It is the start of a new year and the first tennis Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, brings unbelievable excitement.
Indeed, the tournament provides unmatched spectacle as players will be taking on each other in the sweltering heat of Melbourne.
This provides a mix of both the predictable and unpredictable. Afrosport previews seven players to watch out for at this year’s Aussie Open.
Jannik Sinner
The Italian is the outright favourite in the men’s singles having lifted his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne last year before adding the US Open to it.
What is more is that Sinner is the men’s world number one player, which solidifies his quest to make it back-to-back titles at Melbourne Park.
Aryna Sabalenka
The Belarusian is the defending women’s singles champion, capturing her second straight title after defeating China’s Qinwen Zheng.
Like Sinner, Sabalenka is currently world number one and is the outright favourite for a third consecutive Australian Open crown.
Novak Djokovic
When it comes to the Australian Open, either in the men’s or women’s singles category, nobody comes close to Djokovic.
The Serbian superstar has 10 titles which is the most of any player in either the open era or amateur era.
Djokovic might not be at his strongest like in recent years owing to his age but he has not lost his desire to win titles, evidenced by claiming the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 37-year-old already has 24 Grand Slam titles to his name. One more would take him above Margaret Court to become the player with the most Grand Slams in tennis history.
Carlos Alcaraz
2024 was a very eventful year for Alcaraz after his first French Open title and a second Wimbledon crown.
Only the Australian Open has eluded the 21-year-old with a quarter-final appearance last year his best outing in Melbourne.
However, ultimate victory this year would make Alcaraz the youngest player to win all four Grand Slams, beating compatriot Rafael Nadal’s record which he set at the age of 24.
Iga Swiatek
Swiatek was once seen as an untouchable player at the height of her young career when she was world number one.
Now, world number two, the steam has run out a bit, but that does not mean she is not capable of competing.
Swiatek still managed a third consecutive French Open last year and claimed bronze at the Paris Olympics.
The Australian Open is not really Swiatek’s forte with a semi-final outing in 2022 her best finish.
This still does not rule her out as one of the players who will gun for the women’s singles title.
Coco Gauff
The American star did not win many titles in 2024, nor did she reach any Grand Slam final.
Gauff, however, won the season-ending WTA finals in Riyadh. This sets the tone for a better 2025 and what better way than to make a statement in the first Grand Slam of the year.
The 20-year-old reached the semi-finals in Melbourne last year but lost to eventual champion Sabalenka. Taking it one step further would be able to land her her second tennis major.
Daniil Medvedev
The Russian has a good record in Melbourne, having been to the final three times, including last year.
The only problem is that he has never won on any occasion, losing to Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Sinner.
For a surface he has performed his best in Grand Slams, Medvedev would be itching to clinch his second tennis major (after the 2021 US Open) in Melbourne.
