January 9, 2025

Australian Open 2025 Preview

In the world of tennis, the start of the new year means the start of a new season of tennis and also the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open. One of the top sporting events in Australia takes place right in the middle of their summer, and heralds the start of the much loved tennis season. It feels as though it stands alone in terms of majors, with the second one, the French Open, not taking place until May.

This year’s tournament starts on January 12th, with the draw taking place on Thursday 9th. The top seeds are already known as these follow the rankings in the ATP and WTA. Last season, Italian Jannik Sinner won his first Australian Open, launching what was an impressive 2024 for him. On the women’s side, it was Aryna Sabalenka who won for a second straight year. One can expect that both of last year’s winners will be battling it out at the latter stages of the tournament, in an attempt to hold on to their titles.

Both defending champions are heavy favourites to win yet again in 2025. Sabalenka in particular, comes into this tournament in peak form, having already won the Brisbane International tournament in the build up to the Australian Open. The expectation is that Coco Gauff will put up a strong challenge as she is poised to have an excellent 2025, and Iga Swiatek will hope to be involved when it comes to the business end of the women’s tournament. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner was pretty much unbeatable on the hard courts in 2024, so he will be the man to beat again. The most likely challenger is surely Carlos Alcaraz, with the Spaniard searching for his first Australian Open win. The first Grand Slam of the season is the only one that he has yet to win, so the extra motivation is there. Novak Djokovic is still going strong, and he has now paired up with recently retired Andy Murray, who has replaced Goran Ivanisevic in the Serbian’s corner. The hope is that some fresh ideas from another former Grand Slam winner will help to add something new to his game, even at his age. 

The Australian Open is the highest attended of all the Grand Slams, with over 1.1 million fans expected to turn up to watch their sporting heroes. Prize money has yet again increased when compared to last year, up by 11.6% to a total of 96.5 million Australian dollars, which means that the winner of both the men’s and women’s tournaments will pocket an impressive A$3.5 million each.

Men’s Singles

It is widely expected that Sinner and Alcaraz will dominate the men’s tennis circuit again this year, starting with the Australian Open. Therefore, it would be a surprise if anyone outside of the top two won the tournament taking place over the next weeks. Last year, all four of the Grand Slam titles were shared between Sinner and Alcaraz so it will take something special for anyone else to break that stranglehold. Sinner is justifiably the favourite of the two, given that he won here last season. However, it is worth remembering that last year it was Novak Djokovic who was favourite to win the tournament and that didn’t become a reality. The difference is that Sinner and Alcaraz are both players who are entering their prime and appear to be some way away from the chasing pack. As one might imagine, the price for Sinner to win this time around is significantly shorter than it was last year, when he was only fourth favourite. He won both hard court Grand Slams as well as hard court wins in Miami, Shanghai, Cincinnati and Turin. He might have some added pressure on his shoulders this time as he goes into this tournament as the favourite, but he appears to have the temperament to not let that bother him. It is worth noting that Alcaraz did get the better of Sinner in all three of their meetings in 2024. The only other player to beat the Italian on the hard courts was Andrey Rublev in Montreal. Alcaraz is a player who is arguably the most talented on the circuit but can lack consistency, he does know how to beat Sinner but it depends which version of Alcaraz turns up. It is actually world number two Zverev who is ranked second going into the tournament, with the German’s consistent form helping him into the semi finals last year. He is still searching for his first Grand Slam title but will fancy his chances, although perhaps hard court isn’t his best surface. Djokovic remains a danger, but he had an injury plagued 2024, so it remains to be seen whether he is fit enough to mount a serious challenge in Melbourne. Other players worth keeping an eye on are hard court specialists Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev, who are very consistent at the biggest hard court events. Further down the rankings are a number of players worth keeping an eye on, such as Britain’s Jack Draper, who reached the US Open semi finals last year, and Czech player Tomas Machac.

The top five seeds for the men’s draw are:

1. Jannik Sinner

2. Alexander Zverev

3. Carlos Alcaraz

4. Taylor Fritz

5. Daniil Medvedev

Women’s Singles

2024 was Aryna Sabalenka’s year. She was well ahead of her opponents on the hard court, winning both Grand Slams on her favourite surface. Her form looks ominous going into this year’s first major tournament as she warmed up with a win in Brisbane, and she has now won 27 out of 28 of her last matches in Australia, she certainly feels at home down under. As one might imagine, she is favourite to retain her crown this year, but there is a long list of players who are hoping to challenge her. She will need to be at her best if she wants to make it three Australian Open titles in a row. The top challenger is surely Coco Gauff, second favourite in the odds market but seeded third. A change in coaching staff towards the end of last year appears to have benefitted the American and she has won all her matches in straight sets so far this season, including wins over Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova. Elena Rybakina had a season to forget in 2024, with injury and illness hampering her significantly. She appears to be back to fitness now and a fit and firing Rybakina is a daunting prospect for any opponent. She is fourth favourite in the betting market and is certainly a good option for when it comes to picking a favourite to win this year’s title. Further down the rankings it is worth mentioning Naomi Osaka, Jasmine Paolini and the aforementioned Karolina Muchova, who are all worth keeping an eye on.

The top ten seeds for the women’s draw are:

1. Aryna Sabalenka

2. Iga Swiatek

3. Coco Gauff

4. Jasmine Paolini

5. Qinwen Zheng

Predictions

It is hard to back anyone outside of the top four to actually win the event, both on the women’s and men’s side of the draw. The current favourites, Sinner and Sabalenka, are so comfortable on the hard surfaces and both have tasted success in Australia. There will surely be someone making a dash for the last four and a lot depends on how kind the draw is to certain players. Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev look poised to provide a stern threat to Jannik Sinner, whereas it might be worth backing Gauff to get the better of Sabalenka this time around, given her excellent recent form. Alternatively, perhaps backing one of the young, up and coming players to reach the semi-finals could be an appealing bet. Whilst we don’t foresee too many surprises, this tournament will certainly entertain and we look forward to two weeks of exceptional tennis in front of some of the most vocal fans on the circuit. 

Last Updated: 09.01.2025