Australian Open 2025: Mark Petchey’s tournament diary
January 27, 2025
Jannik Sinner is champion in Melbourne once more. The Italian didn’t face a single break point in a comprehensive three sets victory over Alexander Zverev.
Madison Keys played the tournament of her life, beating Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka en route to her maiden Grand Slam success.
There was also joy for Brit Henry Patten, as he claimed a second Grand Slam men’s doubles title alongside partner, Harri Helliovaara.
Mark Petchey summed up the tournament below; plus added some bonus thoughts on a new emerging star from Switzerland with hallmarks to the likes of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
JANNIK SINNER – THE PLAYER TO BEAT RIGHT NOW
“The overriding memory of the Australian Open has to be the accolades that go with Sinner and his victory.
“He’s the first man since Nadal in 2005/2006 to defend his first Major win, and the first man ever to win 10 straight matches against top 10 seeds without dropping a set.
“Digging a little deeper, in the six sets he played against Djokovic last year, the best returner of all time, he didn’t face a single break point.
“When you take into consideration that he’s one of the best returners on tour, and add his phenomenal saving into context, it’s going to be very difficult for people to compete with him, let alone beat him.
“The great champions compete well; but generally they dominate because they’re technically better than everyone else. To see Sinner beat the elite in the manner that he’s done, with the composure and assuredness that he’s shown, is quite remarkable.
“Sinner isn’t just in the winning business right now, he’s in the perfection business. It’s stunning to watch and it’s going to make the tour a better place, because all of his rivals are going to get better.
“He definitely will face challenges down the road, taking on clay and grass in the next couple of Slams, but I do feel like he has a great game and psychologically he considers himself better on clay than hard courts, which is quite a frightening proposition if it comes true.”
KEYS AND SABALENKA – A CLASH OF THE TITANS
“I thought the final was truly one for the ages.
“It was a great match. Sabalenka had done so well all tournament to put herself in with a chance of three in a row, but on this rare occasion, she was just outgunned by Madison Keys.
“Keys had learnt from her match against Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open, when she was up a break in the third set and was serving for the win.
“How often do we hear the cliché that someone has learnt from a match, but it never really comes to fruition? Well, this time it was well intended, she really went for it and hit her way out of trouble in that third set.
“In terms of speeds off the ground, in that last game, considering that Keys was serving to win her first Major, we probably won’t see something like that again for a long time.
“It was electrifying, bigger speeds than the men can produce. We’re talking 137km/h off the forehands, and a 131 off the backhands. That’s more than Sinner’s averages throughout the tournament on both strokes.
“Credit to the American, it was a popular win in the press room and locker room. It was awesome to see.
“She won her first tour match back in 2009 as a 14-year-old and was immediately compared to Martina Hingis. It’s been a long, hard road, she’s just got married and when she looks back at her career one day, she’ll see this win came at a great time for her.”
TENNIS – MORE POPULAR THAN EVER
“Tennis looks to be in a great space right now. People were concerned about the optics with three of the big four men retiring and Djokovic coming to the end of his career.
“That hasn’t been the case in Melbourne. We’ve had over 1.2 million spectators throughout the two weeks, and the evening sessions were packed every night.
“It’s encouraging to see how Sinner has really taken hold of the number one spot. He’s won 47 matches out of 50 as the world number one, which is the same record as icons of the sport such as Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg.
“Not only is he the lighthouse that everyone is gunning for, but he’s setting up for more rivalries with the likes of Alcaraz, and Rune who is going to be part of that conversation very soon. Not to mention Djokovic, who is still hanging around.
“Hopefully Novak’s body can hold up, the tour is more interesting with him involved and it’s harder for everyone else if he’s fit and healthy.”
HENRY PATTEN – ANOTHER DOUBLES WIN FOR GREAT BRITAIN
“It was a great night for Henry and his partner, Heliovaara, in the men’s doubles.
