NOvac Djokovic wasted no time and created a magical moment. He darted left of the tram line in the first set of his 21st season as a professional and bent a backhand slice between the net post and the umpire’s chair, resulting in a spectacular, untouchable winner. It was the kind of athleticism, ingenuity and shooting technique that made him the most successful player of all time.

As a packed, exuberant crowd responded under the lights of Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena, Djokovic’s celebration was even more unusual than the shot: the Serb sprinted across the court to embrace none other than Nick Kyrgios. For a long time, Djokovic and Kyrgios were only mentioned together when the Australian fired another public, unprovoked insult at him, but here they were on the same side of the net as doubles partners.

This was a foretaste of a new season that will, one way or another, be defined by Djokovic’s performance. In 2024, he watched his last remaining major rivals, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, retire, while his season was a complicated mix of triumph and doubt. While Djokovic secured an elusive Olympic gold medal with a legendary performance, showing he is still capable of performing at the highest level, the 37-year-old spent the rest of the year chasing shadows. It was the first time since 2006, when he won his first two titles, that Djokovic failed to win multiple titles in one season.

His reaction to the difficulties of 2024 and the impending Father Time was fascinating. Last month, Djokovic announced Murray as his new coach and the pair worked out for 10 days in Marbella after spending much of their lives outsmarting each other. Murray will join Djokovic at the Australian Open in Melbourne and try to hold off the younger generation for as long as possible.

As Djokovic embraces his unfamiliar role as hunter, Jannik Sinner will look to cement his status as the undisputed best men’s player in the world after having one of the best seasons of the 21st century. Nevertheless, Sinner’s upcoming hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport remains significant to his on-court success after the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the no-fault or negligence ruling in his anti-doping case. The hearing will not take place until February and a ban for the Italian remains possible.

Sinner’s continued success should serve as motivation for others, especially Carlos Alcaraz. While he matched Sinner’s number of Grand Slam titles in 2024, winning Roland Garros and successfully defending his Wimbledon title, Alcaraz was also punished for his hasty, uncomposed performances throughout the year.

Three months after Sinner’s positive test was revealed, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and Iga Swiatek announced that she had also failed an anti-doping test. However, the Pole’s case is relatively simple. After testing her medications and supplements, laboratory results showed that her melatonin medication, a non-prescription product in Poland and the rest of the EU, was contaminated with the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ). ITIA’s own tests confirmed this.

Although Swiatek has dominated the women’s game over the past three seasons, she has underperformed in Grand Slams apart from her notable performances at Roland Garros. Together with her new coach Wim Fissette, she will try to repeat her success at all major tournaments in 2025.

Last season, Aryna Sabalenka continued to develop as a player, using her immense strength for sustained, consistent tennis and adding additional dimensions to her game. Her rivalry with Swiatek has already produced some excellent tennis, but the world’s two best have yet to meet in a Grand Slam final.

The 2024 season ended with a dramatic clash in Riyadh as Coco Gauff, still just 20, won her first WTA Finals title, defeating both Swiatek and Sabalenka en route to the crown. Not only is Gauff looking for her second Grand Slam title, her opponent, who was defeated in the final, 22-year-old Zheng Qinwen, has also entered the fight.

After her breakthrough Olympic gold medal, an Australian Open final and a brilliant second half of the season, Zheng is aiming for her first Grand Slam title. Elena Rybakina will also be looking to re-establish herself after landing the boldest coaching assignment on the WTA Tour with the recruitment of Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s former coach.

At the start of a new season, enjoyment was the motto on Monday. While Djokovic was smiling throughout, Kyrgios, playing only his second match since 2022 due to injury, threw a successful tweener, faked a forearm serve and went through the entire evening without offending an official. They opened the first full week of the new season with a narrow victory over the German-Austrian team Andreas Mies and Alex Erler 6:4, 6:7 (7), 10:8. There’s more to come.