Jannik Sinner’s path to defending a Grand Slam crown for the first time is set while his two chief rivals are on a quarterfinal collision course following the Australian Open 2025 draw.
Here’s a look at five of the biggest storylines from the men’s draw for Australian Open 2025.
Sinner can’t face biggest rivals until decider
The top seed at a Slam for the third straight time, Jannik Sinner sprinted home as the runaway world No.1 after he dominated the back end of 2024.
The gauntlet was again thrown down to his challengers on Thursday when Nicolas Jarry’s name was pitted as his first opponent.
VIEW: Men's singles draw at Australian Open 2025
For the second year in succession, the Italian opted to hit Melbourne Park without a lead-up tournament under his belt and following last year’s breakout run to that maiden Grand Slam silverware, it will be a worrying prospect for the big-striking Chilean, despite having split the pair’s two meetings.
Sinner can’t face arguably his two biggest threats – third seed Carlos Alcaraz or seventh seed Novak Djokovic – until the final as both landed in the bottom half of the draw.
He would favour extending his unbeaten record against Australian eighth seed Alex de Minaur should they meet in the quarterfinals, while Danish 13th seed Holger Rune and compatriot, 32nd seed Flavio Cobolli, loom as potential fourth and third-round hurdles.
Alcaraz aiming to complete set
Hopes of a first major final between Sinner and his fellow fearless Grand Slam powerhouse, Alcaraz, are alive after the Spaniard landed in Alexander Zverev’s half of the draw.
A maiden Norman Brookes Challenge Cup is all that stands between Alcaraz and a career Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, but his route to the final Sunday is fraught with dangerous rivals.
Alcaraz’s quarterfinal conqueror from last year, German second seed Zverev is his likely semifinal opponent, but he would first have to hand 10-time champion Djokovic his earliest departure since 2018 in the quarterfinals to get there.
The swinging lefty serves of British 15th seed Jack Draper, who beat him at the Queen’s Club last year, could prove a tricky hurdle in the fourth round. Alcaraz opens against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, a player he beat in Madrid on clay last year.
Djokovic going for number 11
Not since 2018 when he fell to Hyeon Chung in the fourth round as the 14th seed has Djokovic been seeded as low at the Slam he has dominated more than any other.
Seeded seventh, largely down to having reduced his schedule last year, the 10-time champion has been drawn against American 19-year-old and Auckland semifinalist Nishesh Basavareddy first up.
Following a surprise defeat to comeback American Reilly Opelka in his Brisbane lead-up, Djokovic could run into the 27-year-old in the third round at Melbourne Park.
That would require Opelka upstaging gifted Czech 26th seed Tomas Machac.
Former world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov could face a repeat of his AO 2023 meeting with the Serbian as should both reach the fourth round, but in-form Brisbane champion, Czech Jiri Lehecka, is lurking as the biggest threat.
De Minaur learns path to fourth straight Slam quarter
Back to full fitness following a hip injury suffered during his run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals last July, hopes have never been higher for Australia’s leading charge, Alex de Minaur, to reach a maiden quarterfinal at his home major.
After three straight fourth-round exits at Melbourne Park – to Sinner, Djokovic and last year in five sets to Andrey Rublev – De Minaur arrives as a top-eight seed for the first time.
He opens against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp, the man who swept past Alcaraz in the second round of last year’s US Open. De Minaur may then need to land his second win in 13 attempts against former Australian Open finalist and 11th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas for a last-eight berth.
Should he notch a fourth straight Grand Slam quarterfinal, reigning champion Sinner presents a daunting likely foe.
Seeds avoid Kyrgios until second round
Nick Kyrgios was the name any man in the draw was desperate to dodge at the first hurdle after the flashy Australian mounted his comeback and showcased plenty to be proud of in Brisbane last week.
Out for the best part of two years, the 2022 Wimbledon finalist will meet British 23-year-old Jacob Fearnley first, and could meet 28th-seeded Argentine Sebastian Baez in the following round.
All things going to plan, the 30-year-old could clash with No.2 seed Zverev, a player he owns a 4-3 record against, in an enticing third round.
Kyrgios’ conqueror in Brisbane, giant-serving 30th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, will need to overcome a compatriot 17 years his senior, the popular showman Gael Monfils, to open his Australian Open account, in a quarter of the draw that features fourth seed Taylor Fritz and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev.
In this third Melbourne Park appearance, 15th seed Draper could strike free-swinging and unseeded Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis in a potentially precarious second round while Czech 19-year-old Jakub Mensik – the youngest man in the top 100 – could pose a huge obstacle for sixth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud at the same stage.