The 2025 Australian Open is just around the corner, with the first Grand Slam of the year kicking off in less than two months. Melbourne Park is set to once again host three weeks of the highest level of tennis for fans around the world from the 6th to the 26th of January.
After an incredible rollercoaster of a 2024 season, what are we set to witness at the 113th edition of the AO? Furthermore, can Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka defend their titles?
Sinner had an amazing 2024 season despite being caught in the middle of a doping scandal that rocked the tennis world, causing controversy on tour. Somehow, he ignored the background noise to end the season with 70 wins (before Davis Cup Finals). The 23-year-old was cleared of wrongdoing and returned to his winning ways.
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) challenged the decision to clear him. Now, a final ruling is due from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) early next year. Sinner ended the 2024 season with two Grand Slam titles (Australian Open and US Open), eight titles and the world No.1 ranking. He also just took out the Nitto ATP Finals to conclude his campaign.
After his semi-final victory against Casper Ruud in Turin, he stated: "From last year to now, I feel I have more experience and have grown as a player. Hopefully it will be a good day after a very positive week and a very positive year."
He is the heavy favourite to take out the Australian Open title once again if he maintains the fitness and form that carried him throughout the 2024 season.
Carlos Alcaraz also had a stellar year, picking up both the French Open and Wimbledon titles. Despite ending the season as world No.3 with four titles, he becomes the first player in history to claim two majors in a calendar year and not end the season inside the top-two.
In an interview for Davis Cup, Alcaraz stated: “I just want to keep enjoying my moment and keep dreaming. We’ll see how many Grand Slams I have at the end of my career – 25, 30, 15, or four. I don’t know. All I want to say is that I want to keep enjoying myself and see what the future holds for me."
Most exciting, however, for tennis fans is the budding rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner.
The two players have showcased thrilling tennis, most recently a five-set battle in the French Open semi-finals and a three-set epic at the China Open. Sinner currently leads the tie 6-4, but Alcaraz has won the last three encounters. Could the upcoming AO showcase another thrilling clash between the pair?
How can we continue any further without mentioning the king of Melbourne Park, Novak Djokovic? The world No.6 (yes, outside the top-five) has cemented a legendary status at the AO by taking out the title 10 times, the last in 2023.
Despite injuries affecting his 2024 season, he won the Paris Olympics Gold medal which was the only prize in tennis that alluded him. He is always a contender and will look to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup trophy for the 11th time.
Speaking with Sport Klub, he said: "I am going at full throttle in the off-season, we go for another ride. I just needed to recharge and refresh a bit after an exhausting year."
The rest of the ATP top-10 players - Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Grigor Dimitrov and Alex de Minaur are front runners to start the season strong.
Speaking of de Minaur, he experienced arguably his best season this year. Having earned a career-high ranking of world No.6 in July, he now sits at No.9.
The dual Newcombe medalist won two titles this season and reached the quarter-finals of the last three grand slams, looking to improve on a fourth-round showing at last year's AO.
After ending the 2024 season at the ATP Finals in Turin following three losses, de Minaur admitted: "I’m not satisfied with just staying in my career where I am today. I want to keep on improving. That’s going to be the goal for next season."
Nick Kyrgios is also set to make his return to Grand Slam tennis in January. In a press
conference, the former 2022 Wimbledon finalist stated: "I am feeling fit and healthy, and I am
excited for my return to tennis... It has been a long journey of recovery to be where I am
today."
Sabalenka will seek her third consecutive AO title, cementing her as a heavy favourite to take the title out again in 2025.
The Belarusian ends the season with two more Grand Slams under her belt (Australian Open and US Open), four titles, a 56-14 win-loss record and the world No.1 ranking.
She told Arab News at the WTA Finals: "I’m trying to focus on myself, on improving myself, to make sure that I have all of the tools to dominate the tour as they (Serena Williams and Iga Świątek) did."
Świątek is always a fierce competitor for a major title, and she finished the 2024 season
with the French Open trophy, five titles, a 56-8 win-loss record and the world No.2
ranking.
Wim Fissette, the coach of Świątek in an interview with Eurosport, highlighted his
goals for their partnership heading into the 2025 season.
"The main goal will be this, as everyone wants to see Iga reigning on the clay, the fans place her as the queen of this surface," Fissette said. "Obviously, having success in the other Grand Slams is also a fundamental objective, perhaps achieving a higher level of comfort on faster surfaces."
Last year's US Open champion Coco Gauff also had a spectacular 2024 run, taking the title at the year-end WTA Finals in Riyadh.
After her win, she said: "I think for me it was just motivation. I'm the author of my own
story, and I'm not going to let anybody write me off."
Gauff won three titles in total and clinched the world No.3 ranking.
The rest of the WTA top-10 players including Jasmine Paolini, Qinwen Zheng, Elena Rybakina,
Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Daria Kasatkina, and Barbora Krejčíková are all coming off promising seasons and have the potential to make noise at the 2025 AO.
However, the Happy Slam is known to spring surprises, and we are sure to have some new
names rise above the pack.
The First Serve will be working diligently over the three weeks of AO 2025 to bring you
first-hand coverage across our website, radio show and on all our socials. Make sure to
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