2025 has only just dawned and already tennis fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the first big event of the year, the Australian Open from Melbourne. Tournament qualifying takes place from Monday, January 6 to Thursday, January 9, with the main draws, consisting of 128 players apiece, starting on Sunday, January 12 and continuing through to their conclusion on Sunday, January 26. We are, therefore, guaranteed three weeks of thrilling Grand Slam tennis.
This marks the second straight year of a Sunday main draw start, a change to the Australian Open schedule that fans enthusiastically embraced. A total of almost 90,000 spectators turned up for the first Sunday main draw started twelve months ago.
Many legends of the sport have tasted success at the Australian Open over the years. Homegrown talents such as Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Ken Rosewall have all mesmerised the Melbourne masses in the past. More recently, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic all triumphed numerous times. We can look forward to another star-studded line-up this time around, too.
Let GOAL help take you through all the big names who will be taking to the Melbourne courts during the opening Grand Slam of 2025 and how you can watch and stream all the action.
Australian Open 2025: The men to watch
Getty ImagesJannik Sinner
2024 was a breakthrough year for Sinner. The Italian star lifted the Australian Open trophy in his first Grand Slam final when roaring back from 2 sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev last January. He would go on to secure further Slam success when winning the US Open in September. Sinner, the current world number 1, is aiming to become only the fourth player since the turn of the millennium to defend his Melbourne crown. The others being Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz reigned supreme at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024, to take his total Slam trophy tally to four. However, the Australian Open is the one major crown that has so far eluded the Spanish sensation, and he hasn't progressed further than the Quarter-Final stage in three previous Melbourne campaigns. Alcaraz's surprise second-round exit at the US Open last year was his worst Grand Slam performance since 2021.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic has won a record-breaking 24 Grand Slams during his illustrious career, and he sits proudly on top of the all-time Australian Open men's honours list with 10 titles in total between 2008 and 2023. However, 2024 proved to be the first year since 2017 that the Serb failed to claim one of the major crowns, and his Round 3 exit at Flushing Meadows in September was his earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2017 Australian Open. We will wait to see whether having former rival Andy Murray as coach will work wonders or not.
Alexander Zverev
Zverev is one of the most talented ATP Tour players who has yet to claim a Grand Slam title. The German reached his second Slam final at the French Open in June, four years after appearing in his first-ever one at the 2020 US Open. Zverev hopes to make a strong Slam start in 2025, as he did twelve months ago, as before making the Roland Garros Final, he reached the 2024 Australian Open semis. He was also the only player aside from Sinner to win multiple Masters Series events last year.
Daniil Medvedev
Despite reaching six Grand Slam finals, Daniil Medvedev has only a sole success to his name, his US Open triumph of 2021. Half of those six final appearances have come at the Australian Open within the last four years. Heartbreakingly for Medvedev, he lost both the 2022 and 2024 Melbourne finals after being two sets up.
Nick Kyrgios
Unsurprisingly, Kyrgios is grabbing the headlines once again. The controversial Australian star is back playing after 18 months of inactivity following a challenging run of injuries. Thankfully for Kyrgios, the protected ranking system has come to his aid, which means he’s guaranteed a place in the Australian Open main draw. It will be his first home Grand Slam appearance since 2022.
Australian Open 2025: The women to watch
Getty ImagesAryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka has been the darling of Melbourne in recent years, and following her 2022 and 2023 triumphs, the current WTA number 1 is aiming to become the first female player to win three Australian Open titles in a row since Martina Hingis in 1999. Sabalenka finished 2024 strongly, claiming her third Grand Slam crown at the US Open and winning the prestigious Wuhan Open title a month later in October.
