Novak Djokovic did not waste any time in producing a moment of magic. Flitting left of the tramlines in the first set of his 21st season as a professional, he bent a backhand slice between the net post and umpire’s chair for a spectacular, untouchable winner. It was the type of athleticism, resourcefulness and shotmaking that has made him the most successful player of all time.
As a full, ebullient crowd under the lights at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane responded, Djokovic’s celebration was even more unusual than the shot: the Serb sprinted across the court to embrace none other than Nick Kyrgios. For a long time, Djokovic and Kyrgios were only mentioned together when the Australian had fired another public, unprovoked insult towards him, yet here they stood as doubles partners on the same side of the net.
This was an appetiser for a new season that, in one way or another, will be defined by how Djokovic performs. In 2024 he watched his last remaining great rivals, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, retire while his season was a complicated concoction of triumph and doubt. While Djokovic produced a legendary performance to seal an elusive Olympic gold medal, showing that he is still capable of performing at the highest level, the 37-year-old spent the rest of the year chasing shadows. It was the first time since 2006, when he won his first two titles, that Djokovic failed to claim multiple titles in a season.
His reaction to the difficulties of 2024 and the approach of Father Time has been fascinating. Last month Djokovic announced Murray as his new coach and the pair had 10 days working in Marbella after spending a large part of their lives trying to outsmart each other. Murray will join Djokovic in Melbourne at the Australian Open and they will try to hold off the younger generation for as long as they can.
As Djokovic embraces his unfamiliar role as the hunter, Jannik Sinner will look to consolidate his status as the undisputed best men’s player in the world after producing one of the best seasons of the 21st century. Still, Sinner’s upcoming hearing at the court of arbitration for sport continues to loom over his on-court success after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed against the no fault or negligence ruling in his anti-doping case. The hearing will not take place before February and a ban for the Italian remains a possibility.
Sinner’s sustained success should serve as motivation for others, none more so than Carlos Alcaraz. While he matched Sinner’s grand slam title count in 2024, winning Roland Garros and successfully defending his Wimbledon crown, Alcaraz was also punished throughout the year for his rash, incomposed performances.
Three months after Sinner’s positive test was revealed, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and Iga Swiatek announced she had also failed an anti-doping test. The Pole’s case, however, is relatively straightforward. After testing her medications and supplements, laboratory results showed her melatonin medication, a non-prescription regulated product in Poland and the rest of the EU, was contaminated with the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ). The ITIA’s own tests confirmed this.
Although Swiatek has dominated the women’s game over the past three seasons, she has underachieved at grand slams outside of her remarkable performances at Roland Garros. Alongside her new coach, Wim Fissette, she will look to replicate her success at all of the biggest tournaments in 2025.
Last season Aryna Sabalenka continued to grow as a player, harnessing her immense power into sustainable, consistent tennis and adding extra dimensions to her game. Her rivalry with Swiatek has already produced some excellent tennis, but the world’s top two are yet to meet in a grand slam final.
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The 2024 season concluded with a dramatic tussle in Riyadh as Coco Gauff, still only 20, won her first WTA Finals title, defeating both Swiatek and Sabalenka en route to the crown. Not only is Gauff in pursuit of a second grand slam title, her defeated opponent in the final, the 22-year-old Zheng Qinwen, has entered the fray.
After her breakout Olympic gold medal, an Australian Open final and a brilliant second half of the season, Zheng will pursue a maiden grand slam title. Elena Rybakina will also look to re-establish herself after pulling off the boldest coaching hire on the WTA Tour by recruiting Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s former coach.
At the start of a new season, enjoyment was the common theme on Monday. As Djokovic smiled throughout, Kyrgios, playing only his second match since 2022 because of injury, threw in a successful tweener, dummied an underarm serve and navigated the entire evening without once talking down an official. They opened the first full week of the new season by narrowly defeating the German‑Austrian team of Andreas Mies and Alex Erler 6-4, 6-7 (7), 10-8. There will be more to come.
