This is an Australian Open not to be missed. Carlos Alcaraz is, incredibly, going for a career grand slam at just 21 years of age. Jannik Sinner is striving to go back-to-back in Melbourne, while Novak Djokovic is pushing for an 11th title. And that’s just the men’s draw. The women’s singles will be incredibly tight, thanks to the genuine depth on the WTA Tour.
It’s always hard at the start of a season to assess the state of play and settle on the women’s favourite for Melbourne Park. Aryna Sabalenka, however, has been the dominant player on hard courts during much of the past few years. I feel Aryna has really settled into that position of world No.1 and will be hard to beat as she tries to win three Australian titles in a row. One of the top traits she has developed is great consistency. Plus, the Australian Open naturally suits her. Aryna also is now very comfortable playing in the latter stages of slams, fitted with the right temperament.
Kazakhstan star Elena Rybakina.Credit: Getty Images
China’s Zheng Qinwen will be in the mix again, having made the final in Melbourne last year when Sabalenka was almost unbeatable. Zheng’s game has developed and grown in spades. She’s coming off a gold medal triumph in Paris as well. There were various other big wins throughout the year for her, too, including when she lost to world No.3 Coco Gauff to just miss a WTA Finals triumph.
As for Gauff, there’s no reason why she now can’t go deep in Melbourne. Previously, she’s probably just fallen at those hurdles midway through the event a few times. But with more experience behind her, and that big win in Saudi Arabia, there’s no reason as to why she can’t be there in the conversation. With all those girls in the world’s top 10, the margins are so fine throughout those matches. Whoever plays those big moments well, whoever is able to have clarity in the moment and really execute their skills, will prevail.
But who’s my tip to win? I’ve settled on the world No.6 and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. I think she’s ideally placed to go one better in Melbourne after being beaten in an epic three-set final against Sabalenka two years ago.
As for my fellow Australians, the country has been able to create a bit more depth within the women’s game with those players ranked between 100 and 200. A few of our next generation of players – including Olivia Gadecki, Emerson Jones and now Maya Joint – have developed well.
It’s an exciting period for the country. We’re going to have a very full quota of Aussie girls in the quallies draw, with some of them looking to be able to take that step and getting into the main draw of a slam for a first time; some others trying to do it again. There are more than a few Australian girls to keep an eye on: Maya rightly got a wildcard, which is a good opportunity. Emerson is in her first Australian Open as well. She’s very young – it will all be very new and exciting for her.
Sometimes you need a little bit of luck with who you draw in those early rounds. It would be nice to see some of those girls avoid the top-10 girls, just to give them a chance to get going. Fingers crossed for a bit of luck.
As for Gadecki – she’s coming off a really strong end to last season and won her first WTA event in Mexico, too. With a good mix of Aussie girls in action, hopefully we’ve got a couple who are second, third, or perhaps even fourth-round contenders – breaking into new territory.
Everyone’s journey is very different and Liv [Gadecki] has had a unique one. She’s based herself over in the United Kingdom, and that’s been great for her development in terms of taking accountability for her own career. I think now she’s just growing in confidence and belief, and understanding her game – knowing that it is good enough to match it with the best. Now it’s just a case of putting all those pieces of the puzzle together.
On the wider tennis tour, it’s going to look like a very different year now that Rafa Nadal has officially hung up the racquet. And it’s simply remarkable that Djokovic is still hunting those big titles.
As for the Aussie men, there are some great players to follow. Alex de Minaur always gives his all and is a fantastic player to watch. He has had a strong start to the summer and will be leading the charge. I love watching him.
I was sad when Rafa pulled the pin. As a tennis fan I’ll miss simply enjoying watching him play, but, more than that, I’ll miss everything that he brought to the court. He’s an incredible person, has had so much success, and has given so much to the sport of tennis. The sport will be forever grateful and in debt to Rafa, Roger [Federer], Andy [Murray] and Novak. They brought so much joy to everyone watching. I know we’ll deeply miss Rafa, but now it’s more a time to celebrate and remember how lucky we were to witness his greatness.
Daniil Medvedev (right) has lost three Australian Open finals, including in 2024 to Jannik Sinner. Is this finally Medvedev’s year?Credit: Getty Images
While Rafa has moved on, there’s another Spaniard who you can’t miss. Of course I’m talking about Alcaraz. He won the US Open really young, has beaten Djokovic in two Wimbledon finals, and last year was successful at Roland-Garros for the first time. It’s absolutely amazing to think that he could have a career grand slam in his grasp within a few weeks.
It’s a testament to him and his team that he’s becoming the complete player. Moving forward, the rivalry he has with Sinner will be very exciting. They’ve both proven in tournaments, and at the slams, they’ve produced their best tennis, which is really exciting for fans. It’s important that there are really healthy rivalries on both the men’s and women’s sides of tennis.
But, having tipped a first-time winner in the women’s draw, I’m doing the same with the men. I think it’s Daniil Medvedev’s time in Melbourne.
Get ready. It’s going to be a massive couple of weeks.
Ash Barty is a former world No.1, three-time grand slam singles champion, and an Olympic bronze medallist.
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