Even if the men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) circuits have already returned to action, the Australian Open, which starts this Sunday, January 12 at Melbourne Park, really launches the upcoming Tennis season. Just before the start of hostilities, Libé lists four issues that should keep tennis fans in suspense this season.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the other rising star
This is the new UFO of French tennis: still beyond 200th place a year ago, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is preparing to discover his first Australian Open as a seed, he who appears now in 30th place in the world. A meteoric ascent which earned the Lyonnais the prize for best progression («Most Improved Player») of the year 2024. He will undoubtedly be, with Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert, the Frenchman to follow assiduously this season. Equipped with a blistering serve, with second balls that easily exceed 200 km/h, the 21-year-old right-hander can legitimately foresee the Top 20 this year, or even better as his margin for progress seems immense. In Melbourne, his entry into the running will be anything but easy, facing the stainless Gaël Monfils, 38 years old, and recent winner in Auckland (New Zealand). An intergenerational duel which will be one of the headliners of this first round.
Sabalenka, Gauff, Rybakyna, Swiatek: who to rule in 2025?
Will Aryna Sabalenka manage to score the hat-trick? Winner in 2023 and 2024, the Belarusian, 26, can succeed Martina Hingis, the last woman to have achieved such a feat in Australia. It was in 1998. But the Belarusian is not alone in claiming to win on January 25. This year, apart from the – common – achievements of some of them who are languishing in the Top 100, there should be four of them pulling their punches during the big tournaments. Her most serious opponent, the Polish Iga Swiatek, 5 “Majors” including 4 Roland-Garros, aims to regain her seat as boss of the circuit, abandoned at the end of October in favor of… Sabalenka. Another aspirant to the throne: the American Coco Gauff, 3rd in the world, who concluded 2024 with a series of 13 victories in 15 matches. Finally, pay attention to the Kazakh Elena Rybakyna (6th), who, if she is not the most renowned of the four, is one of the best equipped to perform on all surfaces. So who?
Djokovic, last giant facing young perils
Of the “Big Three” who reigned over world tennis for two decades, only him remains. Novak Djokovic is moving towards 2025 without his two historic opponents, after the withdrawal from the courts of Roger Federer in 2022 and Rafael Nadal in November 2024. However, the quest for a record 25th Grand Slam for the Serbian, 37 years old and now dogged by another tough former rival, the Briton Andy Murray, is (very) far from being recorded. In Melbourne, “Nole” is certainly in its garden (10 crowns gleaned from the Rod Laver Arena), but the competition has thickened considerably, with certain prototypes now reaching maturity.
The main threats, in disorder: the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who suffered his scalp in the Wimbledon final last summer, could cross him in the quarters; before a potential semi against Roland-Garros 2024 finalist Alexander Zverev, scheduled to finally win a Major this year. And if there is a final, it could well be last year’s revenge against Jannik Sinner, as the world number 1 seems invincible on hard court.
The specter of doping revived by Sinner and Swiatek
Unless the same Sinner finds himself overwhelmed by the doping affair concerning him. Testing positive for clostebol (an anabolic) in March, the Italian received no suspension and only saw his case revealed in the summer of 2024 by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (Itia). The World Anti-Doping Agency, dissatisfied, appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and is demanding a suspension of one to two years. His case will be examined in mid-April. Until then, Sinner can play, but faces mistrust from part of the locker room, who are pleading for a reform of the protocols.
Djokovic believes it, but concedes he “was very frustrated, like most of the other players, to have been kept in the dark for five months”. L’ATP “didn’t really talk in depth about why she kept this matter out of the public eye”deplores the Serb. The head of the body, Andrea Gaudenzi, brushed aside rumors about supposed preferential treatment: the matter was handled “in accordance with the rules of the art”.
The same criticisms are coming out for the Iga Swiatek case, also suspended a month after the discovery in August of trimetazidine in her body. Here too, Itia accepted the contamination excuse. “Two world number 1s (Swiatek was then world number 1 at the time of the control) who are caught for doping, it’s disgusting for our sport, Australian Nick Kyrgios protested at the start of the week. It gives a horrible picture.”
