2025 Australian Open: A look at the draw for top ATP seeds

The qualification rounds have come to a conclusion, and the stage is set for the main draw of the Australian Open. The 2025 edition kicks off on January 12 in Melbourne, where the top seeds will collide in the first round of the Grand Slam event. The excitement is expected to reach new heights as the leading names in ATP put a lot at stake in the tournament. Jannik Sinner, currently ranked World No.1, will enjoy his first appearance as the defending champion in the season-opening Grand Slam. His arch-rival on tour, Carlos Alcaraz, has a chance to complete a Career Grand Slam at just 21 years of age. Meanwhile, as a fierce competitor to the new blood, Novak Djokovic will bid for his record 25th Grand Slam title as he gears up to brush the top seeds aside in the new season.

The qualifying rounds for the 2025 Australian Open, scheduled between January 6 to January 9 lokced the final 16 spots for the Grand Slam. Now, the first round will feature 128 players with 32 seeded competitors and eight wildcards. As the tradition goes across the Grand Slam events on the Tour, men's matches will be played in a best-of-five set format, while the women will compete in best-of-three sets. Moreover, any withdrawals prior to the first round will result in lucky losers filling the spots. The lucky losers are players who were eliminated in the final round of qualifying. The tournament culminates with the women’s singles final on January 25, followed by the men’s singles final on January 26.

Draws for Top ATP Seeds at 2025 Australian Open

Jannik Sinner emerged as the ultimate trailblazer of the 2024 ATP season, winning his first career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. The season saw the Italian sweeping 8 titles, including the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner also improved his Grand Slam tally, going on to win the US Open against home favorite Taylor Fritz. Despite a doping case hanging over his head like a black cloud for half the year, Sinner finished the season strong, clinching the year-end No.1 title and recording the most victories of the season, ahead of Alexander Zverev.

Looking ahead to the 2025 Australian Open, Jannik Sinner is positioned favorably in the draw, where he could avoid Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz until the later rounds. Despite a stellar season, Sinner remained a notch below the young Spaniard, who claimed three wins over Sinner across 2024. Sinner is drawn against Nicolas Jarry in the first round and could face 13th-seeded Holger Rune in the fourth round. From there, he may set off toward the playoffs, ideally facing 8th-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals and his US Open opponent, Taylor Fritz, in the semifinals.

The second-seeded Alexander Zverev, meanwhile, has a trickier draw as he bids for the first Grand Slam of his career. While the German starts against the unseeded Lucas Pouille, his potential matchups could be against sixth-ranked Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals, before he faces Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. The third-seeded Spaniard, who only needs the Australian Open title to complete a Career Grand Slam and become the youngest-ever player to do so, will battle Alexander Shevchenko in the first round and the 15th-seeded Jack Draper in the fourth round. According to the draw, the playoff matchups predict Alcaraz facing Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals and the second-seeded Zverev in the semi-finals.

Novak Djokovic, who holds the record for the most Australian Open titles with 10 to his name, also returns to Melbourne with his sights set on another title. Djokovic, now 37, will be motivated by the opportunity to win his 25th Grand Slam, which would break the record for the most Grand Slam singles victories by any male or female player. Djokovic also brings in a new coach, two-time Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray, to help him in his quest. Djokovic starts his campaign on January 12 against the 19-year-old American Nishesh Basvareddy before he sees the 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.

Australia's hopes lie in the hands of world number eight Alex de Minaur, who is aiming for his first-ever quarter-final appearance at his home Grand Slam. The Australian crowd will also be eager to welcome Nick Kyrgios, who won the men’s doubles title in 2022, back to the tournament. Kyrgios, who made a comeback on the court at the Brisbane International is drawn against Jacob Fearnley first in Melbourne.