Defending champions Jannik Sinner, 10-time winner Novak Djokovic and world no. 3 Carlos Alcaraz began their preparations for the 2025 edition of the Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena. The tournament’s main draw will begin from January 12 onwards in Melbourne, with the draw set to be announced on Thursday.

Djokovic was spotted practising at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday afternoon under the watchful eyes of his newly appointed coach, Andy Murray. It is the Brit’s first coaching stint since his retirement in the summer of 2024, after the Paris Olympics. Murray won three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic singles gold.

The Serb, who will be chasing an unprecedented 25th major, heads into the first Grand Slam of the calendar year on the back of a shocking quarterfinal loss against American Reilly Opelka at the Brisbane International. In 2023, Djokovic had failed to win a single ATP title, barring the historic gold in the Paris Olympics. The closest he reached to claiming the 25th major was in Wimbledon, where he lost to Alcaraz in a rematch of the 2023 final.

Donning a new hair-cut, Alcaraz, who landed in Melbourne on Monday, was spotted training alongside French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard , number 30 in the ATP rankings. The Spaniard, who made the quarterfinals in his last Australian Open appearance, will be hoping to go one step further this time, with this being the only major eluding him in his career so far.

Sinner wins on return to Melbourne

The Italian, who had defeated Djokovic in the semifinal last year en route to claiming his maiden major, made a winning return on his return to the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday. Troubling Aussie talent Alexei Popyrin on his serve, creating nine break points to one, Sinner claimed a comfortable 6-4 7-6 victory in a charity match.