- Sabalenka seeks her third consecutive title
- Djokovic chases an eleventh title to extend the record
- Australian Open starts on Sunday
Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka takes her first steps into the rare air when the Australian Open begins on Sunday.
Sabalenka begins her quest for a third consecutive title in a tournament in Melbourne that features many subplots.
Five Australians will play singles matches on the opening day: Aleksandar Vukic, Adam Walton, Li Tu, Omar Jasika and Daria Saville.
The contingent will depart ahead of Sabalenka's first-round match on Sunday against former US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
If Sabalenka picks up the trophy again, she will join the greats Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis as three-time consecutive winners in Melbourne.
“I know I have a chance to join legends by winning three times in a row… I don't want to think about it too much, I just want to do my job,” Sabalenka said.
Aryna Sabalenka begins her quest for a third consecutive title on Sunday
If Sabalenka picks up the trophy again, she will join the greats Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Monica Seles, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis as three-time consecutive winners.
In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic hopes to turn back the clock and become the first tennis player to win 25 major singles titles.
Djokovic, chasing a record 11th title in Melbourne, and Australian legend Court have won 24 majors.
And Djokovic has turned to an unlikely coaching source to gain an advantage: former rival Andy Murray.
“He was always one of my biggest rivals, we always hid things from each other,” Djokovic said.
“Now, all the cards are open on the table.”
Another win and Djokovic, 37, will become the third man to win 100 titles on tour: Jimmy Connors won 109 and Roger Federer 103.
But the Serbian megastar enters as the seventh seed, a sign of the winds of change blowing in the upper echelon.
World number one Jannik Sinner and Spain's Carlos Alcaraz split the majors last year, winning two each.
Sinner, 23, returns to Melbourne as defending champion and under a cloud of drugs: last year he tested positive twice for traces of an anabolic steroid.
Novak Djokovic hopes to become the first tennis player to win 25 major singles titles
Djokovic seeks to extend his record with his eleventh title in Melbourne in 2025
The Italian attributed the incident to having been exposed to a prohibited substance through a massage from his coach and was exonerated, but an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency will be heard in mid-April.
'I haven't done anything wrong. That's why I'm still here,” said Sinner before a tournament in which Alex de Minaur will once again be the local hope.
World No.8 De Minaur will enter his 'bubble' to quell the hype of becoming the first Australian to win the Open since Mark Edmondson in 1976.
“Over the years, of course, there's a little more talk or more publicity behind me,” he said.
“There will always be a lot of outside noise, but I'm very lucky to have a great team around me, we can concentrate in our little bubble.”
Alexei Popyrin looms as Australia's other sneaky chance to produce a deep run, although Nick Kyrgios' return will dominate Monday.
In his first grand slam since the 2022 US Open, Kyrgios withdrew from an exhibition match with Djokovic on Thursday night due to an abdominal strain.