Five Australian Open storylines to watch out for

The prima players person landed successful Melbourne for a season-opening Grand Slam which has already thrown up immoderate intriguing storylines.

The Australian Open begins connected Sunday, culminating with the finals play connected 25-26 January.

Here are 5 cardinal talking points arsenic Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka hole to support their singles titles.

How bash you travel the top play of your vocation and 1 of the champion successful caller memory? That is the situation for Sinner successful 2025.

The 23-year-old returns to Melbourne Park - the country of his maiden large triumph past twelvemonth - arsenic the men's satellite fig one, having mislaid conscionable six of his 79 matches successful 2024.

Sinner's dominance besides brought the US Open trophy, the season-ending ATP Finals and 5 different circuit titles. He rounded disconnected the twelvemonth by starring Italy to the Davis Cup title.

However, the defence of his Australian Open crown comes during a play of large uncertainty for Sinner.

The Italian was cleared of wrongdoing aft doubly failing a doping trial successful March 2024, but the World Anti Doping Agency is challenging the decision.

It is seeking a prohibition of betwixt 1 to 2 years, with the lawsuit to beryllium heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport betwixt 16-17 April.

Novak Djokovic's quality to bash the unexpected ne'er ceases to amaze.

So should we person been amazed erstwhile the 37-year-old announced his caller manager for the commencement of the 2025 play would be… Andy Murray?

The tennis satellite was stunned erstwhile the closely-guarded concealed was revealed successful November.

Anything little than Djokovic landing a record-extending 11th rubric would beryllium unsatisfactory for some men.

For the Serb, regaining his grip connected the trophy would effect successful a 25th large – moving him wide of Australia's Margaret Court arsenic the sole person of all-time Grand Slam singles titles.

Djokovic is seeded seventh but outlasting his younger rivals to go the oldest Grand Slam men's champion successful the Open epoch cannot beryllium ruled out.

Since her 'fairytale of New York', Emma Raducanu has needed to amusement a large woody of patience.

Coping with the aggravated scrutiny that followed her stunning 2021 US Open triumph was tough, arsenic was the physicality of going full-time connected the WTA Tour.

There were signs of advancement past twelvemonth arsenic she made her comeback from wrist and ankle surgeries successful 2023.

Signing up a full-time fittingness trainer has signalled Raducanu's volition to go the jock she "knows she tin be" – but determination was acquainted stroke erstwhile she pulled retired of the season-opening WTA lawsuit successful Auckland with a backmost injury.

The 22-year-old has been practising successful Melbourne but volition spell into the large having not played competitively since November's Billie Jean King Cup.

Raducanu has drawn disapproval for the mode she has approached her career, either for not being robust enough, chopping and changing coaches oregon her lucrative sponsorship deals.

It does feel, however, that 2025 is the twelvemonth wherever Raducanu needs to footwear on. A beardown tally successful Melbourne would beryllium a fantastic level to physique from.

Consistency astatine each 4 majors has been a hallmark of Sabalenka's career, but it is the hard courts wherever she is peculiarly dangerous.

The 26-year Belarusian has claimed back-to-back Australian Open titles and, having won the US Open successful September, finished arsenic the year-end satellite fig 1 for the archetypal time.

Now she has the accidental to go lone the seventh subordinate - and archetypal this period since Martina Hingis (1997-99) - to assertion a 3rd consecutive women's singles rubric successful Melbourne.

The accelerated courts successful Australia suit Sabalenka's powerful, assertive game.

Since the commencement of 2023, she has won 27 of her 28 matches down nether and tuned up this twelvemonth with different rubric successful Brisbane. She volition instrumentality immoderate stopping.

Often polarising but ever hard to ignore, Nick Kyrgios is back.

The firebrand Australian has hardly played implicit the past 2 years aft a scope of injuries - astir notably a debilitating wrist contented that near him fearing helium would ne'er play again astatine the highest level.

The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up made his comeback successful Brisbane alongside his one-time nemesis Djokovic successful the doubles, earlier pushing France's Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard – a souped-up mentation of the Kyrgios serving instrumentality – successful his archetypal singles lucifer successful 18 months.

However, an admittance afterwards that his wrist was "throbbing" meant Kyrgios was unsure if helium could physically withstand the rigours of a five-set Grand Slam match.

Whatever signifier the 29-year-old is in, the instrumentality of a player, whose colourful authenticity appeals to a Melbourne assemblage that ever boisterously show their support, volition beryllium a must-watch event.