PREVIEW Men's Australian Open 2025 as Jannik Sinner rivalled by Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic aims for back-to-back feat

It’s time for the first Grand Slam of the year, as the Australian Open returns for its 113th edition from 12 to 26 January 2025, held at the iconic Melbourne Park. Our preview looks ahead to the men's ATP tournament featuring Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

As the first major tournament of the year, it sets the tone for the tennis calendar, attracting the world's best players to compete for bragging rights early on. Since its transition to hardcourt surfaces in 1987, the Australian Open has gained a reputation for high-paced, gruelling matches, often testing players' physical and mental limits away from the European winter, and the heat of the Australian summer.

No discussion of the Australian Open is complete without mentioning Novak Djokovic, who has an unparalleled record at this event, as he has won the men’s singles title a record ten times, and he has regularly been unstoppable on the Melbourne courts throughout his career. His last victory came in 2021, when he matched his own feat of winning three consecutive Australian Opens, a streak he achieved twice, from 2011 to 2013 and again from 2019 to 2021. However, the tournament has seen a shift in the power dynamics since then, with new contenders rising to challenge the Serbian’s supremacy.

The 2024 Australian Open was filled with brilliant performances, and Jannik Sinner emerged as the star of the tournament, clinching his maiden Grand Slam title in a final that will be remembered for years to come. The Italian sensation defeated Daniil Medvedev in a stunning five-set thriller, overturning a two-set deficit to secure victory with a final scoreline of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. This triumph marked a turning point in Sinner’s career, as he proved that he was truly one of the very best of the new era of stars.

Sinner’s journey to the title was no less impressive than the final itself. In the semi-finals, he took down Novak Djokovic, ending the Serbian’s hopes of an eleventh Australian Open crown. Sinner’s performance against Djokovic demonstrated his mental fortitude and tactical brilliance, qualities that had been evident throughout his remarkable 2024 season where he climbed to world number 1 and also added the US Open to his collection.

The final against Medvedev was a rollercoaster to say the least. Medvedev dominated the first two sets, exploiting Sinner’s tentative start with clinical precision. However, Sinner held his nerve and came to the fore as he clawed his way back into the match, seizing control in the third set with a decisive break of serve. From there, Sinner’s confidence grew, while Medvedev appeared increasingly fatigued. The Italian seized the moment, breaking Medvedev’s serve in the final set to complete an extraordinary comeback, becoming a grand slam champion for the first time.

This year’s Australian Open promises another thrilling contest as the world’s best players converge in Melbourne. Jannik Sinner, the defending champion and current World No. 1, enters the tournament as the favourite following his spectacular 2024 season, with two Grand Slam titles and a maiden ATP Finals crown to his name. Sinner begins his campaign against Chile’s Nicolás Jarry, a 29-year-old who has previously reached the quarter-finals of the US Open and French Open but has struggled for consistency in recent years. Ranked 201st in the world, Jarry faces a daunting task against the in-form Italian.

Carlos Alcaraz, the World No. 3, is of course another player to watch. The 21-year-old Spaniard has already achieved incredible success, including two Wimbledon titles, a US Open victory, and a French Open crown. The Australian Open remains the only Grand Slam missing from his collection, and Alcaraz is determined to complete the set in Melbourne. He begins his campaign against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, and fans are eagerly anticipating a potential quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic, a matchup that would pit two generations of tennis excellence against each other.

Speaking of Djokovic, the ten-time Australian Open champion comes into the tournament as the seventh seed. The Serbian legend had an eventful 2024, highlighted by his Olympic gold medal in Paris, which completed his Career Golden Slam. However, injuries and inconsistent performances hampered his season, and his best grand slam performance came during a loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic’s preparation for the Australian Open has been less than ideal, with a surprising defeat to Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International raising questions about his form. Nevertheless, Djokovic’s record in Melbourne speaks for itself, and few would bet against him making a deep run.

Daniil Medvedev, the World No. 5, is another man hoping for a better year in 2025. Despite a difficult 2024 season in which he failed to win a single title, Medvedev remains a formidable player on hard courts, and the 28-year-old has reached the Australian Open final three times, only to fall short on each occasion. Last year’s heartbreaking loss to Sinner will no doubt serve as motivation as he aims to finally lift the trophy, and Medvedev begins his campaign against Thailand’s Kasidit Samrej, a player he is expected to dispatch with ease.

Alexander Zverev, the World No. 2, is still searching for his first Grand Slam title. The German came close in 2024, reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne before falling to Medvedev at that stage. Zverev’s powerful game is well-suited to the fast courts of Melbourne Park, and he will be hoping to go one step further this year. He faces France’s Lucas Pouille in the opening round, a match that should provide Zverev with an opportunity to find his rhythm.

The 2025 Australian Open presents several intriguing storylines and potential milestones. Carlos Alcaraz has the chance to become the ninth male player in tennis history to complete a Career Grand Slam in singles, and if he succeeds, he will join an elite group that includes legends like Rod Laver, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz is still just 21 and undoubtedly one of the most talented player we’ve ever seen, but Sinner has shown that he is beatable and the pressure of making history could weigh heavily on his shoulders.

