'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2025 edition of the Australian Open is almost upon us. The first Grand Slam tournament of the year promises to be a cracker, with new and old storylines set to give the event a lot of hype.
Jannik Sinner arrives at the Happy Slam as the top seed in the men's singles competition. The Italian recorded his first two Grand Slam triumphs at the Australian and US Open while beginning his first tenure as the World No. 1 in 2024.
Aryna Sabalenka also took home both hardcourt Majors in 2024 with her second Melbourne title victory by far her most impressive. Towards the end of the season, the Belarusian also snagged the year-end No. 1 ranking from her archrival Iga Swiatek, making her the top seed Down Under this year.
Trending
Sinner and Sabalenka are the only two to enter this year's Australian Open as the defending champions and the numero uno players in their respective fields. Let's take a look at all the defending champions coming into the Melbourne Slam:
Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka look to emulate their 2024 runs at this year's Australian Open
Jannik Sinner came into last year's Australian Open as the fourth seed, having won 20 of his previous 22 matches on the ATP Tour. The Italian carried his late 2023 momentum into the event as he didn't drop a single set en route to the last four.
The then-22-year-old handed Novak Djokovic his first-ever defeat in the semifinal stage of the Melbourne Slam, overcoming him in four comprehensive sets. He fell behind by a two-sets-to-love deficit against Daniil Medvedev in the championship match. However, he had enough in his tank to register a five-set win, thereby winning his maiden Major title. Sinner would later become the World No. 1 in June 2024.
News of his two failed doping tests later in the year hit the 23-year-old's rise to the top of men's tennis hard. The International Tennis Integrity Association eventually cleared him. While the World No. 1 will defend his title this month, the ITIA's decision has since been challenged by WADA and will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport later this year.
Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, had already tasted Grand Slam glory at the 2023 Australian Open before starting her 2024 WTA Tour campaign. The Belarusian enjoyed the most dominant Major run of her young career in Melbourne last year, winning the women's singles title without losing a single set.
Sabalenka then had a relatively quiet season until the North American hardcourt season, which saw her pick up titles in Cincinnati and New York. The above triumphs helped her leapfrog Iga Swiatek in the WTA year-end singles rankings.
Aside from men's and women's singles, there is much at stake for Rohan Bopanna, Matthew Ebden, Elise Mertens, Su-wei Hsieh, and Jan Zielinski at the 2025 Australian Open. Bopanna and Ebden won their first Major title together in Melbourne last year and enjoyed a stint as the World No. 1 doubles players later in the year. However, the duo has since been replaced at the top by Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.
Hsieh pulled double duty Down Under and won the women's doubles title (with Mertens) and the mixed doubles title (with Zielinski). At 39, the Taiwanese will be keen on extending her legacy by winning her tenth Major title.
