The 2025 Australian Open begins on Sunday and it is already shaping up to be a wildly entertaining event on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Storylines abound, headlined by Andy Murray making his coaching debut on Novak Djokovic’s team. Will that partnership lead to Djokovic regaining the Aussie throne from Jannik Sinner by capturing his 11th title at Melbourne Park? Nobody on the WTA Tour has been anywhere close to as dominant as Djokovic in Melbourne, but Aryna Sabalenka is trying to take steps in that direction. Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion and favored to lift a third trophy in succession.
Andy Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion and now a tennis channel analyst and Betway ambassador, recently weighed in with his thoughts on the upcoming fortnight.
If Djokovic comes up short, Murray will be blamed
The Murray-Djokovic duo is especially intriguing given their history as rivals–most notably at the Australian Open. Djokovic’s 25-11 record in the head-to-head series includes a perfect 5-0 mark at Melbourne Park–including 4-0 in finals.
Now, however, they are a team.
“Here’s what I think is going to happen,” Roddick wrote. “If Novak does really well, we’re going to give Andy Murray–who I think has one of the highest tennis IQs ever–too much credit. And if something weird happens, we’re going to give Murray too much blame.
“There are very few people that Novak can sit across from at dinner and talk about tennis and strategy, who understand the moment and what he’s trying to do, and whose brain he respects enough to actually consider their opinions. I think Andy Murray is one of those few, so it makes sense in so many ways.”
That’s not to say that Roddick is picking Djokovic to win the tournament. Instead, like many others, the American is rolling with Sinner. And why not? Sinner is the world No. 1 and defending champion, plus he wrapped up last season by triumphing at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian also has a favorable draw on the opposite side from Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev.
“I think Sinner’s the one to beat in Australia, and I certainly wouldn’t bet against him,” Roddick assured. “Alcaraz is his closest rival, but everyone knows he needs to find more consistency, and he’s not saying anything different.”
Former U.S. Open women’s champions are ones to watch
For the women’s tournament, Roddick will be paying close attention to Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Emma Raducanu. All three have won the U.S. Open (Sabalenka last year, Gauff in 2023, and Raducanu in 2021). Whereas Sabalenka is already a two-time Aussie champ, Gauff and Raducanu seek their first title Down Under.
“Sabalenka is the clear favorite on this surface and I don’t think you can bet against her on [a hard court], but Gauff has entered a conversation that she was missing from since last year’s Australian Open,” Roddick explained. “She actually played really well there and had Sabalenka against the ropes, but she struggled from March to September. Coco has played phenomenally well recently, winning the WTA Finals and serving a lot better, and then running the table in the United Cup and beating Iga Swiatek twice in a row. That covers a lot of real estate for confidence.”
Sabalenka and Gauff are serious title contenders–they are the top two favorites, in fact. The story is much different, of course, for Raducanu. She has fallen upon hard times since her U.S. Open triumph four years ago. Still just 22 years old, the Brit has time to get back to her slam-winning best–but she needs to stay healthy.
Roddick hopes it happens.
“Maybe this is a terrible analogy,” he cautioned, “but I want Raducanu to drive on the freeway at some time without stopping. I feel like it’s all city driving since her unbelievable run at the U.S. Open. What I know for sure is that we would all be better off if we saw a healthy version of Emma more often…. We want to see her healthy, happy and on the court. A lot more freeway driving, less starting and stopping.”
good stuff from Roddick