World No. 1 Jannik Sinner proudly carried the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup through Melbourne Park en route to the Australian Open draw ceremony on Thursday.
Now, the fun begins.
More: Opelka Shocks Djokovic
How will Sinner bear the burden of defending a major title for the first time?
Here are our Top 5 Takeaways from the 2025 Australian Open men's draw.
Sinner Draw Winner
Defending champion Jannik Sinner should be loving the view from the top.
Yes, Sinner has a tricky opener vs. 6’7” Nicolas Jarry—the pair have split two prior meetings—and a possible tough fourth-round match against either 13th-seeded Holger Rune or 18th-seeded Hubert Hurkacz, who beat Sinner in the 2021 Miami Open final.
Yet consider Sinner will not have to face either 10-time AO champion Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz, the man who handed the world No. 1 three of his six losses in his superlative 73-6 2024 season, and the two-time Grand Slam champion should be thrilled.
This draw provides the opening-round challenge that will keep the US Open champion vigilant—without the potential minefields of Alcaraz or Djokovic until the final.
There are off-court tests as well. WADA is appealing Sinner's steroid case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport—and seeking a ban of one to two years for the world No. 1—with a decision expected in the coming weeks.
Even with a cloud of controversy hanging over his head in New York, Sinner thrived en route to winning the US Open—and faced questions about his two positive tests for the banned substance Clostebol with candor and without ducking the issue.
Sinner also enjoyed very positive crowd support in New York and figures to have fans in Melbourne behind him after his impressive fightback from two sets down to the 2024 Australian Open championship.
Sinner was the favorite before the draw, now he’s an even bigger favorite. Oddschecker lists Sinner as a 7/5 favorite followed by Alcaraz at 15/4 and Djokovic at 11/2.
There are big servers in Sinner’s section, but the rangy 6’3” Italian is a tough man to ace—he gets his Head racquet on a lot of balls—and he’s so proficient holding serve he puts even more pressure on the opponent’s serve.
Novak-Carlos Quarterfinal Collision Course
We could well see an Olympic gold-medal rematch in Oz.
Ten-time AO champion Novak Djokovic, playing for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown and 100th career championship, is on a quarterfinal collision course with Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic opens against talented American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy, who grew up looking up to the Serbian and tried emulating his strokes. Challenges loom in the former of Czechia’s Jiri Lehecka and big-serving American Reilly Opelka, who shocked Djokovic in Brisbane earlier this month.
If British lefty Jack Draper were fully fit, you’d certainly look at the the 15th-seeded Brit as a major disruptor in this third quarterfinal.
However, if seeds hold true to form, we should see the seventh-seeded Djokovic vs. third-seeded Alcaraz quarterfinal.
A spirited Djokovic out-dueled Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in an entertaining Olympic final on Roland Garros’ red clay to capture his first gold medal and complete the career Golden Sam in stirring style last August.
Thrusting his arms toward the sky, an emotional Djokovic sat in his court-side seat sobbing into his towel after completing his career-long quest of capturing gold for Serbia with one of the most passionate performances of his life. Can Djokovic summon that inner strength should they meet again?
Alcaraz’s Melbourne Mission
A quest to complete the career Grand Slam will fuel Carlos Alcaraz in Oz.
Alcaraz is a champion for all surfaces making history as the youngest man to capture Grand Slam championships on the three major surfaces: hard court (2022 US Open), grass (2023-2024 Wimbledon) and his native surface red clay in Paris last June.
The 21-year-old Spanish superstar told Tennis Now mastering Melbourne is his main mission.
“I always say that I’m an ambitious guy, that I’m working in a big way to be a good tennis player for the Grand Slams,” Alcaraz told Tennis Now in Manhattan last month. “I think that’s what everybody wants: To be a Grand Slam champion, to make a really good result at the Grand Slams.
“So yes, I won three of them. I really want to do a good preseason, to be in good shape going to Australia. Going confident that I know I have chances to win Australia.”
Alcaraz, who lost to Alexander Zverev in the 2024 AO quarterfinals, has yet to surpass the last eight in Melbourne, but believes the surface suits his strengths.
Alcaraz faces questions of his own: The four-time Grand Slam champion has not played an official tournament ahead of the AO, didn’t have much of an offseason due to a lucrative exhibition schedule and on paper has a much tougher road to the final than Sinner.