Iga Swiatek
Swiatek may be the clay queen, having won the French Open in four of the last five years, but she's looked vulnerable at the other Grand Slams. In six previous Australian Open campaigns, the Polish star has only progressed past the 4th round on one occasion (when reaching the semis in 2022). Despite a prominent showing during the early part of last year, where she won four of the first six WTA 1000 events, 2024 ended on a low note for Swiatek as she pulled out of several events after terminating her highly successful coaching partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Coco Gauff
Gauff followed up her maiden Grand Slam success at the 2023 US Open with impressive semi-final runs at the Australian and French Open last year. However, 4th-round exits at both Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows put a dampener on her 2024 campaign. The American, who astonishingly is still only 20 years of age, roared back to form with title-winning performances at the China Open in Beijing and the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Elena Rybakina
Rybakina's career has been plagued by illness and injury, and her 2024 Grand Slam campaign ended on a sour note when she had to withdraw from the US Open before her 2nd round match. The 2022 Wimbledon champion also made a stuttering start to last year when bowing out in the 2nd round of the Australian Open to Anna Blinkova. It was particularly frustrating for Rybakina as she had reached the final in Melbourne twelve months earlier.
Zheng Qinwen
Zheng Qinwen, who claimed Olympic gold in Paris last summer, has produced some dazzling recent displays at hard-court events. She reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in 2023 & 2024 and the Australian Open final last year. After finishing 2024 strongly, with final appearances at the Wuhan Open and the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the Chinese star will be hoping for another lengthy run in Melbourne.
Australian Open 2025: Former champions aiming for further glory
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GettyAside from Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka is the only other previous Australian Open men's champion in this year’s line-up. The Swiss player reigned supreme over a decade ago when beating Rafael Nadal at the 2014 tournament. That’s the only occasion Wawrinka has reached the Melbourne final, and at 39 years of age, he’ll be aiming to avoid a third straight 1st round exit down under this year.
More former champions are lining up in the women's singles, with Naomi Osaka, Sofia Kenin, Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka going for glory once again alongside the defending queen, Aryna Sabalenka. Osaka and Azarenka have both lifted the trophy aloft in Melbourne on two previous occasions. Amazingly, the first of Azarenka’s back-to-back successes came way back in 2012.
How to watch the Australian Open 2025 in the US
Even if you can’t make it to Melbourne Park in person, you can still feel like a part of the electric atmosphere from the comfort of your own home. Tennis fans in the United States can watch all the Australian Open action across ESPN’s live TV channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes) and ESPN+ (every match is streamed live on ESPN+). An ESPN+ subscription grants you access to exclusive ESPN+ content, including live events, fantasy sports tools, and premium ESPN+ articles. You can stream ESPN+ through an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, or computer and ESPN.com. An ESPN+ subscription costs $10.99 monthly (or $109.99 annually).
How to watch the Australian Open 2025 in the UK
Catch all the Australian Open action exclusively online via discovery+ (where you can choose which match to select) and across Eurosport on your TV in the UK. You can live stream on discovery+ and watch via TNT Sports' TV channels on Sky, BT and Virgin Media platforms. Discovery+ Standard costs £6.99 per month or £59.99 per year and includes all live sports on Eurosport, including the Australian Open. Alternatively, the discovery+ Premium monthly pass costs £29.99 and offers all live sports across Eurosport and TNT Sports platforms, including Premier League and European football.
How to watch the Australian Open 2025 in Australia
The Nine Network is Australia's official free-to-air tennis broadcaster, including the Australian Open and all the other Grand Slams. All the major matches during the Melbourne fortnight will feature on the free-to-air channel. However, you can watch every single Australian Open match on Channel 9's on-demand streaming service 9Now, as well as on Stan Sport. 9Now is available for free; you just have to create an account, whereas Stan Sport will require a paid subscription. Stan offers various packages. Basic is $12 per month, Standard is $17 p/m, and the Premium is $21 p/m. The Stan Sport add-on is $15 p/m + your base subscription fee.
Watch the Australian Open 2025 from anywhere with a VPN
If Australian Open coverage isn't available in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection that lets you bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN as a solid VPN option if you're stuck on which one to buy. But if you want to explore other options, check out our detailed VPN guide.
