The Australian Open starts Sunday, the first major tournament on the calendar and the unofficial kickoff for the 2025 tennis season. Let the bright sun and electric blue courts of Melbourne transport you to the other side of the world,

Novak Djokovic sparked global controversy in 2022 when he was deported from Australia after forgoing the necessary COVID vaccinations to play in the Australian Open. Now, with three years of hindsight, the Serbian tennis star is reflecting on the moment and speaking honestly about what he believes actually happened.

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,

Novak Djokovic is undoubtedly one of the biggest tennis stars of all time. Across his 22-year career, Djokovic has won an incredible 99 titles and has earned an estimated $185 million in prize money. His best year came in 2011, when the 24-time Grand Slam champion won 11 titles and picked up an impressive $18.2 million in prize money alone.

Novak Djokovic says he still feels a bit of trauma when he travels to Australia. He says that stems from his deportation from the country in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season's first major, with Carlos Alcaraz in the same quarter as Djokovic.

Here are some of the top men at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday morning local time (Saturday night EST), with money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook: Jannik Sinner Seeding: 1 Career-Best Ranking: 1 Country: Italy Age: 23 2024 Record: 73-6 2024 Titles: 8 Career Titles: 18 Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (1: 2024),

Seven of China’s 10 players in the year’s first grand slam, including Paris Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen, face unseeded opponents.