Australian Open begins January 12 in Melbourne, and the draws for the men’s and women’s singles are intriguing — and have thrown up some blockbuster first-round matches. The Athletic’s tennis writers,

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus plays a forehand return to Zheng Qinwen of China during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. Credit: AP/Andy Wong

T he first Grand Slam tournament of the year is already here, with the Australian Open 2025 marking its commencement in Melbourne Park. Although the qualifiers have already begun,

Novak Djokovic was "poisoned" by the food he ingested while detained during his 2022 Australian Open visa saga, the former world number one told GQ in an interview released on Thursday. The Serbian 24-times major winner had his visa cancelled ahead of the tournament following days of drama over Australia's COVID-19 entry rules and his unvaccinated status,

The 24-time grand slam champion spent time in quarantine after admitting to making a false statement on a travel document in 2022