It's that time of year when the world's best players gear up for a fresh start as a new Grand Slam season kicks off at the Australian Open.
The atmosphere in the run-up has been buzzing with positivity and anticipation as some of them shared their thoughts with the press ahead of their 2025 campaigns.
With hope, determination, and an eye on the coveted 2025 AO trophies, here's what some of the top competitors had to say.
“I’m not reading tennis history every day. There’s enough tennis in my life. Of course, I know that I have the possibility of joining legends by winning three times in a row.
"Once again, I don't want to overthink about that. I just want to do my job. Hopefully by the end of this tournament I'll be super proud of myself and I'll be able to put my name in the history.”
Aryna Sabalenka begins her quest for a historic three-peat at the Australian Open - a feat last achieved by Martina Hingis, who claimed three consecutive titles from 1997 to 1999.
“You have more tension. You have more eyes on us because this is a match most people want to see. Obviously, there are so many other great, great players that are in the mix with us.
"First you have to arrive at this stage where you play against Carlos, which is a very difficult part to go through. When this happens, the feeling - I think he also feels the same way - it's a bit different.
"At the end of the day it's a tennis match. We try to do our best. Hopefully the people and the crowd enjoy it.”
Australian Open 2024 men’s champion Jannik Sinner on the anticipation surrounding a potential showdown with fellow young talent Carlos Alcaraz.
“To be receiving the crowd support that I've been receiving over the last few years, and I hope my tennis blends well with the rest of the crowd. The Greek community in Melbourne makes a big difference in feeling on the court.
"Travelling so far overseas and having that feeling of home allows me to feel good and within my comfort zone. Having that bit of an addition to my game, where I get rewarded and I get really supported by the fans and the crowd adds a little bit of excitement.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas on why he loves the AO and calls it his "home Slam".
“I don't think much feels very different for me. I think it kind of feels the same. I'm approaching it as I have other Slams. Last year I was happy with all my Slam results. I want to treat it the same way.
"The worst thing I can do is be looking super far ahead in the draw and putting all this pressure on myself. It's the same mentality I always have: take it one match at a time, don't look too far ahead. I don't feel like it's much different other than where my ranking’s at.”
Taylor Fritz enters the AO as a top-five seed this year, but his mindset remains unchanged.
“It's not ideal obviously preparation and everything. I had to miss a fair bit of my pre-season, the time when I wanted to rebuild my body for this coming year. That's what happens sometimes in sport.
"The last two-and-a-half weeks have been really positive. Came out here about a couple of weeks ago now, and have put in some really good preparation. I've had some great hits as well, so I feel really good about my tennis. There's no reason why, come Monday, I can't be playing some really good stuff.”
Jack Draper is confident that he is ready for the AO after overcoming a challenging pre-season plagued by a hip injury.