“It’s been amazing to watch them progress after winning Wimbledon together in 2024. They haven’t actually been to compete in that many tournaments since then due to issues with the rankings.
“The fact they did it so late at night after squandering 10 set points in the first set was amazing.
“They’ve only played in four Grand Slam events together, after starting out at the French last year.
“It’s been a bit of good news for Great British tennis. Henry will be a stalwart for tennis in this country over the next few years, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and Heliovaara flourish.”
HENRY BERNET – SWISS STAR ON A ROLL
“We have a new Swiss star, Henry Bernet, after his Australian Open juniors’ win last week.
“He comes from the same club as Roger Federer, The Old Boys Club in Basel. He’s already signed a clothing deal with On, where Federer is an investor.
“He’s managed by Stan Wawrinka’s management agency, and he’s teaming up next week with Severin Luthi, who coached Federer throughout the majority of his career.
“There is so much information for him to delve into and learn from.
“It would be nice to see him continue the tradition of great Swiss male stars who have emerged in the last couple of decades.
“He plays with a one-handed backhand, has a huge serve and won the tournament on his 18th birthday. It’s nice that he could have a drink, being in Australia, as opposed to the US, where he’d have been stuck on water!
“Bernet looks like another star. I commentated on the final and he was really impressive. He’s a great mover and a player on the horizon for us all to keep an eye on.”
*Mark Petchey was speaking exclusively to casino.org throughout the Australian Open.
January 24, 2025
It’s finals weekend in Melbourne. Alexander Zverev claimed victory over Novak Djokovic, with the latter retiring from their semi-final after a gruelling first set tie-break defeat.
Jannik Sinner cruised past Ben Shelton in three sets; but not without a cramp scare halfway through the third set. With rumours over Sinner’s WADA appeal in February, will this be the only time this year we see the Italian in a Grand Slam final?
On the boos faced by Novak Djokovic after his retirement against Alexander Zverev
“He said that he could have played one more set if he’d won the opener, but he mentioned that he couldn’t envisage himself playing another three sets, and that’s why he felt he had to pull out.
“It was a wild end to the match, in terms of how unexpected it was. But what a result for Zverev, especially now that he’ll be able to rest and have plenty in the tank for Sinner on Sunday.
“On one hand, you can’t understand the booing of Djokovic given the success he’s had, and the way he’s carried injuries in this tournament, with the abdominal tear in 2021 and hamstring in 2023, which have been well documented.
“He went into press and admitted that he could have played another set. If you’ve dropped between £500-£1,000 on a ticket and you hear that, then you’re probably feeling that you’d really liked to have watched more tennis. Those fans are a little less forgiving of the situation, especially given the unexpected nature of the withdrawal.
“It doesn’t feel great on one end that a great champion could get that reaction, but given his comments afterwards, perhaps on a more micro level, you can see where the fans are coming from who shelled out an awful lot of money.
“It was an unfortunate end in what had been an amazing tournament for Djokovic, especially after his win over Alcaraz. Ultimately, he had a huge task ahead of him after that match to go and beat both Zverev and Sinner, the world number two and world number one, to win it outright.
“It was always going to be a tough ask at age 37 and, unfortunately, father time remains undefeated.”
The tactical element of Jannik Sinner v Alexander Zverev
“Zverev leads the h2h; they’ve had three or four matches go the distance with plenty of 7-6 sets between them.
“They both served remarkably well in Cincinnati last year, where Sinner just edged it in three sets. They didn’t have many chances there to break given the conditions, but both players will certainly have more opportunities in Melbourne.
“They’re both returning the ball well and I think we’ll see greater fluctuation during the sets with slightly slower conditions here. It’s going to be played at night, so we should see more rallies and more opportunities to break.
“Both players have to be mentally prepared for that, and ready to take the opportunities. I think it helps Zverev that he has the better h2h record. Obviously some of those wins came before Sinner was the player that he is today, but I do think that the 2023 victory for Zverev in five sets against Sinner at the US Open will definitely hold him in good stead and give him belief that he can win a first Major.
