MILLMAN: “Two stand out for me. Sabalenka was great in Brisbane; I was able to see this first hand by calling some of the matches (not theirs) but being there and seeing them. She is such an imposing figure and her record here at the Australian Open is very special, she is aiming for a three-peat. When it comes to Grand Slam play, she is definitely the best among women. Incredible player, great ball striker – the stats show she hits harder than most men on tour. The other person that I really like and know that they are dating and are in the same half, Coco Gauff. I thought she was super impressive at the United Cup, she has a massive serve, close to the 200km mark, which is crazy. She is such a good mover, an athlete. In the United Cup I thought she played a bit more aggressively, which I really liked. I’m a big fan of Coco Gauff and I think if anyone wants to take out Sabalenka, it’s Coco.”

PRATT: “I think Coco exudes a bit of real confidence. Obviously Sabalenka is on a roll and she will probably be the one to beat, but I like what I see from Coco this time.”

There are some incredible first-round duels at the Australian Open 2025. Which of these excites you the most?

STOSUR: “Sabalenka and Stephens. Well, it’s at the top of the draw (laughter). The game planners still have a lot of decisions to make: Where are we going to send all these guys and when are we going to find the spots? I think we know.’ What we’re going to get from Sabalenka, whereas sometimes Stephens puts in a fight where you’re like, ‘Hmm, what was that?’ But I think in that big moment she’ll be ready to fight . And we know she’s got the game to withstand the force, she’s able to create her own pace, and suddenly it’s like she’s hitting the same ball. That’s going to be a pretty interesting first round – if If I were one of the seeders, I certainly wouldn’t want to see Sloane Stephens directly.”

DOKIC: “I was looking for Naomi Osaka, whose draw is crazy. A repeat of last year’s big first round match against Garcia. But then it’s Muchova, Ostapenko, then it’s Gauff or something, it’s crazy – but then you wouldn’t bet against them. She’s finding her shape, I feel like she looked really happy and really healthy. I’m excited to see what she can do. For me she is the most dangerous hard court player outside the top 3-4.”

ANALYSIS: Osaka and Nishikori raise the flag of Japan at AO 2025

MILLMAN: “As far as the games where I think there could be an upset, I think of Tsitsipas against Michelsen. I really like the Californian, he is young, cheeky, he plays without fear, has a huge serve and his backhand is something very special. The match between Rublev and Fonseca, this boy is so good, obviously winner of the Next Gen Finals. He is currently on a winning streak of about 14 games. The other one I would look for is Hubert Hurkacz vs Tallon Griekspoor. I thought Griekspoor was super impressive at the Davis Cup when he led his team to the final there. Hurkacz got a kind of coaching addition with Nicolas Massu. I think the men’s draw is full, Dimitrov versus Fognini – the battle of the slightly older ones. Monfils vs. Mpetshi Perricard. I’m sure Giovanni looked up to Gael growing up, he’s only 21, he’s got a massive serve.”

PRATT: “I just think you always have previous Grand Slam winners, like Sabalenka and Sloane Stephens. I don’t think Sloane Stephens is the player she once was, but she is dangerous, she is an incredible ball striker. But at the end of the day I think every match in the first round is interesting. Everyone is nervous, I don’t care if you’re a Grand Slam champion, round one is round one and it’s on for everyone.”

And finally: Who will win the men’s and women’s singles titles at AO 2025?

STOSUR: “I will go with Sabalenka. That would be a three-peat, right? And the men I would say sinners. I mean, I’m not really going to go out on a limb here and pick the two No. 1s in the world.”

DOKIC: “I miss the form and confidence and the fact that they play so well here and love the conditions – Sabalenka and Sinner with a very small lead over Alcaraz. But I still think Alcaraz has something to prove.”

MILLMAN: “Let’s say Novak Djokovic, 25 out of 25. This has a really nice plot. When it comes to women, I appreciate Coco Gauff.”

PRATT: “It’s hard to get past Sinner, the level of professionalism he shows, the level of adversity he faced last year… he’s the one to beat for me.” I liked it , what I’ve seen from Coco Gauff, but it’s just hard to get past Sabalenka. She’s just so confident, she has the same team around her, no changes, she still seems to be having fun and she’s really enjoying it here.”