The last week in tennis has been dominated by one thing: the Australian Open. It’s been all go in Melbourne as 128 hopeful men and women battled it out over the opening three-and-a-half rounds of action. We’re heading into the business end of the tournament now, but before we do, let’s take a look back at the big storylines from the past week.
Favorites on Cruise Control
On the men’s side of the Australian Open, the favorites have looked rather sharp.
Top favorite Jannik Sinner has been cruising along, as have Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. Those two will face each other in the quarter-final so make sure you don’t miss that. Some big names are out though, with Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev all losing in the first week of the event.
On the women’s side, we also have the favorites doing what was expected as well. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff have all looked really strong, winning without too many problems.
Others like Naomi Osaka, Danielle Collins, and Jessica Pegula are out though. That’s hardly a surprise though, as the first major of the year always features some surprising results.
Teens Steal the Show
Plenty of the last week’s upsets have come at the hands of teenagers, particularly in the men’s draw.
First there was Joao Fonseca, who lit up Margeret Court Arena with a straight-sets upset of No 9 seed Andrey Rublev. Then, fellow Next Gen finalist Learner Tien produced an epic against former finalist Daniil Medvedev, knocking the No 5 seed out in a fifth-set breaker.
Tien is still alive at the time of writing, and will play Lorenzo Sonego for a spot in the last eight on Monday.
Andrey Rublev Opens Up About Depression
While Rublev suffered an early loss at the Australian Open, the biggest story surrounding him was an interview he did with The Guardian where he opened up about his struggles last year. He candidly admitted to dealing with depression in 2024 but now went further, explaining that it was really bad at times.
He spoke about ending up on anti-depression pills, which he’s since abandoned, and his ongoing work with a psychologist to help him get out of a mental space which he described as lacking ‘wanting to live’. The openness with which he talked about it shocked many tennis fans and added perspective on his ongoing struggles on the court.
“I’m still not in a place where I would like to be, but I have a base. Half a year ago I arrived at the worst moment of my life in terms of how I feel about myself,” he said.
Novak Djokovic Calls Out Channel 9 and Their Staff
Novak Djokovic refused to give an on-court interview to John Courier after beating Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Djokovic simply thanked the fans briefly before running off into the locker room following the match, leaving many stunned as to what had happened.
The Serbian is generally very good with media obligations, so this was out of the norm. He would explain in the post-match press conference that a media member from Channel 9, which is the official broadcasting partner of the Australian Open in Australia, mocked Serbian fans and insulted him earlier in the week, which is why he didn’t give the interview.
He also demanded an apology, which hasn’t yet happened.
A few words about what happened on court. pic.twitter.com/jRof2npiwH
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) January 19, 2025
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Makes History
Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina became the first player in 20 years to win back-to-back matches at the Australian Open from being down two sets to love.
He first bested Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round in five sets after being down 0-2. The final score was 6-7(9), 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. Then he did the same thing in the third round against Jakub Mensik, with the final score in that one being 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-4, 6-2.
Danielle Collins Steals the Show
Danielle Collins is a rather interesting tennis player who has a bit of a feisty nature. She took issue with the crowd during her match against an active player and she let them hear it after. She not only mocked the crowd immediately after the match but also had some selective comments for them.
Some fans reacted negatively to that, thinking that she took it too far, especially as the crowd was described as rather tame, but some loved it. Djokovic took a chance to say in one of his press conferences that he absolutely loved that from Collins. After all, he knows a thing or two about clashing with crowds.
Grand Slam of Legendary Quotes
This year’s Australian Open had some rather iconic quotes from a few players after their matches. We’re going to finish off with some of them, so enjoy them below.
Medvedev after beating Kasidit Samrej:
“I play better when I play more tennis so why play one hour and thirty. Minimum three hours.”
Also Medvedev after beating Samrej:
“If he plays like this every match, life will be good. Money, girls, casinos, whatever.“
Collins to the crowd after beating Destanee Aiava:
“Thanks for the big fat paycheck.” (see video)
Learner Tien after beating Medvedev:
“Honestly in the fourth set I just had to pee so bad.”
Coco Gauff after her fourth round match:
“Rip TikTok USA.”
Coming Up This Week
Looking ahead to this week in tennis, it’s more of the same: Australian Open, baby.
Can Sinner defend his title? (follow our predictions here) Will Djokovic vs Alcaraz be an epic? Are Sabalenka and Swiatek on track for the final? How far can Tien go?
All these questions and more will be answered as our Australian Open champions are crowned this weekend.