“The key to the match is pretty simple; Sinner is going to produce big shots and target the forehand side of Zverev. His forehand is going to be substantially better than it was against Djokovic.
“Zverev definitely has some scar tissue from his past Grand Slam finals. He needs to fight those nerves, and it will be particularly interesting to see what happens in the closing stages, especially if he has a very serious opportunity to close out the match and win.
“He’s the best player on tour not to win a Major. Sinner will want to use that from a psychological point of view, he’ll try and keep himself close from a scoreboard perspective to put doubt in Zverev’s mind that he can finally get over the line.
“On Zverev’s side, his first serve percentage has been awesome. It was good against Djokovic too. It should keep Sinner a bit quieter, but he is such an aggressive returner; he really takes time away from you.
“If Sinner can get the ball on to the way he usually does and neutralise the point, he’ll be able to really scrutinize that Zverev forehand. He’s going to make him hit a huge quantity of balls on that side.
“If Zverev’s forehand can hold up, as it did at the backend of last year when winning the ATP Paris and for most of this tournament, he has a huge chance of winning this match up.”
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We head into the weekend with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff all standing their ground.
Tennis Channel commentator Mark Petchey continues to provide his notes on the Melbourne showpiece.
Mark also commented on whether or not he could see Andy Murray coaching Emma Raducanu one day; and has his say on Danielle Collins’ controversial celebrations after defeating home hopeful, Destinee Aiava.
January 17, 2025
Mark Petchey on… Novak Djokovic’s R3 win over Tomas Machac
“It was his best performance of the tournament so far by a mile against Machac.
“When he excels at both art forms, serving as accurately as he does, and returning flawlessly, he’s almost impossible to beat.
“That’s when you start believing that he has an 11th Australian Open title in him, because that was as good as it can be really. Machac had no answers, despite the fact he’s beaten Novak before and pushed him to a final set tie-break in the past.
“The opening set, even though it was 6-1, was close. That being said, Novak always had the edge in so many rallies. You have to tip your hat to Novak, Andy and the team for putting a great strategy together to find solutions to Machac’s strengths.
“You could see the tactical insight straight away; going into Machac’s backhand side as they clearly thought that was his weaker shot. You do that from the start, and it just inserts thought into the opponent’s head. He never got the rhythm into that shot that perhaps we’ve seen in the last 12 months from him.
“Whenever he did get close to a break or finding momentum, Novak just pinged a couple of serves close to the line and took the match away from Machac. There was a slight concern in set when he appeared to be sick over the side and had some sort of stomach issue.
“If you’re going to get through a match and have something like that, then it’s good to have a straight sets win, a day off on Saturday and then probably an evening match on Sunday. He’s got plenty of time to set himself and recover for tougher tests.
“In terms of performance levels heading into round 4, that was as good as it can be. It was right on point and the team will be delighted.
“As for Jiri Lehecka up next, he’s one of the biggest hitters out there. He can take the racket out of anyone’s hand, including Novak’s.
“He has to get the ball back into play often enough. If Novak serves as well as he did against Machac, it will be tricky for him.
“I thought Novak showed some great rally resilience, it was exceptional today. He’d trouble Sinner and Alcaraz playing like that, plus he’s won this tournament 10 times in the past.
“Lehecka is a guy who wants to go through you with the ball, but Novak isn’t someone who lets opponents past too often. He has a big second serve, but can cough up with double faults at times.
“He might keep Novak a bit quieter on return compared to Machac. He was out for a while with a back injury last year, and has a lot to prove but a lot to gain.
“He’ll have confidence after winning in Brisbane, and has proven he can be dangerous. Novak will very much have his eyes on the next round and no further than that.
“Based on what we saw, though, in R3, you’d be pretty confident that Novak will be lining up in the quarter-finals next week.”
Petchey on… could Andy Murray coach Emma Raducanu one day?
“I can definitely see Andy working on the women’s tour one day, 100%.
