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Day one action
‘I take it as fuel to the fire’: Behind the scenes of Demon’s Open eve training session
By Marc McGowan
It’s 12.30pm on Australian Open eve, and Alex de Minaur is on his back stretching in the bowels of Melbourne Park as he prepares for a hit with Jannik Sinner.
De Minaur’s fiancee, British star Katie Boulter, has popped into the player gym to see him, but disappears almost as quickly as she arrived.
Most of ”Team Demon” are here: Coach Adolfo Gutierrez, assistant coach Matt Reid, strength and conditioning coach Emilio Poveda Pagan, and his jack-of-all-trades manager Kathryn Oyeniyi.
Alex de Minaur warms up for his hit with Jannik Sinner.Credit: Eddie Jim
Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and Jaymon Crabb shuffle in soon after.
De Minaur has granted this masthead exclusive access to his Open eve training session, to see and hear what goes on away from the public eye, and how he hones his fitness and reflexes ahead of his first round meeting with formidable Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
At age 25, the Australian is at the peak of his powers.
Coaches used to be confined to a player’s box. Now they can be much closer
By Marc McGowan
Coaches will be on court with players at this year’s Australian Open in a grand slam first that tournament boss Craig Tiley hopes will add a fresh element to the sport.
New coaching “pods” will be positioned in two corners of each court that fit up to four performance staff per player.
Australian Open boss Craig Tiley sits in one of the new courtside pods.Credit: Eddie Jim
Coaches can choose to sit courtside or in their usual space in the stands.
They will be able to access real-time data and statistics from a screen inside the pods, while there is also a cooling mechanism for comfort.
The introduction of Tiley’s pods coincides with coaches officially being allowed to speak to players when they are at the same end of the court from the 2025 Australian Open.
“We tested it this week, and some coaches were a bit sceptical at first, but then they sat down and said, ‘This is great’,” Tiley told this masthead.
Sabalenka ready to roar again
Belarus powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka takes her first steps towards rare air when the Australian Open starts on Sunday.
Sabalenka begins her quest for a third consecutive title at the tournament in Melbourne boasting sub-plots aplenty.
Ayrna Sabalenka plays a shot.Credit: AP
Five Australians play singles matches on the opening day – Aleksandar Vukic, Adam Walton, Li Tu, Omar Jasika and Daria Saville.
The contingent step out ahead of Sabalenka’s first-round match on Sunday against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
If Sabalenka again collects the trophy, she will join greats Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis as consecutive three-time winners in Melbourne.
“I know that I have the possibility of joining legends by winning three times in a row … I don’t want to over-think about that, I just want to do my job,” Sabalenka said.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic hopes to wind back the clock and become the first tennis player to win 25 major singles titles.
Djokovic, chasing a record-extending 11th title in Melbourne, and Australian legend Court have both won 24 majors.
And Djokovic has turned to an unlikely coaching source for an edge: ex-rival Andy Murray.
Andy Murray speaks to Novak Djokovic during a practice session at Melbourne Park.Credit: Getty Images
“He was always one of my greatest rivals, we were always kind of hiding things from each other,” Djokovic said.
“Now, all cards are open on the table.”
Another triumph and the 37-year-old Djokovic would become only the third man to win 100 tour-level titles – Jimmy Connors won 109, Roger Federer 103.
But the Serb megastar enters as seventh seed, a sign of the winds of change sweeping through the upper echelon.
World No.1 Jannik Sinner and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz split the majors between them last year, winning two each.
Sinner, 23, returns to Melbourne as defending champion and under a drugs cloud: last year he twice tested positive for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid.
The Italian blamed it on being exposed to a banned substance via a massage from his trainer and was exonerated, but a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal will be heard in mid-April.
“I haven’t done anything wrong. That is why I am still here,” Sinner said ahead of the tournament where Alex de Minaur will again carry local hopes.
World No.8 de Minaur will enter his “bubble” to shut out the hype of potentially becoming the first Australian man to win the Open since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
“Over the years, of course there’s a little bit more chatter or more hype behind me,” he said.
“There’s always going to be a lot of outside noise, but I’m very fortunate that I have a great team around me, we can focus on our own little bubble.”
Alexei Popyrin looms as Australia’s other sneaky chance of producing a deep run, though Nick Kyrgios’ comeback will dominate on Monday.
At his first grand slam since the 2022 US Open, Kyrgios withdrew from an exhibition match with Djokovic last Thursday night because of an abdominal strain.
AAP
Day one action
Welcome
G’day everyone and welcome to day one of our Australian Open live blogs.
I’m Roy Ward and I’ll be tapping the keys for the day coverage of our blog, so please stay with us throughout the morning and into tonight as the first grand slam of 2025 begins at Melbourne Park.
First matches are due to start at 11am AEDT.
Enjoy the tennis to come.
