Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Olivia Gadecki lead a strong home contingent set to shine at Australian Open 2025.
10 October 2024 | tennis.com.au
Australia’s men have enjoyed a record-setting year on the tour and are set to shine in front of their home crowd at AO 2025.
Alex de Minaur leads the charge after a breakthrough year that saw him crack the top 10 for the first time.
“Alex is a true Aussie inspiration. He’s had an incredible year, shown tremendous resilience through injury and I have no doubt he’ll be ready with his trademark grit and determination and bring everything he has to the AO in January,” AO Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
Alexei Popyrin’s career-best win over Djokovic at the US Open was one of the highlights of 2024, and he now finds himself ranked inside the top 25.
“Alexei’s victory over Novak was one for the ages. He’s been in incredible form, and it’s exciting to see him rise in the rankings,” Tiley said.
“Jordan Thompson has played his way into the top 30 and could see himself seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time. It was great to see him team up with Max Purcell to win the US Open doubles title and they’ll be coming into the Aussie summer in great form.
“The sheer depth of the Australian men is remarkable, with Chris O’Connell, James Duckworth, Rinky Hijikata, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Aleksander Vukic, and Adam Walton all in the top 100 and making their mark. Having 10 men in the top 100 – that’s the strongest we’ve been in a long time, and the future looks bright.
“It’s been great to hear Nick Kyrgios touting his return to the court, and that his training is on track for the summer. He brings a big game and bigger energy to the AO – he’s truly an excitement machine – and we can’t wait to see him back.”
Tiley is also excited by the state of women’s tennis in Australia, with several young Aussie stars making notable progress in 2024.
“Olivia Gadecki has powered into the top 100 after reaching the final in Guadalajara and is now Australia’s No.1 woman, and Ajla Tomljanovic joined her there after her recent WTA title in Hong Kong, and she continues to make an impressive comeback from injury.
“Promising young talents like 18-year-old Maya Joint, Talia Gibson, and Taylah Preston continue to rise through the ranks, while it was also exciting to see 16-year-old Emerson Jones hit the world No.1 junior ranking – the first Aussie girl…
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