The first tennis major of 2025 is upon us, and The Sporting News has all the predictions, tips and odds you need to know ahead of the Australian Open getting underway.

Aryna Sabalenka became the first back-to-back Australian Open winner since Victoria Azarenka claimed back-to-back titles in 2012-2013. Sabalenka looks to be the first woman since Martina Hingis from 1997-1999 to win three straight Australian Open titles.

It was the opening round of the 2017 Australian Open in de Minaur’s first main draw at his first major championship in his home country, when the then-17-year-old saved a match point in the fourth set before beating Gerald Melzer in five sets and almost four hours.

Alex de Minaur has generated much excitement among Australian fans after winning two titles, qualifying for the ATP Finals and breaking into the top 10 last year but he is determined to ignore the hype as he heads into his home Grand Slam.

Alex de Minaur enters this year's Australian Open as a top-8 seed for the first time in his career. After reaching the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open last season, the Aussie will look to go deep at his home tournament.

World number one Jannik Sinner said Friday he did not know when the highest court in sport will deliver its verdict as ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stressed the Italian's doping case was "run by the book".

In a long interview with 'Tennis365', tennis legend Mark Woodforde explained that Sinner will have great pressure in this edition of the Australian Open: “There is already a lot of talk about what happens next in this story, but there is a possibility that some kind of suspension may be coming.

Iga Swiatek, a self-described “control freak,” is taking new precautions — including holding on to extra samples of medicine she takes, in case they need to be tested at some point — after a doping ca