(Reuters) – Contenders for the men’s singles title at the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday:
ALEXANDER ZVEREV (GERMANY)
Ranking: 2
After two seasons that were partially hampered by a serious injury, Zverev looked back to his best in 2024, winning Masters 1000 titles in both Rome and Paris as well as reaching the final of the French Open.
The German, ranked second in the world, will be eyeing a long overdue Grand Slam breakthrough in 2025, but his preparations for the Australian Open have been far from ideal as he was forced to pull out of the United Cup due to a bicep strain.
TAYLOR FRITZ (UNITED STATES)
Ranking: 4
Fritz is coming off a breakthrough year in which he reached his first Grand Slam final on home soil at the U.S. Open, where he was beaten by Jannik Sinner, before once again losing to the Italian in the final of the ATP Finals in Turin in November.
His lethal serve makes him a real threat at Melbourne next week, and his role in guiding the United States to a second United Cup title with a win over Hubert Hurkacz in the final will do wonders for his confidence.
“I’m at a 7 (out of 10), I think. I think I’m serving really, really well… But I’d say the rest of the game I think can improve a bit,” Fritz said of his preparations for the Jan. 12-26 Australian Open.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV (RUSSIA)
Ranking: 5
Former U.S. Open champion and three-times Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev will be hoping to make it fourth-time lucky and improve on his run to the final at Melbourne Park last year.
Medvedev, whose only Grand Slam title came at the 2021 U.S. Open where he beat Djokovic in the final, has often touted himself as a hardcourt specialist and can never be counted out on the surface.
However, the Russian has had little joy since his defeat to Sinner last year and failed to win a title in a season for the first time since 2017.
He was still able to retain his place in the top five after making deep runs at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
ANDREY RUBLEV (RUSSIA)
Ranking: 9
With a massive forehand, strong serve and incredible work rate, Rublev is a force to be reckoned with if he can keep his temper under control.
The 27-year-old, who has made it to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open three times in the last four years, won two titles last year including in Madrid but was also defaulted at the Dubai Tennis Championships after yelling at a line judge.
He has had a poor start to his 2025 campaign, losing to Hungarian Fabian Marozsan in the opening round at the Hong Kong Open, where he was the defending champion.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
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