“I think that’s going to be a natural evolution for him, and I’m sure a lot of the top women on tour will want to tap into his tennis IQ. He was a forerunner when hiring Amelie Mauresmo as a player, and he does watch a lot of women’s tennis.
“It’s a different style of play, and something that he’s super well acquainted to given how much of it he’s watched. He’s always been a champion of gender equality and, if you are one of the top women’s players, you’d be crazy not to pick up the phone and see if he has some availability to work with you.
“Obviously he’s a bit tied up with Novak now and that will take up his time in the immediate future if they continue their trial after Australia, but, post that, when he has got availability I won’t be surprised to see him teaming up with one of the marquee women’s players.
“Could he coach Emma Raducanu one day? It would be a dream partnership for Brits in terms of his knowledge, the stage of her career and his ability to guide her.
“Tactically he could help her, and also from a drive point of view. We all know that, as a player, Andy never left a stone unturned.
“He has a great energy and work ethic about him, and that could only be a boost to Emma and her game. I genuinely believe there’s no bad blood after what happened between them at Wimbledon last year.
“It was an unfortunate situation, in terms of Emma playing singles and looking after her career, but at the same time, this is a sport that has a few bumps in the road whenever you’re mixing singles with doubles at a Grand Slam.
“I’m sure both parties are happy to move on from it; especially if there’s an opportunity for both parties to gain. I think Andy would love that opportunity, it would be super motivating for him.
“From Emma’s perspective, it would be a great hire. On a timeframe level, I’m not sure when it would happen, but from a sense perspective, it absolutely ticks a lot of boxes.”
Mark Petchey on… Carlos Alcaraz
“I thought he was awesome against Borges.
“I watched his last couple of matches, seeing how he’s adapted to the new service motion and his new, heavier racket.
“I know he dropped a set in R3, but all of the opponents out there at this stage are so tough. It’s not that easy to go through against anyone in the main draw without losing a set.
“He didn’t play at all badly in the set he lost, Borges was just magnificent. After that, Alcaraz put his foot down with some incredible shots from the baseline and took control of the match.
“The serve is now looking more accurate, and as though it has more pace going through it from the bounce.
“It looks tougher to neutralize, so he’s able to very quickly get his forehand into play and distribute the ball all over the court. You could see that Borges most of the time had no idea where the ball was going and couldn’t track it down.
“The forehand and backhand from Alcaraz both look to have even greater pace. We’ve seen on the statistics that he’s picked up around 7km/h on his forehand and serve on average. It’s also his weight of shot.
“I remember hitting against Pete Sampras one time, who had a heavy racket, and whenever I thought I was on the ball, I wasn’t. I was always just half a step too late.
“Also just generating pace back off a ball when someone hits it at you with a heavier racket, it just becomes so much more difficult. You always feel second best in the rally, and as if you’re giving the opponent more time to steady themselves; you’re never in a rally and always being pushed around.
“I thought his performance today after being challenged by Borges in set 3 was magnificent, also from a psychological perspective to come back straight away and finish the match off in set 4.
“I haven’t seen any lapses in concentration from Carlos. With his old serve technique, he did used to give opponents opportunities. He would sometimes give service games away and opponents could sink their teeth into him to shift momentum.
“It doesn’t seem to be the case now with the new technique. He is in control consistently, has great athleticism and returns the ball superbly.
“It’s hard for any of his opponents to have genuine belief. You’re relying on Carlos playing poorly, rather than you doing anything positively to impact his tennis. His service motion looks almost completely molded to where he wants it to be, and that sends a signal to all of his competitors.”
Petchey on… Danielle Collins’ reaction to the Melbourne crowds after her victory over home hopeful, Destinee Aiava.
“It was a pretty wild celebration.
“There’s always two ways you’re going to take these things. If you’re Yannick Sinner, you’re magnanimous and say it’s part of how the Australian crowd behave because it’s one of their own out there.
