Follow The Athletic’s Australian Open coverage
Welcome to the Australian Open briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament.
On day one of the tournament, thunder and lightning ruled, five-set epics played out under the roofs and a star of the 2024 event got rolling.
There is still tennis to come, but here’s what happened while you were sleeping.
Won’t somebody think of the practice courts?
For the first couple of hours of the first day, the practice courts were the place to be.
With an underwhelming order of play, fans flocked to the outside courts to get a glimpse of some of their favourite players. When play began on the smaller courts at 11 a.m. and on the show courts at 11:30 a.m., Court 16 and Court 17 were packed with fans watching points with nothing on the line.
Home favourite Alex de Minaur and last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev were on Court 17, while Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani were having a hit on Court 16. Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner were scheduled to enter the courts for their practice in the next hour, with Iga Swiatek up shortly on Court 10.
There was a palpable buzz.
“It’s a nice pull back of the curtain,” said George, 29 from Melbourne, explaining that part of the appeal was a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes for the biggest players.
“I’m not gonna leave this area for a while,” said Emmanuel, 25, who works for the Government Department of Health and was looking forward to seeing Alcaraz in action. A Dutch pair of friends Davie, 22, and Wouter, 23, who were in Australia travelling had tickets for Rod Laver Arena but were leaving their seats empty for the moment, preferring to watch De Minaur and Medvedev, and then hoping to get a glimpse of Alcaraz.
Fans flocked to see the biggest names on a day whose schedule was less than star-studded. (William West / AFP via Getty Images)
Sarah, a Melbourne-based wealth manager who was there with her husband and kids, also had Rod Laver tickets but for the moment she and her family were enjoying De Minaur hitting with Medvedev. She pointed out that it felt like a real match, and certainly the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ that accompanied one particularly gruelling rally illustrated how engaged the fans there were.
All of this speaks to the fact that at the Australian Open and U.S. Open in particular, there is a lot more going on than just the matches. There’s music, entertainment, and on Court 16 there’s even a bar area that makes the whole thing feel as much a party as a tennis event.
Given the pretty ropey schedule and the rain that stopped play from soon after midday until around 6:30 p.m., everyone needed a bit of a lift. The popularity of these outside courts also underlined the gravity of the star names, with their practice sessions as big a draw as the actual matches taking place elsewhere at Melbourne Park.
Charlie Eccleshare
How many more Lebanese tennis milestones for Hady Habib?
Tennis players dream of many things, but perhaps none more than qualifying for a first Grand Slam tournament and then winning a first Grand Slam match.
For Hady Habib, 26, the Australian Open is where those dreams came true — but he was carrying the dreams of a whole country.
Habib, who represented Lebanon at the 2024 Paris Olympics, this week became the first Lebanese player to qualify for a Grand Slam in the Open Era. Now he’s the first Lebanese man to win a match at a major, after beating Bu Yunchaokete 7-6(4), 6-4, 7-6(8).
Lebanese flags lined Court 13 and Habib held one aloft when he was done. With a history-making victory under his belt, he has his sights on his next target.
“I think it would be better if I played on a bigger court,” he said in his news conference.
“So that more Lebanese people can come out and watch me.”
James Hansen
Matches befitting the storms outside?
With the rain still falling and the day session done on Margaret Court Arena, there was a period when the only Australian Open action Sunday afternoon was Casper Ruud against Jaume Munar and Kei Nishikori against Thiago Monteiro.
Thankfully, both matches went to five sets, providing some much-needed entertainment at a time when the rain threatened to dampen spirits at the “happy slam”.
On Rod Laver Arena, Ruud eked out a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 win against Munar, who is a clay-court specialist but had beaten the Norwegian in their only previous hard-court meeting.
Over on John Cain Arena, Nishikori did what he’s been doing for the last decade or so, outlasting an opponent to win in five sets. His 4-6, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 win made it 29-8 for Nishikori in career five-setters, and 8-1 at the Australian Open. Nishikori brought up 19 break points, but Monteiro saved 14 of them with some incredible serving and had two match points himself which the Japanese staved off.
The storms consigned play indoors for much of the day session. (William West / AFP via Getty Images)
For Ruud, the victory kept him on course to better his dad and coach Christian’s record in Melbourne. Christian reached the fourth round; Casper has done so too, but never gone further.
“I have a better record in most of the other tournaments, so this is kind of the last one standing for him,” Casper said on court.
“I hope I can beat it one day but I’m happy if he also has at least one record in the family.”
Ruud senior was not asked for his view.
Charlie Eccleshare
How far can Mirra Andreeva go?
The ongoing evolution of Mirra Andreeva is one of the great narratives of tennis these days.
Two years ago, she burst onto the scene at the Madrid Open, knocking off top-30 players, ogling Andy Murray and raving about it all on social media. Ever since, Andreeva, whose childhood began in Siberia then shifted to Sochi, Russia and then France, has been getting more mature and more lethal on the tennis court. She may not be overpowering but there is a surety to her shots and a developing steeliness that stretches beyond her 17 years.
All of that was on display Sunday as she overcame a scratchy start to steam through Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 6-3 in a win that felt weirdly routine and expected even though Andreeva, the No. 14 seed, is still just 17. Andreeva has long felt comfortable sticking her nose into spots where some might feel it didn’t belong, or couldn’t figure out how it could.
No one would dare suggest she isn’t exactly where she should be.
“I don’t feel like I’m a new player on the tour,” she said after beating Bouzkova.
“I kind of feel like, well, I’m here now. Even before, when I was playing Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024, I was still trying to prove people that I belong here, I’m going to play with you, and this is my place.
“Now I feel like everyone already knows that. I’m a WTA player, so I’m here, I’m doing my job, and I like what I’m doing.”
Mirra Andreeva looks ready for a deep run in Melbourne. (Martin Keep / AFP via Getty Images)
Matt Futterman
Required reading
Australian Open men’s draw 2025
Australian Open women’s draw 2025
Tell us what you noticed on the first day so far…
(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
