Sunday Scroll: A thunder Down Under

The first iteration of the Australian Open dates back more than a century — the first tournament for men was held in 1905 and the first for women in 1922, both run by the Lawn Tennis Association of Australasia.

• In 1927, the tournament was renamed the Australian Championships, before becoming the Australian Open in 1969. Initially played across multiple major Aussie cities, Melbourne was eventually named the lone annual host in 1972.

The Open struggled to find its footing in the early years. Because Australia is just so far away, many international players resisted competing Down Under. While the other three major tourneys — Wimbledon, the French Open, and the U.S. Open — had distinct, long-standing identities, the Aussie Open’s renaissance really began in the 1990s.

• Then-director Paul McNamee made it his mission to put the event on equal footing with its Northern Hemisphere counterparts, saying, “We needed to be ourselves, which was a sun-drenched nation that needs to have a big casual outdoor party.”

• And party they did. The Aussie Open now draws in the biggest names in tennis and the largest attendance of all the Grand Slams. Swiss legend Roger Federer even nicknamed the tournament the “Happy Slam.” You can’t help but smile.

Now for the nitty gritty. On Thursday, 256 combined men’s and women’s singles players and 128 combined doubles pairs were drawn. Those athletes will play four single-elimination opening rounds leading up to the quarter-finals which begin on January 20th.

• Then, it all comes down to the women’s singles finals on January 25th and men’s singles on the 26th, local time.

As for the playing surface, while the Open was originally played on grass, it’s been held on hardcourts since 1988 and on Melbourne Park’s signature Australian Open True Blue since 2008.

Let’s talk money. The Aussie Open’s total prize pot comes in at a record $96.5M Australian dollars (about $59.9M USD), up nearly 12% from last year. Each singles champion (Grand Slams provide equal pay for men and women) will walk home with a cool $3.5M Australian dollars (about $2.17M USD). Not too shabby.

🏅 No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka: The Girl with the Dragon Tiger Tattoo is looking ferocious as she fights for a three-peat in Melbourne. Sabalenka hasn’t lost a match at the Australian Open since 2022 and after a banner 2024, which included her first US Open title, the hardcourt darling will be tough to top.

🇵🇱 No. 2 Iga Świątek (pronounced shvi-AHN-tek): The five-time Grand Slam champ is trying to move on from last year’s doping scandal. ICYMI, the Polish star was given a one-month suspension for unintentionally using a banned substance. A tricky situation, indeed.

• While Świątek’s legacy may be in question, one thing’s for sure: Świątek will be coming out swinging, especially after last week’s loss to No. 3 Coco Gauff at the United Cup.

🇺🇲 No. 3 Coco Gauff: Gauff is riding high heading to the blue courts, reaping the rewards of a late-2024 coaching shakeup that resulted in the 20-year-old winning the China Open (October) and WTA Finals (November) after a shaky US Open performance. Confidence looks good on her.

🇮🇹 No. 4 Jasmine Paolini: Few tennis players had a better 2024 than Paolini, an underdog who reached the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon, and led Italy to its first Billie Jean King Cup win. Can she rise to the occasion Down Under?

🇯🇵 No. 50 Naomi Osaka: The four-time Grand Slam champ looked strong last week, reaching the final of the ASB Classic just one year after returning to tennis following maternity leave. But after withdrawing mid-match in last week’s ASB Classic (an Aussie Open warm-up) due to an abdominal injury, Osaka’s quest for a third major title Down Under just became harder.

🇮🇹 No. 1 Jannik Sinner: As the tourney’s defending champ, all focus should be on Sinner’s incredible 2024, where he won his first two majors, the ATP Finals title, and the Davis Cup for Team Italy. But that’s not the case.

• Unlike Świątek, Sinner’s doping scandal is far from over, as the World Anti-Doping Agency is seeking a one to two-year ban for the world’s top male player after he failed two drug tests last March. Sinner is expected to learn his fate sometime this year.

🇪🇸 No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz: Alcaraz doubled his Grand Slam trophy collection in 2024, winning his first French Open and second Wimbledon title. The only major he’s yet to win? The Australian Open. In fact, Alcatraz has never made it past the quarter-finals in Melbourne. No time like the present.

🇺🇸 No. 4 Taylor Fritz: Boasting his highest ranking ever after a banner, confidence-boosting year, Fritz is America’s best chance at ending their men’s major title drought, going strong since 2003. Known for playing five-setters at the Slams, will Fritz’s endurance be the key to his success?

🇷🇸 No. 7 Novak Djokovic: Now that his long-time rivals have retired or become his coach, Djokovic's focus turns to defeating the youth as he fights for that elusive, record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, a feat that would make him the winningest major tennis player ever.

• Now 37 years old, Djokovic only won one tourney (and no majors) last year, but it was a big one: He topped Alcaraz in Paris to win an Olympic gold medal, proving this old, very flexible dog still has a few aces up his sleeve.

🇧🇷 No. 113 João Fonseca: Don’t let the ranking fool you — this Brazilian teen is just getting started. After crushing it with his electric serve through the qualifying round, Fonseca is competing in his first major in Melbourne shortly after taking the ATP Next Generation Finals title in December.

The Open first-round action continues this morning and resumes tonight. If you’re watching from North America, tune in to ESPN in the U.S. and TSN in Canada.

• And if your 2025 resolution was to read more, you can browse all the live updates here. Game, set, match.