
• A thing we don't KNOW but idk maybe is that Craig Tiley is in advanced talks to become the CEO of the USTA?!?!? That rumor was originally reported by Sportico, followed by Sports Business Journal. (nine.com.au)
• There will be no ATP Next Gen Finals in Jeddah next year. As Reem Abulleil reported, the Saudi Tennis Federation opted out of its five-year deal. The ATP has opened up bids for a new host city. (The National)