“If you’re Danielle, you’re going to derive a lot of enthusiasm for the battle, by feeling that the whole stadium is against you, which of course most of it was.
“The crowd has a right to react the way it wants to, in terms of how it wants to support its own player, equally Danielle has a right to give it back if she wants to.
“I did feel that the tapping of the bum crossed the line a little, and was probably unnecessary. The rest of it was pretty iconic in the same way that Taylor Fritz gave it to the French crowd in Paris last year under similar circumstances, or Medvedev’s run to the final of New York where he lost to Rafa.
“He was a pantomime villain during that run, saying that the more the crowd booed him, the more energy it gave him. He was thanking all the fans, telling them that he wouldn’t have won without them!
“I don’t think we should have double standards in the game, and start saying Danielle is bad for the game when we’ve seen two major incidents of the male players giving it back to crowds in recent years.
“It was certainly extravagant the way she did it, and probably just did one unnecessary thing.
“For the rest of it, ultimately she’s an independent contractor, and can do what she wants. It’s her brand and she’s leaning into that brand, she always has done, she’s unapologetic and has always acted that way on the tennis court.
“You have to admire it from that point of view. If you are somebody sitting on the other side of the fence who doesn’t like it, you probably would be triggered by her ‘paying for her holiday comments.’ If you’re sitting on it from a neutral perspective like myself, it was all good theatre.
“I’m all for people being authentic, it’s one of the reasons I like Medvedev. He brings a lot of colour to tennis and, at times, we sit in the beige zone too much in the sport so, good for her.”
A former coach to Emma Raducanu and Andy Murray and now a leading pundit on The Tennis Channel, Mark Petchey will be providing his thoughts on all things Melbourne 2025, exclusively for casino.org.
Following the first two days, Petchey spoke about Carlos Alcaraz bidding for the career Grand Slam, Jack Draper’s first-round effort, plus his reaction to Jacob Fearnley and Nick Kyrgios’ first-round contest.
Day 3 sees Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter spearhead the British hope, with Petchey hopeful of a run into the second week for the latter.
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January 15, 2025:
Petchey on… Coco Gauff v Jodie Burrage
“I thought Jodie Burrage played amazing today. It’s so difficult to go out on that court and play somebody with the reputation of Coco Gauff, who’s been playing so well since the US Open last year. She’s almost untouchable.
“To push her as hard as she did, and briefly get the lead in set 2, I thought it was fantastic, tribute to her. She’s had a tough 12 months with injuries and worked hard to get back into the world’s top 100 as quickly as possible.
“She showed how good she is. She has a lot of belief in herself. The wrist has been a problem, but hopefully that’s a confidence-boost for her, even in defeat. She rattled Gauff a little, and really showed off her technical ability.
Petchey on… the impressive starts made by Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev
“His serving was brilliant today, in terms of aces. He served 14 today and when you consider back in 2022 when he lost to Berrettini he only served 12 aces in five sets, and outperformed that here today in a three set victory, it really shows how he’s added this element to his game.
“The accuracy on his first serve was astounding. Bigger tests lie in wait, but when you make a change technically to your serve, and get a new racket which carries a little more weight, there’s always a danger that you might lose your rhythm which has already made you a four-time Grand Slam Champion.
“I think he’ll have walked off court after round 2 with plenty of confidence as he heads into tougher opponents at the end of the first week.
“I also thought Zverev, another player who’s changed his racket, showed a display of monster hitting.
“That was the biggest speed off the ground that we’ve seen from Sacha. He’s showed it on his serve, too, but his forehand pace is never sitting at 85mph consistently throughout a contest, but it was against Martinez, who just had no answers to the pace that was coming in his direction.
“He’s definitely an outright contender if he can keep going on the front foot consistently.”
Petchey on… Jacob Fearnley’s march to the third round; and a tie against Zverev in R3
“He plays Zverev next, and what an impressive run up the rankings he’s had.
“This time last year, he was 646 in the world. After that round 2 victory, he’ll be in the world’s top 80 at least following this tournament.