The third seed told Tennis Now his time is coming in Melbourne.
“I’m sure that sooner or later I’ll be Australian [Open] champion,” Alcaraz told Tennis Now. “Hopefully, this year. For me, it’s really, really important to complete the career Grand Slam.”
ESPN analyst Rennae Stubbs told Tennis Now she believes Alcaraz is a better mover than Sinner on natural surfaces grass and clay, but says Sinner is a bigger server on hard court.
“To see him play on clay and then turn around and play so beautifully on grass, which are two different moving styles, but it shows you how good he is as a natural athlete as far as moving, and then you see Jannik, not quite a natural mover, but he does such a good job on hard court because he can push off a little bit easier and use his weapons,” Stubbs told Tennis Now. “And I think the serve helps Sinner on a faster hard court like that, whereas for Alcaraz I think that's the one area he needs to improve on. That hurts him on a hard course a little bit differently to Sinner, but he's great on all surfaces.”
If Not Three Kings, Who Wins Oz?
The last time a man other than Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic raised a Grand Slam crown was back in 2022 when Rafael Nadal captured his 22nd major championship at Roland Garros.
The last time a non Big 3 champion not named Alcaraz or Sinner raised a major title was Daniil Medvedev, who won the 2021 US Open to end Djokovic’s quest for the calendar Slam.
Despite recent results, former world No. 1 and ESPN analyst John McEnroe suspects we could and likely will see a maiden major breakthrough on the men’s side this season.
“Given what's happening in more maybe the men's game than the women's, it's pretty wide open to me as far as hopefully someone being able to make a move,” McEnroe told the media in an ESPN Zoom call this week to promote the network’s Australian Open coverage starting this weekend.
“Obviously you've got the obvious three guys, Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic, but after that, we're not sure of certain things, so to me there's an opportunity to sort of make a breakthrough for some guys that haven't done it.
“I suspect 2025 will be more open than people realize, especially on the men's side.”
Four players who could breakthrough in Melbourne:
No. 2 Alexander Zverev (GER)
A two-time major finalist, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold-medal champion very well could be a two-time major champion already. Yet Zverev’s inability to close in Grand Slams, including the 2024 Roland Garros final vs. Carlos Alcaraz and squandering a two-set lead against Daniil Medvedev in the 2024 AO semifinals lead some to speculate scar tissue may be too severe.
“[Zverev] has scar tissue, probably more scar tissue when it comes to mentally falling apart in the biggest matches of any player on tour, so to get over that hump, finals of the US Open where he really should have won that match against Dominic Thiem and then up two sets to love against Medvedev, he has scar tissue that is very hard to get through against these great players in the semis and finals,” ESPN analyst Rennae Stubbs told Tennis Now during an ESPN Zoom call this week to promote the network’s Australian Open coverage.
“If he was playing against a surprise semifinalist or a finalist like maybe a Tommy Paul or Francis Tiafoe, maybe he feels like he could get over that hump, but when you're playing against Sinner, Alcaraz, Medvedev, these types of players, they're not going to give up on you, and they believe they can beat you, and they know that you have scar tissue, and they know you have a weakness on your forehand at times and your second serve.”
No. 4 Taylor Fritz (USA)
One of the cleanest ball strikers in the, Fritz has shown plenty of grit and fight to go along with his California cool disposition on court. The challenge for Fritz is he’s not as as agile or as quick around the court as Alcaraz and Sinner and Djokovic. If he has to beat one or more of those three Slam champions in Melbourne, can Fritz, whose net game remains a work in progress, find enough ways to shorten points against elite movers?
No. 29 Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
The ultra-talented Canadian has fallen in the first round in five of his last eight major appearances.
Buckle up Felx fans: He has another tough first-rounder vs. Jan-Lennard Struff. Two reasons Felix, a former US Open semifinalist and AO quarterfinalist, is so up and down: His forehand—and confidence in that wing–-can come and go. Auger-Aliassime plays to play fast and flat which means inherently he’s going to make more errors than most. Still, Felix is coming off an impressive upset of Fritz in United Cup and if Melbourne is playing faster, as some players report, it would play to the Canadian’s strength. All five of Auger-Aliassime’s titles have come on quicker indoor hard courts, but to make a second week run he must break his first-round rut in majors.
