Will Christian Harrison & Neal Skupski be the new All-Star Doubles Team in 2026? | ATP Tour
ATP Tour
Could Harrison and Skupski be the new All-Star doubles team in 2026?
The American-British pair are chasing success at the Australian Open
January 24, 2026
Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski are playing their first season as a team.
Written by Andrew Eichenholz
The start of the year is more than just the start of the season for some doubles players. It is an important time to start a new partnership.
One of the key new teams in 2026 is Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski, both of whom competed in the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals with different partners – Harrison and Evan King and Skupski and Joe Salisbury.
“I’m very happy with the way things are going with Christian,” said Skupski. “Christian came to Baton Rouge to train for a week in the offseason, so that was the first step to get to know each other better on the tennis court, work on a few things together and make sure it doesn’t come out when we meet together in Australia.”
The pair decided to play in the United Cup, allowing them to train together in Perth despite competing in different countries.
“That was another good week of training together. Adelaide was good, we had three games against good teams and we came here with confidence,” Skupski said. “I think we’re playing well. I think there are areas we need to improve, but it’s a Grand Slam. It’s too late to work on these things right now.
“We will go with momentum, which seems to be working right now. We know each other’s strengths, so we try to use them. But I am very happy with the first two rounds.”
Harrison and Skupski made the Adelaide semi-finals in their first tournament together, beating 2024 Nitto ATP Finals champions Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. The sixth seed is through two rounds at the Australian Open and will play Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the quarter-finals.
“It’s good that we were able to start on the right foot. We gave ourselves a lot of time to practice – as much as we could – considering that we wouldn’t spend much time alone until we get to the competitions,” said Harrison. “But it’s good that we were able to work together and see how our games will fit together.”
Skupski explained that he and Harrison are “still learning on the job” and focus on communicating well during and after every game. They are “more open” to each other to help speed up the process of growing as a team.
“It’s something I’m really excited about this year,” Skupski said. “I think we can do a good job and we can be successful. It’s the start of something hopefully long-term. I’m looking forward to long-term success with Christian.
Harrison said: “It’s always nervous early on with a new relationship like that because you know you’ve both accomplished it and you just want to find the best way to make your team work as effectively as possible.”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, and we’re looking to build a good playing relationship, off the court together and enjoy playing tennis and sports.”