“Up against Novak on Centre Court last year, he acquitted himself remarkably well, only losing out in four sets.
“That will hold him in good stead against a player like Zverev, who is so consistent and peppers 200km/h+ serves with regularity.
“It will be very hard to handle for Fearnley, but he isn’t a player who breaks down under pressure. He’s a great athlete and, thanks to the US college system, he’s now out there in the top 100, representing Great Britain and Scotland.
“At 16 years old, he was a contemporary of Jack Draper’s, but didn’t really get the support he needed. He had to take a different route. They found one with TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, and they gave him the chance to fulfil his tennis career.
“The UK needs to give TCU a big thanks. That’s both Fearnley and Cam Norrie who’ve emerged from there now, and provided us with a couple of home-grown players who we wouldn’t have had.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles Zverev on that court. Hopefully it’s onwards and upwards now, because he certainly deserves it.”
Petchey on… Raducanu’s R1 victory and her next opponent
“It was a big win for Emma in R1.
“I don’t think she played her best, obviously the serve was a bit wayward. In her own words, she admitted it had a mind of it’s own, but it can’t in future for too long in tournaments of this quality.
“Too many great players like Anisimova will take advantage of it. Hopefully, that part of her game is tidied up as she plays a massive hitter next up. You need the serve to neutralise that threat.
“I’ve always been high on Emma’s stock. She’s always been capable of great things, and I knew it would be bumpy for her after winning the US Open.
“It probably took about a year longer than I thought it would for her to re-find her groove, but I’m still super positive about her potential. Nobody wants to face her, she’s one of the best athletes on the whole of the women’s tour.
“If her game is firing, she’s one of the best returners in the game too. Right away, it puts pressure on the server, which will be a key battle to watch out for against Anisimova.
“You’ve got to get through in any fashion, sometimes. That’s what she did in R1. She’s had the injury issues coming into this, but her confidence should be high now.
“You’re never quite sure what to expect coming into a big tournament. I think some of the press coverage on her has been unfair, but some of it has been on the money. Could she have done a few things differently in recent years? Potentially.
“As a youngster, you don’t make mistakes, you learn lessons. That’s what life does to you at this age. I’m sure Emma will look back one day and reflect on things that could have been done differently.
“It’s very easy to criticise, but it’s hard to find the solutions in life sometimes. That’s what Emma’s had to do and I hope that she finds a few more answers in Melbourne.
“She’s one of the most charismatic players out there, fun to watch and has a lot of variety in her game.
“Some fans will never forgive her, or will say that she’s going to do X, Y or Z. For me, Emma will still be a multiple Major winner. I can’t put a time frame on it, but I believe she’s going to do it.
“I believe there is great news coming for her soon. It might not be here in Melbourne, but I think we’ll see her up there and competing at the top again.”
Petchey on… Murray and Novak’s blossoming relationship
“It’s been a couple of huge wins for Novak in the opening couple of rounds, and it’s good to see Andy’s DNA rub off in the partnership.
“In the long term for Novak, I think an extra 45 minutes or so in those two matches will have been a good thing for him to get his game in shape ahead of some huge upcoming tests.
“Thomas Machac is an unbelievable athlete, right out of the Djokovic mold, and it’s going to be interesting to see some of those grueling bassline rallies.
“Novak needs to find his timing from off the ground to dominate some of those. He can’t do all the running at the age of 37. That’s going to be a significant upcoming test. He’s looked solid enough so far and you can’t win the tournament in the first week.
“It’s a unique situation for him with Andy as his coach, someone who he beat four times in the final here in Melbourne, and now he’s trying to push Novak over the line for a 25th Grand Slam.
“I think these great champions are so good at isolating and focusing on the task at hand. They can push away these media narratives and use their experience.
“As much as we look into it from the outside looking in to see how they’re coping, they’re still able to do the X’s and O’s perfectly well. Andy’s always been a master of that, and Novak even more so.
