Source : ABC NEWS
You can almost hear the thwack of tennis balls ringing out from Melbourne Park as the smell of sunscreen fills the air.
The 2025 Australian Open — affectionately dubbed the “happy slam” — is about to be in full swing, with the main draw kicking off on Sunday.
This year, they’ll be returning and rising stars, some notable absentees after the retirements of legends of late, and a genuine Australian contender in the number eight men’s seed, Alex de Minaur. Although, he has a tough draw (more on that, later).
If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of fans who’ll join the masses at Melbourne Park or want to watch at home, we’ve got a guide to everything you’ll need to know.
When and where is the Australian Open?
The Australian Open main draw starts on Sunday, January 12 and runs until Sunday, January 26, finishing with the men’s final.
Gates open at 10am AEDT for the morning session and 5pm AEDT for the evening session.
Jannik Sinner won the 2024 Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. (AP: Andy Wong)
Last year was the first with a Sunday start — a day earlier than usual to become a 15-day event instead of a clean two weeks — in an attempt to offset the obscenely late finishes Melbourne was becoming known for.
Remember that famous Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakisnear 6-hour, five-set marathon in 2023, which didn’t finish until after 4am?
Fans embraced the weekend main draw start (and not-so-late finishes), so organisers went with it again this year.
The tournament will take place at Melbourne Park across 39 courts, including the 15,000-seat Rod Laver Arena for big matches, the “people’s court” John Cain Arena and Margaret Court Arena.
When are the Australian Open finals?
The women’s final is set for Saturday, January 25.
The men’s final, a day later, will take place on Sunday, January 26.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn $3.5 million, with runner-ups pocketing $1.9 million and semifinalists $1.1 million.
Who are the top women to watch?
Aryna Sabalenka won back-to-back Australian Open titles. (AAP: Joel Carrett)
Fresh off her Brisbane International title, two-time defending Australian Open champion and world number one Aryna Sabalenka will head into the tournament as the player to beat.
But not far behind her will be the world number two and five-time grand slam winner Iga Świątek. However, the Polish star has never progressed past the semifinals at Melbourne Park.
Then, there’s Coco Gauff, who recently defeated Świątek in the United Cup final in January, Italian rising star Jasmine Paolini and last year’s runner-up, Zheng Qinwen.
Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, Daria Kasatkina and Danielle Collins round out the top ten seeds.
Unfortunately, there’ll be no Barbora Krejčíková, the reigning Wimbledon champion and world number 10, who withdrew due to a back injury.
Who are the top men to watch?
Defending Australian Open champion and world number one Jannik Sinner is one of the favourites, along with two-time grand slam finalist and second seed Alexander Zverev and four-time grand slam winner Carlos Alcaraz.
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Alcaraz only has the Open left to win when it comes to slams, while Zverev is yet to claim a title.
Then, there’s USA star Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud ahead of Novak Djokovic at seventh seed.
Djokovic was the outright favourite last year but failed to win a slam in 2024.
Following him is de Minaur, who made it to the fourth round of last year’s Open, where he was beaten by Andrey Rublev, and the quarterfinals of the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
De Minaur unfortunately has a bit of a tough draw, up first against heavy-hitting Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, who upset Alcaraz in last year’s US Open.
If he gets through that, he’ll likely face Federico Coria in round two (or a qualifier) and then his first seeded opponent in Argentina’s world number 31 Francisco Cerundolo in the third round.
Lurking on the other side of that will likely be 2023 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last 16 before a meeting with Sinner, if he makes it that far.
Rublev and Grigor Dimitrov round out the men’s top ten seeds.
Alex de Minaur is a genuine contender in the 2025 Australian Open. (AAP: Mark Evans)
What Australians are in the main draw?
The men’s AO draw will feature 10 Australian players, including three seeded for the first time in over 40 years, with Alexei Popyrin (25th) and Jordan Thompson (27th) joining de Minaur.
There is doubt around whether Nick Kyrgios (via a protected ranking) will play after he withdrew from a pre-tournament exhibition match against Novak Djokovic with an abdominal strain.
His round-one match is against wildcard Jacob Fearnley of Great Britain.
Then there’s Chris O’Connell, Aleks Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Thanasi Kokkinakis, James Duckworth and Adam Walton to keep an eye on. Plus, four wildcards in Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, Omar Jasika and James McCabe.
While there are no Aussie women seeded, Olivia Gadecki earned a spot in the main draw, along with five wildcards: Daria Saville, Alja Tomljanovic, Maya Joint, Talia Gibson and world number one junior Emerson Jones.
Joint and Jones have brutal first clashes, up against US Open finalist Jessica Pegula and 2023 Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina, respectively.
Two additional Australian women made it through qualifying: Destanee Aiava and Kim Birrell.
How can I watch the Australian Open?
Channel 9 is the host broadcaster for the Australian Open this year, with coverage of every court on its streaming service 9NOW and Stan Sport.
If you’re unable to watch it, ABC Grandstand will be calling the action via the Listen app and abc.net.au/sport, while ABC Sport digital will be blogging every minute of the action from Melbourne Park.
How much are tickets?
You can book both day and night sessions via the Australian Open website, with ground pass tickets starting at $59.
