The passing of the baton to the following era formally occurred in 2024 with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner sharing the 4 Slams amid Rafael Nadal’s retirement and Novak Djokovic’s close to misses. However are the duo actually able to rule males’s tennis? Whereas Alcaraz did see a drop in his kind within the closing half of 2024, Sinner, regardless of the continued criticism over the doping scandal and the uncertainty over WADA’s attraction, has been raking up information as he arrives in Melbourne as probably the most in-form participant. However Novak Djokovic and his 10 titles actually loom massive.
Italy’s Jannik Sinner takes a drink throughout a observe session forward of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025(AP) FIRST QUARTER
Sinner returns to Melbourne, precisely 12 months after his maiden Slam haul, as the person to beat. For the higher a part of 2024, the Italian discovered himself within the midst of an off-court battle. He had obtained an anti-doping sanction and was stripped of his cash and factors sparking main criticism each from followers and fellow gamers on the tour. However that hardly affected his recreation. Simply weeks after the official revelation in late August, Sinner gained his second main on the US Open, was confirmed because the year-end world No.1 after beating Djokovic within the Shanghai Masters Ultimate, gained the season’s ATP Finals and finally ended the season by guiding Italy to a second consecutive Davis Cup title.
Luck is actually on Sinner’s facet because the 23-year-old has been handed a simple draw. Staring his marketing campaign towards Nicholas Jarry, he’s the favorite to emerge because the semifinalist from the quarter, following a possible final conflict towards residence favorite and top-ranked Aussie Alex de Minaur, who will possible should negate eleventh seed and 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas to arrange the conflict.
Quarterfinal: Sinner beats De Minaur
SECOND QUARTER
Taylor Fritz has been seeded fourth on the Australian Open, the best he has been positioned at any Slam in his profession to date. And that actually helped him keep away from Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz, thus offering him the proper alternative to make the semifinals for the primary time at a serious.
After a string of first-week exits, Fritz had made the quarterfinal final yr on the Melbourne Park. This yr, he heads to town on the again of a powerful United Cup win with United States, the place he gained 4 of his 5 singles matches. Nonetheless, the highway to semifinal will not be a stroll within the park. He can be beginning his marketing campaign towards returning fellow American Jenson Brooksby, who beat him again within the 2021 US Open, earlier than organising a possible conflict towards sixteenth seed Lorenzo Musettii. However his largest menace within the quarter is the following seeded participant within the draw, Daniil Medvedev, a three-time finalist, who though should go previous twenty fifth seed Australian Alexei Popyrin, who had claimed a win of their Paris Masters assembly final yr.
Quarterfinal: Fritz beats Medvedev
THIRD QUARTER
This part of the draw will garner most consideration by way of the course of the 2 weeks with heavyweights Alcaraz and Djokovic on quarterfinal collision course. The Serb, who avenged his second straight Wimbledon closing misplaced on the Paris Olympics, presently leads the head-to-head tie 4-3.
The ten-time champion, seeded seventh, has been handed a tough attract Melbourne. Within the third spherical, he may both meet twenty sixth seed Tomas Machac, who received the higher of him in Geneva final yr, or Reilly Opelka, who defeated him final week in Brisbane, earlier than probably assembly 2025 Brisbane champion Jiri Lehecka within the fourth spherical. The Spaniard, alternatively, finds himself on the straightforward facet of the quarter, along with his nearest menace being fifteenth seed Jack Draper or twenty second seed Sebastian Korda within the fourth spherical.
Quarterfinal: Alcaraz beats Djokovic
FOURTH QUARTER
Australian Open 2025 may lastly be Alexander Zverev’s alternative to seize, after being handed fairly a beneficial draw. His instant menace can be a returning Nick Kyrgios in spherical three, adopted by 14th seed Ugo Humbert within the fourth spherical.
The higher half of the quarter, nonetheless, is stacked with potential semifinalists, who may upset Zverev. Casper Ruud, who made the second week in Melbourne solely as soon as, in 2021, is the best seeded (6) participant on this part, amid the presence of twelfth seed Tommy Paul, a former Australian Open semi-finalist, and twenty ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Quarterfinal: Zverev beats Paul
Semifinal: Sinner beats Fritz; Alcaraz beats Zverev
Ultimate: Sinner beats Alcaraz.