“Together, I think they’ll get there. Djokovic didn’t hire Andy for the first two rounds, he could have got there on his own.
“He hired Andy for this stage onwards, and I’d expect to see small differences where Murray will really pass on some of his knowledge around tennis IQ against someone of the quality of Machac.
“I’m excited to see what happens, and the next match for them looks a critical test in their relationship.
“I know John McEnroe has been joking, saying that Andy is part of the staff to find all of Novak’s secret and then come out of retirement.
“I can assure you that Andy hasn’t been hitting any tennis balls, minus 20 minutes in Marbella and a knock around at Novak’s event pre-tournament.
“There is no comeback plan or deception in the camp. It’s all about being part of the camp and helping Novak to do the best that he can.
“Only Andy and Novak know how long it will last. It’s hard to put a timeframe on. If he wins the tournament, of course there might be a push for him to stay.
“Even if he doesn’t, I’m sure they will discuss it. There’s a big gap between Melbourne and Paris. Andy will reflect on it personally too. The time spent away from family, and the time spent just pondering what coaching actually means and how much you have to give towards it.
“Even if he just turned up at the Majors, it would be difficult for him to ignore what’s going on with Novak between them.”
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January 13, 2025:
What do you make of Alcaraz’ prospects for the career Grand Slam here in Melbourne?
“It’s absolutely crazy that we’re sat here with Carlos Alcaraz, with the potential to do the career Grand Slam at 21. It’s unfathomable that someone could be in that position at such a young age.
“It’s unheard of, it’s unheralded. It just goes to show how incredible his potential is. He is limitless.
“He’s come into this tournament with a new service motion that they’ve been working on, trying to find a new edge. He’s also got a heavier racket, which could help his already-powerful groundstrokes.
“He is going to be such a handful, and comes here fresh after a long pre-season. He got past Shevchenko with just a small stutter in round 1, which is to be expected as you can’t expect him to play his best tennis at this stage of the tournament.
“The fact that these things are going on in the background, it’s a big deal here in Melbourne. There’s a lot of excitement behind the scenes that he could complete the career slam here in just under two weeks’ time.”
How do you rate Emma Raducanu’s round 1 match up and general thoughts in the tournament?
“There’s the old cliché with Raducanu that it’s one match at a time.
“Up against Alexandrova, who has won four titles and someone who can take the racket out of your hand with her serving, it’s a tricky first game.
“Emma has a nice antidote to that, however. She’s one of the best returners in the game on her day, and arrives with a point to prove.
“She hasn’t had the matches that people want building up to this, but she certainly arrives here fresh.
“Raducanu is a tough first-round opponent for anyone, and won’t be someone Alexandrova is looking forward to playing so early in the tournament.
“It’s an opportunity for Emma to get through an opening round against a quality opponent, and if she can put her best foot forward and has recovered from all of her back problems, she can give a good account of herself.
“Obviously, Iga Swiatek could be waiting in round 3, but she can’t let herself get further ahead than that. In a way, it makes her job easier because she knows she needs to turn up and put in a performance straight away.”
And what about another Brit in the form of Katie Boulter?
“Looking at her draw, there’s a good chance she can make the fourth round here at least.
“Paolini potentially could come up in round 4, but she’s had a recent knee injury which could give her some trouble. The draw could look particularly good for Katie if she can get through the first round.
“I picked her for a big tournament here before the draw. You’re never quite sure where a player like Katie with her seeding is going to end up in the draw, but you look at how it’s potentially opened up for her now, and I feel that second week is a definite possibility for her.
“If she can play to her best, showing the sort of form she showed at the United Cup, she could even make the last eight. Her serve looks more consistent, and she’s added greater variety to her game. Put on top of that additional experience, I think she’s going to have a massive Melbourne.”
How did you rate Novak Djokovic’s first-round contest, and his first competitive match with Andy Murray as coach?
“I thought as the match wore on, Andy got more comfortable with being vocal from the coaching box.
