Scouting Report: Can Alcaraz, Djokovic spoil Sinner's Australian Open title defence?

Many eyes at this year’s Australian Open will be on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is gearing up for his title defence in Melbourne. Yet he will face a stern test from fellow Top 10 stars, who each have their own sights set on glory Down Under.

Record 10-time champion Novak Djokovic will seek a 25th major title at his most fruitful destination on Tour, while Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz aims to complete the Career Grand Slam with a championship-run in Melbourne.

ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch at the first Grand Slam of the year.

1. Sinner’s Title Defence: After sweeping both hard-court majors in 2024, Sinner returns to the site of his maiden Grand Slam title in great shape for a successful defence. The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who ended last year with seven titles and just three losses on hard courts, enters the 2025 season on a 16-match winning streak on the surface. A triumph in Melbourne would move Sinner within one major title of fierce rival Alcaraz, who holds four to his name.

2. Alcaraz Seeks Career Grand Slam: The Australian Open title is the only one of the four majors missing from Alcaraz’s dazzling resume. If the Spaniard is victorious in Melbourne, he will become just the fifth man to complete the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era (after Agassi, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic). The third-seeded Alcaraz, who last year fell to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, is on a last-eight collision course with 10-time champion Djokovic.

3. Djokovic Continues Quest For 100th Title: With 99 tour-level triumphs, Djokovic remains on the cusp of joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the only men to hit a century. The Serbian was defeated by Reilly Opelka in Brisbane quarter-finals last week, and will aim to shake off that setback to clinch a record-extending 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown in Melbourne. Adding fellow former World No. 1 Andy Murray to his coaching team may prove pivotal in his quest. 

The duo we’ve ALL been waiting for 🤝@AustralianOpen | #AO2025 pic.twitter.com/m98oU5Mmab

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 7, 2025

4. Can Three-time Finalist Medvedev Go One Step Further? Daniil Medvedev has reached the Australian Open final in three of the past four years, and has let slip a two-set lead in two of them (vs. Nadal 2022, vs. Sinner 2024). After ending last year without a title for the first time since 2017, the former World No. 1 will hope to make a fast start to his 2025 campaign in Australia and add a second major title to his collection.

5. Fritz Eager To Push On From Stellar 2024: Taylor Fritz’s standout 2024 season, highlighted by championship-match runs at the US Open and Nitto ATP Finals, ended with a career-high finish of No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Alongside WTA World No. 3 Coco Gauff, the 27-year-old guided Team USA to United Cup glory in Sydney to start the year and he will be eager to push on from his quarter-final finish in Melbourne last time out. Fritz faces a potential third-round clash with big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who could pose a threat to any of the top seeds.

6. Could Zverev Close The Gap To No. 1? After a stellar year, during which he returned to his career high of No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alexander Zverev may fancy his chances at beginning to close the gap to Sinner in the battle for the No. 1 spot. The German would have to wait until the final in Melbourne to reignite their Lexus ATP Head2Head series (Zverev leads 4-2) but could benefit from an early exit form the Italian World No. 1, who is the reigning champion. Zverev is a two-time major finalist and will aim to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title during the 2025 season. 

7. Home Hope De Minaur Poised To Break R4 Curse? Australian Alex de Minaur has fallen at the fourth round in each of his past three appearances at the Australian Open, though 2025 might just be his time to rewrite the script. The 25-year-old made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in November after a strong year in which he rose to a career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings. De Minaur will hope to translate his form into success in Melbourne and advance past the fourth round at his home major for the first time.

8. #NextGenATP Stars Make Their Move: Joao Fonseca, Learner Tien and Martin Landaluce all came through qualifying to secure their spots in the main draw in Melbourne. Reigning Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Fonseca, who is on a 13-match winning streak at all levels, will look to spark an early upset when he faces World No. 9 Andrey Rublev in the first round. Tien will act as a tricky test for Medvedev if they meet in the second round, while Spain’s Landaluce could ask the question of 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in a potential round-two match-up.

9. Former Champ Wawrinka Leads Wild Cards: Stan Wawrinka has fond memories of the Australian Open, notably winning the title in 2014 to seal the first of his three Grand Slam triumphs. The 39-year-old is back as a wild card for the 2025 edition and is joined by promising Aussie talent in Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu and James McCabe.

10. Arevalo/Pavic Top Seeds: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic capped a standout year by earning Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours as a team for the first time. The Salvadoran-Croatian duo, which claimed four tour-level titles and reached the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2024, will seek its second major title when it leads the field at the 2025 Australian Open.