MILLMAN: “Two stick out for me. Sabalenka was awesome in Brisbane; I got to see that first-hand, calling some of the matches [not hers] but being on-site and seeing her. She is such an imposing figure and her record here at the Australian Open is pretty special, she is going for the three-peat. She is definitely the best out of the women in terms of Grand Slam play. Unbelievable player, huge ball striker – the stats show that she is hitting it harder then most of the men on tour. The other person that I really like, and I know that they meet each other and are in the same half, Coco Gauff. I thought she was super impressive at the United Cup, she’s got a massive serve, close to that 200km-mark which is crazy. She is such a good mover, an athlete. I thought at the United cup she was playing a little more aggressively, which I really liked. I’m a big fan of Coco Gauff and I think if someone is going to knock off Sabalenka it is going to be Coco.”

PRATT: “I think there’s a little air of real confidence about Coco. Obviously Sabalenka is on a roll and she is probably going to be the one to beat, but I like what I see from Coco this time around.”

There are some incredible first-round match-ups at Australian Open 2025. Which one excites you most?

STOSUR: “Sabalenka and Stephens. Well, it’s right at the top of the draw (laughter). There’s a lot of decisions ahead for schedulers: what court are we gonna put all these guys on and when do we find the spaces? I think we know what we’re gonna get from Sabalenka, whereas Stephens sometimes puts in a match where you’re like, huh, what was that? But I think in this big moment, I think she’ll be there ready to fight. And we know she’s got the game that can withstand power, she can move people. The way she’s able to generate her own pace; she’ll look like she’s going to hit the same ball again, and all of a sudden it’s like, boom. I think that’ll be a pretty interesting first-round – certainly if I was one of the seeds, I wouldn’t want to be seeing Sloane Stephens straight up.” 

DOKIC: “I was looking for Naomi Osaka, whose draw is insane. A replay of last year’s big first round match again​st Garcia. But then it’s Muchova, Ostapenko, then it’s Gauff or something, it’s insane – but then you wouldn’t bet against her. She’s finding her form, I feel like she was looking really happy, looking really healthy. I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do. She is to me the most dangerous hard court player outside the top 3-4.”

ANALYSIS: Osaka and Nishikori flying flag for Japan at AO 2025

MILLMAN: “In terms of the ones where I think there may be potential upsets, I think Tsitsipas vs Michelsen. I really like the Californian, he is young, brash, he plays with no fear, has a huge serve, and his backhand is something really special. The Rublev vs Fonseca match, this kid is so good, obviously Next Gen Finals winner. He’s on something like a 14-match winning streak right now. The other one I would be looking out for, just watch this space, is Hubert Hurkacz vs Tallon Griekspoor. Griekspoor I thought was super impressive at the Davis Cup, when he led his team to a final there. Hurkacz got a bit of a coaching addition in Nicolas Massu. I think the men’s [draw] is loaded, Dimitrov vs 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 years old, he’s got a humongous serve.”

PRATT: “I just think anytime you’ve got previous Grand Slam champions, like Sabalenka and Sloane Stephens. I don’t think Sloane Stephens is the player she used to be, however, she is dangerous, she’s an unbelievable ball striker. But at the end of the day I think every round one match-up is interesting. Everyone is nervous, I don’t care if you are a Grand Slam champion, round one is round one and it is game on for everyone.”

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

STOSUR: “I’m gonna go with Sabalenka. That would be a three-peat, wouldn’t it? And the men, I would say Sinner. I mean, I’m not really going out on a limb here, picking the two No.1s in the world.”

DOKIC: “I’m going off form and confidence, and the fact that they play so well over here and love the conditions – Sabalenka, and Sinner by a very small edge over Alcaraz. But I still think Alcaraz has something to prove.”

MILLMAN: “Let’s go Novak Djokovic, 25 in 25. That’s got a really nice storyline. On the women’s side, I reckon Coco Gauff.”

PRATT: “It’s hard to go past Sinner, the level of professionalism he is showing, the level of adversity that he faced last year… he’s the one to beat for me. I liked what I saw from Coco Gauff, [but] it’s just hard to go past Sabalenka. She is just so confident, she has the same team around her, no changes, still seems to be enjoying herself, and she really loves it here.”