amiliar names, however, are tipped to take off with the winners' trophies. The following is a list of talking points at the Australian Open:
The Australian Open offers wildcard spots for eight men and eight women for the Jan. 15-28 tournament at Melbourne Park.
Angelique Kerber's recent revival faces its toughest test in the shape of Maria Sharapova when the only two former Australian Open champions in the women's draw clash in round three on Saturday. A cool front broke the grip
Former world number one Ana Ivanovic is doubtful for this month's Australian Open after suffering a stomach injury at the Hopman Cup mixed team event.
Iga Swiatek has hired Francisco Roig, formerly with Rafael Nadal, as her new coach to improve her performance on clay courts, starting at the Stuttgart Open.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said fears that private investment in the Big Bash League (BBL) could lead to the tournament ceding control to Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owners are overblown.
Normal service resumed at the Australian Open on Saturday as Roger Federer and Serena Williams booked their places in the second week of the championship.
Saina Nehwal was the lone Indian left in the Australian Open Super Series badminton tournament after a hard-fought victory over China's Sun Yu in Sydney on Thursday. The world No 1 overcame a stiff challenge from Yu, ranked No 9, winning 21-19, 19-21, 21-14 in 78 minutes.
The Swiss was handed a code violation for swearing in the third set of Tuesday's match after the lineswoman reported Federer to Serbian chair umpire Marijana Veljovic.
Maria Sharapova's eagerly-awaited return to the Australian Open ended swiftly on Monday when she was sensationally knocked out of the first grand slam of 2010 just hours after it began.
India's challenge at the 2010 Australian Open Squash Championship came to a premature end on Wednesday after unseeded Dipika Pallikal bowed out in the first round of the tournament in Canberra.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's lead pacer Josh Hazlewood admitted that his delayed entry into IPL 2026 due to rehabilitation was tough, emphasising the need to respect recovery time at 35 after multiple injuries since November 2025.
The Australian Open men's singles final offers a rematch of the dramatic 2021 French Open final, in which Djokovic came back from two sets down to snatch the title and leave Greek Tsitsipas heartbroken.
Canada's Denis Shapovalov said he would flat out refuse to go on court if forced to compete in poor air quality and believed other leading players at the tournament will similarly decline to risk their health.
Ash Barty's bid to end the host nation's long wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion will begin against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko
On the men's side, the fields have already been divided into two ATP 250 tournaments.
Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria reported no local coronavirus cases on Saturday for the second straight day, boding well for the Australian Open tennis tournament due to start in Melbourne on Monday.
The 20-year-old had refused to play in the tournament since she was knocked out in the first round in 2001.
Aryna Sabalenka announced her engagement to Georgios Frangulis ahead of the Indian Wells tournament, where the World No. 1 will return to action from an extended break after losing the Australian Open final in January.
All players who want a visa to compete in the Australian Open will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, the country's immigration minister said on Wednesday, putting Novak Djokovic's title defence and Grand Slam record bid in doubt.
Organisers are confident a rain-hit opening day will not hold up the tournament.
With two men's five-set matches having caused a log-jam, Muguruza and Konta did not begin their match until 12:30 am local time (1330 GMT) on Friday at Margaret Court Arena, a record late start at the Grand Slam.
Roger Federer beat Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the Australian Open final on Sunday to win his 18th Grand Slam singles title.
Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar finished the International Series Singapore at Tied-26th after a disappointing final round. Korea's Jeongwoo Ham secured a wire-to-wire victory, earning a spot in the Open Championship.
Sunday's title match will mark the third final between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka in the last six months
Naomi Osaka faces Zheng before possible meeting with Coco Gauff
India's top squash player Dipika Pallikal warmed up for the World Doubles Championship, which begins in Darwin on Monday, by winning the PSA Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday. Top seed Pallikal beat eighth seed Mayar Hany of Egypt 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 in the 40-minute final for her first title of the year.
The Australian Open has hiked total prizemoney by 15 percent to a record A$30 million with an eye on satisfying player demands for a better share of grand slam revenues, Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood told Reuters on Tuesday.
Murray has struggled to regain form since undergoing hip surgery last January, and was quickly dismantled by the six-time Australian Open champion at Margaret Court Arena before the players called time on their match after less than an hour.
London Olympics bronze-medallist Saina trounced Malaysia's Jin Wei Goh 21-12, 21-14 in 37 minutes to set up a women's singles quarter-final with 2013 World champion and second seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand. In the men's singles, Srikanth defeated Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-19, 21-12 in 34 minutes.
The return of Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin to the Australian Open, which begins on Monday, has added even more spice to a women's tournament already overflowing with talent.
Cricket Australia has confirmed that its players participating in the IPL 2026 will be allowed to fulfil their commitments, granting them exemption from the ODI series against Pakistan.
Lleyton Hewitt has long been a critic of the Rebound Ace surface used at Melbourne Park.
Bernard Tomic is set to sit out the Australian Open after Tennis Australia (TA) decided not to award him a wildcard to the main draw, the organisers said on Thursday.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 97 off just 29 balls to power his team into Qualifier 2 and earned glowing praise from former India opener Aakash Chopra.
Players competed at empty stadiums at Melbourne Park through the five-day lockdown but reduced capacity crowds of 7,477 have been permitted in each of Thursday's two sessions and the same number for the singles finals sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
Diksha Dagar, the only Indian golfer to make the cut, finished with a strong performance at the Women's NSW Open, securing a top-20 position. Agathe Laisne of France won the tournament.
Photos of celebrities who watched the Australian Open men's final between Rafa Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka.
Elena Rybakina stormed to her first Australian Open final with a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Victoria Azarenka on Thursday, wearing the twice champion down in a cagey first set before dominating to close out the match.