No. 21 Ben Shelton (USA)
You might think this is a reach given Shelton could fall in the first-round to compatriot Brandon Nakashima.
There are several reasons why Shelton could emerge as a major champion—a primary reason to believe is he holds serve.
In fact, last year only two men in tennis—world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 2 Alexander Zverev—held serve more effectively than the left-handed Shelton, who held at an 89% clip.
A challenge for Shelton is his opening-round opponent, Nakashima, was sixth on the ATP in service games held last year, owns a premier two-handed backhand and has test the left-hander every time they’ve played.
Still, Shelton’s serve, his ability to attack, his exuberance and the fact he can still improve his two-handed backhand, especially on the pass, make the 2023 US Open semifinalist one to watch.
First Round: Friendly Fire
Compatriots clash in intriguing AO openers.
Here are some same-nation showdowns that caught our eye:
4 Taylor Fritz (USA) v. Jenson Brooksby (USA)
Head-to-head: Jenson Brooksby leads 1-0.
American No. 1 Fritz figures to be empowered coming off his first major final at the US Open and leading the USA to its second United Cup championship in the last two years. It’s a comeback match for Brooksby, who has been sidelined by surgery, a suspension for violating the whereabouts rule and revealed he’s been living with autism.
A clever Brooksby beat Fritz in the 2021 US Open, but this is a far more confident Fritz who has played a lot more tennis recently.
Gael Monfils (FRA) v. 30 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (FRA)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Entertainer v. exterminator. The elastic Monfils will try to extend points from well behind the baseline, while the 6’8” Mpetshi Perricard will try to explode points bombing two first serves instead of the traditional first and second serve.
21 Ben Shelton (USA) v. Brandon Nakashima (USA)
Head-to-head: Ben Shelton leads 2-0
Exciting encounter as Shelton’s lethal lefty serve wide on the ad side plays into Nakashima’s strength the two handed backhand return. Both compete with grit and aren’t afraid to take the big strike. How tight is this rivalry: three of the four sets they’ve played have gone to tiebreakers and the other was a 7-5 set.
Matteo Arnaldi (ITA) v. 16 Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
Head-to-head: Lorenzo Musetti leads 2-0.
The 2019 Australian Open boys’ champion, Musetti has come up big in Slams before, including his run to the Wimbledon semifinals last July and a couple of Roland Garros round of 16 appearances. World No. 38 is quick around the court and aggressive on hard courts as he showed with a 2023 US Open fourth round run.
Other First-Rounders to Watch
10 Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) v. Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Head-to-head: Grigor Dimitrov leads 5-2
Two exceptional shotmakers, skilled from all areas of the court. The 37-year-old Fognini won the 2015 AO doubles crown and this could be his farewell Melbourne singles appearance. A resurgent Dimitrov posted quarterfinal results at Roland Garros and the US Open last year—seven years after he bowed to Rafa Nadal in an AO semifinal epic.
Matteo Berrettini (ITA) v. Cameron Norrie (GBR)
Head-to-head: Matteo Berrettini leads 1-0
Two veterans who have done damage at Slams in the past. The 28-year-old Berrettini has reached the semifinals or better at three of the four Grand Slams, including his 2021 Wimbledon final appearance and 2022 Australian Open semifinal. The 48th-ranked Norrie is a former Wimbledon semifinals, coming off an AO fourth round appearance who will test Berrettini’s weaker backhand wing with crosscourt lefty forehands.
Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) v. 10 Alex de Minaur (AUS)
Head-to-head: Alex de Minaur leads 1-0
A much tougher draw on paper than it may appear for the Aussie No. 1. Giant killer Van de Zandschulp not only swept Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets at the US Open last summer, he ended the year beating Rafael Nadal in the King of Clay’s final match at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, Spain.
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) v. 29 Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
Head-to-head: Even at 2-2
Two big servers can be disarming for opponents. Auger-Aliassime has reached the fourth round or better in three of his last four Oz Open appearances, highlighted by a 2022 quarterfinal. Struff has yet to surpass the second round in eight Melbourne appearances.
Christopher O’Connell (AUS) v. 12 Tommy Paul (USA)
Head-to-head: Tommy Paul leads 2-0
The 30-year-old O’Connell will enjoy huge fan support, but Paul’s all-court skills play well in Melbourne as he showed reaching the 2023 semifinals.