“I spoke to Brad Stine and Tommy Paul earlier this week, and when the coaching rule came in, it even took them time to adapt and they’ve had a partnership in place since 2019.
“This is definitely something that Andy will have to feel and work out for himself gradually; when to be more vocal and when to sit back and take notes. That process will take a good two, three or four rounds; potentially longer.
“I think for a first outing, particularly how tricky it got for Djokovic at one stage, they’ll look back on that match as a big success for them going forward.
“It was a difficult first match for Novak. It took him time to get hold of that temperature between both himself and the coaching box. There was a bit of an inferno burning, but he wasn’t sure how to throw the gasoline on it.
“It sort of came at the end of the second set, but for a lot of the coached professionals out there, it was a big change for everyone when the new rules got introduced.
“Novak wants his team as close to the court as possible, there was a lot of chat about it in the build-up. I think sometimes it’s easier to see from an aerial view, but he wants them close to tell him what they believe is happening in the match in real time.
“It wasn’t Novak’s best ever first-round performance, but it was a case of job done and he has a pretty favourable second-round match up. Throughout tournaments, these great champions click and I don’t think that’s going to be any different with Novak and Andy as we move through the draw.”
Tell us about Jack Draper’s opener; he’s had a rough pre-season but battled well to go through to round 2 in five sets.
“Jack came into this tournament completely unprepared, and did the best job that he could against Navone.
“It certainly wasn’t ideal with the hip problem that he picked up; it scuppered his plan to go to Spain and work with Alcaraz at the Ferrero Academy, ruining his pre-season to work there for part of the winter.
“It pretty much sums up Jack’s career so far, getting a bit of momentum and picking up injuries. The fact that he is ranked where he is and has had the success he’s had, is a tribute to how good he is.
“It looked a good draw on paper for him today, but it became a lot trickier because he couldn’t find the pace on his serve.
“He was fortunate due to his opponent that he could give himself the opportunity to get back into the game, and with Kokkinakis in round 2, who’s also been struggling with injury, he might be able to build himself into fitness during this tournament.
“He’s one of the hardest workers out there, and worked hard on his body. It’s all going to come together for Jack. It might not be Melbourne because he’s undercooked, but he showed a great level of determination in round 1 and that’s going to take him a long way.”
The performance of the day goes to Jacob Fearnley, who beat Nick Kyrgios in round 1; how did you rate Fearnley’s efforts; and what next for Kyrgios?
“Jacob said himself that’s probably the best match he’s ever played.
“There are so many factors to account for in Melbourne; with the Kyrgios effect playing in-front of a home crowd.
“Jacob said himself that playing against Novak on Centre Court last year helped him to prepare for this match – it held him in good stead. He’s also played a lot of College in the US, where it’s chaos with the crowds where everyone screams and shouts throughout points.
“He was well prepared for the battle and is an excellent player. He deserved to win, and I said before the match I thought it was a 50/50 match-up.
“Jacob is a phenomenal talent; you don’t rise up in the rankings like he has unless you’ve got a solid game.
“Nick doesn’t have enough matches under his belt, and it showed.
“Nick had issues throughout the match, with his abs, his wrist, and everything else going on.
“He tried to create a bit of chaos in the match, but it was never going to distract Fearnley. From my point of view, Nick needs to be back within the lines firing aces, not Instagram and X posts.
“Nothing will change until he knuckles down and starts doing everything he can to make sure his career is the best that it possibly can be.
“He’s still got some of the best ability. He’s one of the most charismatic players out there, and tennis does need him to be firing on all cylinders.
“The sad truth is, he’s at best operating at 50% now, and until he gets himself back to 100%, there are too many good players out there who are too professional and will take care of him in the early rounds.
“Hopefully he can be less distracted in future, drag himself away from social media, back to the courts and back to the gym. We want to see the best version of him throughout 2025, but you can’t take anything from Fearnley, he was fully deserving of the victory.”
