In 2024, Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open, taking home his first Grand Slam title in exhilarating fashion, as he came from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev.

He had already produced a huge shock in the tournament, as Sinner beat ten-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.

It wasn’t a great year for the Aussies, however, as only one man made it past the second round, with Alex de Minaur falling to Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

A tough year for Australian men’s tennis players, who have struggled at the Australian Open for many years now.

Mark Edmondson: The last Australian man to win the Australian Open

Back in 1976, there were several names tipped to lift the Australian Open title, with few doubting the chances of Ken Rosewall and defending champion John Newcombe.

The pair had won six Australian Open titles between them and entered the tournament as the top two seeds.

As the event reached the quarter-final stage, all eight participants were from Australia, guaranteeing a home winner at the tournament.

One of those Aussies was unlike the others, however, as Mark Edmondson had advanced to the last eight as a rank outsider, starting the tournament as world number 212.

The man with one of the finest mustaches in all of tennis battled his way to the quarter-finals where he took down Richard Crealy to take his place in the last four.

It was there that he faced his first true test, as he came up against number one seed Rosewall.

Remarkably, the 21-year-old shocked his more experienced opponent, to book his spot in the final with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory.

The world number 212 was given even less of a chance in the final, as he came face to face with defending champion Newcombe, but wasn’t prepared to let his opportunity slip.

On a gusty day in Melbourne, Newcombe took the first set in a tiebreaker, as there was very little to separate the pair.

Edmondson battled back in the second set, however, as he stole back the momentum levelling things up after taking the set 6-3.

With things looking good for the unseeded Aussie, the weather took a turn for the worse, as play was suspended as the wind speeds picked up.

As play resumed, Edmondson won the third set in a tiebreaker, before taking charge in the fourth winning his first and only Grand Slam title 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1.

Edmondson, a former window cleaner, had become the lowest-ranked Grand Slam winner in ATP rankings history and had done so at his home tournament.

The drama wasn’t quite over, however, as the 21-year-old from New South Wales managed to drop the trophy much to the amusement of the packed-out crowd.

Edmondson had written his name into the history books with his fairy tale run to the title, but there were still more chapters of his story left to write.

As defending champion, Edmondson reached the last eight in 1977, coming up short against Rosewall, whom he had beaten in the last four one year prior.

He reached the quarter-finals once more in 1979 and made the semis in 1981 where he lost to Africa’s first Grand Slam winner Johan Kriek.

That’s not to say that he didn’t enjoy more success in Melbourne, however, as Edmondson became one of the world’s best in doubles.

Edmondson picked up five Grand Slam doubles titles during his career, including four at his home Australian Open, as he continued to impress on the ATP Tour.

The Aussie played his final competitive matches in 1987 when he retired from the sport, and 37 years later remains both the lowest-ranked winner in Grand Slam history and the last Australian man to win the Australian Open.

Has there been a women’s Australian Open champion since 1976?

Edmondson may well be the last Aussie to win the men’s tournament, but has there been any more success in the women’s game?

To put it simply, yes, there has, but the nation still endured a lengthy drought before their most recent title in 2022.

• 1977 (1) Australian Open – Kerry Melville Reid (AUS)
• 1977 (2) Australian Open – Evonne Goolagong (AUS)
• 1978 Australian Open – Chris O’Neil (AUS)
• 2022 Australian Open – Ashleigh Barty (AUS)

Australia was forced to wait 44 years for an Australian Open champion before Ashleigh Barty finally took home the trophy with a dominant win over America’s Danielle Collins.

Barty didn’t drop a single set all tournament as she lifted the trophy, standing atop the world of women’s tennis.

It looked as if she could go on to dominate the sport, and continue to win at Melbourne Park, but the now 28-year-old retired just a few months after her Australian Open triumph.

With Barty gone, it looks more likely that we’ll see a home champion at the Australian Open from the ATP Tour, with the likes of De Minaur, Nick Kyrgios, and Alexei Popyrin all impressing in recent years.

Whether they can repeat the heroics of Edmondson remains to be seen, but they’ll no doubt give it their all at the 2025 Australian Open which begins on January 12.

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