Day 1 of Australian Open 2024 is upon us, and it is where we'll catch the first glimpse of players vying for ultimate glory at Melbourne Park.
DAY 1 PREVIEW: Djokovic ready to add to highlight reel
Ahead of the season's first Grand Slam event, the ausopen.com editorial team offered up their picks for the men's and women's singles titles, and explained the thinking behind their choices.
SIMON CAMBERS
Title picks: Coco Gauff & Novak Djokovic (with a word for Jannik Sinner)
Why: Not exactly sticking my neck out with the men but when you have a man who’s won the title 10 times, who is still No 1 and who is chasing more history with a 25th Grand Slam, it would be crazy not to. The niggling injury which he suffered in Perth should be behind him now and in Melbourne, he tends to find a way to get it done. Jannik Sinner would be my tip to come closest to stopping him and he could even win it. Iga Swiatek has looked great so far this year but she still has the twin problem of Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, whose power makes it tough for her on this kind of court. Instead I fancy Coco Gauff to have another good Slam, building on her US Open win. Gauff copes well with power, moves better than anyone and crucially, with Brad Gilbert in her team, is learning all the time.
VIVIENNE CHRISTIE
Title picks: Elena Rybakina & Jannik Sinner
Why: I love the way Elena Rybakina executes her tennis, combining her big serve and striking athleticism with unmistakable humility. We’ve already seen the best of that form in Australia as Rybakina tested Aryna Sabalenka in the AO 2023 final, then beat the AO champion to win the recent Brisbane title. The logical next step is to lift the AO 2024 women’s trophy. It's hard to see anyone stopping Novak Djokovic extending his AO men’s title count to 11. But Jannik Sinner claimed a fighting win over the No.1 to help Italy win the 2023 Davis Cup title; with Aussie coach Darren Cahill in his corner, Sinner can build on stunning recent form with an major breakthrough.
LEE GOODALL
Title picks: Jannik Sinner & Elena Rybakina
Why: Maybe I need my head examined to suggest that anyone other than 10-time champion Novak Djokovic will rule, but the dominance has to end sometime and in my mind Jannik Sinner is the most likely winner if the Serb slips up. Although the first major of the year is known for its surprises, it’s difficult to look beyond Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina or Coco Gauff as the 2024 women’s champion. With Iga’s difficult draw early on and Rybakina’s impressive form so far this year I’m backing the Kazakh to come through the top half and then to go one better than she did 12 months ago.
DAN IMHOFF
Title picks: Elena Rybakina & Novak Djokovic
Why: After coming up narrowly shy in one of the highest-quality Grand Slam finals contested at Melbourne Park last January, Elena Rybakina appears ready to go one better in 2024. While AO 2023 belonged to Aryna Sabalenka, the Kazakh won over a swath of new fans Down Under with her effortless power and anticipation, and she has laid down an early marker after conceding just three games to Sabalenka in the Brisbane final leading in. While Jannik Sinner was the thorn in Novak Djokovic’s side en route to Italy’s Davis Cup glory in November and has closed the gap on the world No.1, he knows that best-of-five-set tennis is an entirely different beast and that Djokovic is the master of it at the majors. Provided Djokovic has shaken his right wrist injury it is difficult to go past the Serbian extending his AO haul to 11.
JACKSON MANSELL
Title picks: Jannik Sinner & Coco Gauff
Why: Djokovic’s run has to come to an end at some point, doesn’t it? Unbeaten at Melbourne Park as the world No.1, the 10-time winner lost his first match in Australia last week since the AO 2018. This could be when Jannik Sinner takes his chance. Yet to make a Grand Slam final, the world No.4 had the second-best win percentage on hard courts in 2023, making him the man to dethrone Novak. In the women’s game, Coco Gauff could not be in better form. Wins at the US Open and in Auckland, the world No.4 has a fairly generous draw until the semifinals. If the American can win in Melbourne, she will become the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2006 to win multiple Grand Slams before the age of 20.
NICK McCARVEL
Title picks: Novak Djokovic & Coco Gauff
Why: It's hard to imagine Novak Djokovic not winning an 11th Australian Open this year, especially after his 27-1 season at the majors in 2023. Let's go one – actually, four – further: He'll not only win the AO, but also sweep the year's majors and Olympic gold in singles for the Golden Slam - not done since Steffi Graf in 1988. Meanwhile, all eyes are on world No.1 Iga Swiatek and reigning AO champ Aryna Sabalenka, but the most stirring thing about Coco Gauff's US Open triumph was what she learned en route: How to win when playing B- or C-level tennis. She's 23-3 since Cincinnati, and looks to become the first woman since Naomi Osaka (2020-21) to win the US and Australian Opens consecutively.
LEIGH ROGERS
Title picks: Novak Djokovic & Coco Gauff
Why: Not only is Novak Djokovic a 10-time Australian Open champion, but he also owns an incredible 42-0 win-loss record at the tournament as the top seed. It makes it hard to pick against the world No.1. As for his biggest competition? I think Holger Rune is set for a deep run and could be one to watch. Coco Gauff is my pick for the women’s singles title. The 19-year-old proved she is dangerous when her confidence is high during last year’s North American hard-court swing. After scooping the Auckland title to begin 2024, Gauff arrives at Melbourne Park in winning form too. Her section of the draw, especially in the early rounds, is also less stacked than many of her biggest rivals.
GILL TAN
Title picks: Jannik Sinner & Coco Gauff
Why: At 22, Sinner is primed for a Grand Slam breakthrough on Melbourne Park’s hard courts, the surface on which he’s earned nine of his 10 singles titles. A maiden major beckons if he can replicate his stunning 2023 season-ending form, which included a steely win over Novak Djokovic to help Italy capture its first Davis Cup title since 1976. Another young gun, reigning US Open champion Gauff, is a key contender to repeat that feat at Melbourne Park. A well-earned top four seeding may ease the 19 year-old’s path to the Daphne Akhurst trophy. After defending her Auckland title, the American has triumphed in 29 of her most recent 33 singles matches. With coach Brad Gilbert in her corner, Gauff has been figuring out how to win, even when she’s not firing.
MATT TROLLOPE
Title picks: Iga Swiatek & Novak Djokovic
Why: The top four women at Melbourne Park this year are a brilliant quartet who have all started the new season strongly. But Swiatek knows how to win majors better than any of them, entering AO 2024 with momentum after barely losing a set in her 16-match win streak. Tactically and technically, she is making the adjustments to counter Sabalenka and Rybakina’s assault. Meanwhile, I’ll always pick Djokovic for the AO title until he doesn’t win (and he almost always does at Melbourne Park). Alcaraz prevailed at Wimbledon, and Sinner might at the US Open later in 2024, but here, Djokovic is supreme and comes off one of his finest seasons in 2023. I think the world No.1 will win AO title No.11, and an all-time record 25th major.
RAVI UBHA
Title picks: Iga Swiatek & Novak Djokovic
Why: The Grand Slam winning quartet of Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff all started 2024 in form. But Swiatek hasn’t lost since late September and, mirroring 2022, is barely dropping any sets. It thus seems like it is her time to win a maiden Australian Open crown, even with a tricky looking draw. Even though Djokovic was troubled by a wrist issue at the United Cup, he has been able to manage injuries previously at the Australian Open. And by already winning 10 Australian Open titles, Djokovic must be the favourite. Thinking of another number indeed, 25.