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, will be aiming to extend his record of Grand Slam titles to 25. Such an achievement would further strengthen his claim as the greatest player of all time, however, with a challenging draw and questions about his fitness, Djokovic faces an uphill battle to reclaim his Australian Open crown. Jannik Sinner’s quest to defend his title is another story to watch. The Italian’s rise to World No. 1 in 2024 was superb, and a successful title defence in Melbourne would emphasise his status as the best player on the ATP Tour right now.

Here is the full draw for the opening round:

Top Half

Jannik Sinner (Ita) (1) vs Nicolas Jarry (Chl)

Tristan Schoolkate (Aus) vs Taro Daniel (Jpn)

Marcos Giron (USA) vs Yannick Hanfmann (Ger)

Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Arg) vs Flavio Cobolli (Ita) (32)

Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) (18) vs Tallon Griekspoor (Ned)

Miomir Kecmanovic (Srb) vs Dusan Lajovic (Srb)

Matteo Berrettini (Ita) vs Cameron Norrie (Gbr)

Zhizhen Zhang (Chn) vs Holger Rune (Den) (13)

Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre) (11) vs Alex Michelsen (USA)

James McCabe (Aus) vs Martin Landaluce (Esp)

Gabriel Diallo (Can) vs Luca Nardi (Ita)

Adrian Mannarino (Fra) vs Karen Khachanov (19)

Francisco Cerundolo (Arg) (31) vs Alexander Bublik (Kaz)

Facundo Diaz Acosta (Arg) vs Zizou Bergs (Bel)

Tristan Boyer (USA) vs Federico Coria (Arg)

Botic van de Zandschulp (Ned) vs Alex de Minaur (Aus) (8)

Taylor Fritz (USA) (4) vs Jenson Brooksby (USA)

Borna Coric (Cro) vs Cristian Garin (Chl)

Francisco Comesana (Arg) vs Daniel Altmaier (Ger)

Gael Monfils (Fra) vs Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (Fra) (30)

Ben Shelton (USA) (21) vs Brandon Nakashima (USA)

Pablo Carreno Busta (Esp) vs Kamil Majchrzak (Pol)

Roberto Bautista Agut (Esp) vs Denis Shapovalov (Can)

Matteo Arnaldi (Ita) vs Lorenzo Musetti (Ita) (16)

Andrey Rublev (9) vs Joao Fonseca (Brz)

Lorenzo Sonego (Ita) vs Stan Wawrinka (Sui)

Thiago Seyboth Wild (Brz) vs Fabian Marozsan (Hun)

Arthur Rinderknech (Fra) vs Frances Tiafoe (USA) (17)

Alexei Popyrin (Aus) (25) vs Corentin Moutet (Fra)

Rinky Hijikata (Aus) vs Mitchell Krueger (USA)

Camilo Ugo Carabelli (Arg) vs Learner Tien (USA)

Kasidit Samrej (Tha) vs Daniil Medvedev (5)

Novak Djokovic (Srb) (7) vs Nishesh Basavareddy (USA)

Jaime Faria (Por) vs Pavel Kotov

Gauthier Onclin (Bel) vs Reilly Opelka (USA)

Sumit Nagal (Ind) vs Tomas Machac (Cze) (26)

Jiri Lehecka (Cze) (24) vs Li Tu (Aus)

Hugo Gaston (Fra) vs Omar Jasika (Aus)

David Goffin (Bel) vs Benjamin Bonzi (Fra)

Fabio Fognini (Ita) vs Grigor Dimitrov (Bul) (10)

Jack Draper (Gbr) (15) vs Mariano Navone (Arg)

Thanasi Kokkinakis (Aus) vs Roman Safiullin

Damir Dzumhur (Bih) vs Aleksandar Vukic (Aus)

Lukas Klein (Svk) vs Sebastian Korda (USA) (22)

Jordan Thompson (Aus) (27) vs Dominik Koepfer (Ger)

Alexandre Muller (Fra) vs Nuno Borges (Por)

Yoshihito Nishioka (Jpn) vs Aziz Dougaz (Tun)

Alexander Shevchenko (Kaz) vs Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) (3)

Casper Ruud (Nor) (6) vs Jaume Munar (Esp)

Nikoloz Basilashvili (Geo) vs Jakub Mensik (Cze)

Juncheng Shang (Chn) vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Esp)

Jan-Lennard Struff (Ger) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can) (29)

Alejandro Tabilo (Chl) (23) vs Roberto Carballes Baena (Esp)

James Duckworth (Aus) vs Dominic Stricker (Sui)

Kei Nishikori (Jpn) vs Thiago Monteiro (Brz)

Christopher O'Connell (Aus) vs Tommy Paul (USA) (12)

Ugo Humbert (Fra) (14) vs Matteo Gigante (Ita)

Hady Habib (Lbn) vs Yunchaokete Bu (Chn)

Adam Walton (Aus) vs Quentin Halys (Fra)

Otto Virtanen (Fin) vs Arthur Fils (Fra) (20)

Sebastian Baez (Arg) (28) vs Arthur Cazaux (Fra)

Jacob Fearnley (Gbr) vs Nick Kyrgios (Aus)

Pedro Martinez (Esp) vs Luciano Darderi (Ita)

Lucas Pouille (Fra) vs Alexander Zverev (Ger) (2)