Melbourne, Australia, 13 December 2024 | Tennis Australia
Eight Australian players will contest the main draw of their home Grand Slam this summer, after they were announced among the wildcard recipients for Australian Open 2025.
Tristan Schoolkate (WA), Li Tu (SA), James McCabe (NSW), Daria Saville (Vic), Ajla Tomljanovic, Emerson Jones (Qld), Talia Gibson (WA) and Maya Joint (Qld) will be in action at Melbourne Park from 12 January.
Swiss star Stan Wawrinka was also granted a wildcard into the Australian Open, which was the setting for the first of his three Grand Slam triumphs in 2014.
More main draw wildcards, plus wildcard entries to the AO qualifying tournament, will be announced soon.
South Australia’s Tu – who like Wawrinka, competes with a single-handed backhand – will aim to maintain the form he struck at this year’s US Open.
The 28-year-old qualified for the main draw then pushed reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz to four sets.
That performance, in prime time at Arthur Ashe Stadium, showcased his swashbuckling playing style and was form he maintained for the rest of the season.
He qualified for the main draw of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, reached the final of the Yokohama Challenger, and hit a career-high ranking of world No.172.
“I’m incredibly excited and grateful to Tennis Australia for this amazing opportunity,” said Tu. “I can’t wait to showcase my best tennis at Melbourne Park in front of the home crowd. I think it will be a great way to start my year and set myself up for a big 2025, hoping for my best year yet.”
At that same US Open, West Australian Schoolkate advanced to the second round in his first appearance in the main draw of a Slam. He came close to the third round before falling to talented Czech Jakub Mensik in a fifth-set tiebreak, and peaked at world No.167 the following week.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to play my first Australian Open main draw, I can’t wait to play in front of the home crowd in Melbourne,” Schoolkate said.
McCabe, meanwhile, will play the AO main draw for the second year running, after pushing American rising star Alex Michelsen to four sets in the 2024 first round.
The 21-year-old fell as low as 378th in the rankings, but after winning 55 matches and two ITF titles in 2024, rebounded to the cusp of the top 250.
“As a professional tennis player, my ultimate goal has always been to compete at the highest level and…
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