The 2024 Australian Open is just around the corner, starting one day earlier for the first time with a Sunday January 14 opening day. With wild cards, the main draw will feature 18 Australians - 13 men and five women.
Let's take a look at the top Australian gearing up for their home major with some poised to make a splash.
Australian Open Main Draw Aussies
Alex De Minaur (UTR 15.75)
Having just scored wins over Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, and Novak Djokovic at the United Cup, Alex De Minaur has cracked the ATP Top 10 for the first time and is poised for his Grand Slam breakthrough.
Starting the season with a well-deserved milestone 🫶@alexdeminaur is set to become a top-10 player for the first time.
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) January 7, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/H1yOZSeqL0 pic.twitter.com/VdWhtJz6FD
Thanasi Kokkinakis (UTR 15.53)
As long as he’s injury-free, Thanasi Kokkinakis is capable of making a run, especially in front a home crowd.
Jordan Thompson (UTR 15.47)
The 29-year-old reached his second career ATP Tour final in 2023, at s-Hertogenbosch, and just picked up a huge win over Rafael Nadal in the Brisbane quarterfinals.
Alexei Popyrin (UTR 15.39)
Last year in Melbourne, the 24-year-old shocked Taylor Fritz to reach the third round of a major for the fifth time.
Aleksandar Vukic (UTR 15.36)
Aleksandar Vukic made his ATP Top 100 debut in 2023 and appeared in his first ATP Final in Atlanta.
Max Purcell (UTR 15.28)
The 25-year-old scored his first win at the Grand Slam level at the 2023 French Open and made his Top 50 ATP rankings debut.
Christopher O'Connell (UTR 15.25)
Christopher O'Connell is looking to make the fourth round at a major for the first time, having been to the third round of the 2023 Wimbledon championships and 2022 Australian Open.
Rinky Hijikata (UTR 14.83)
Just 22, Rinky Hijikata already has a Grand Slam trophy under his belt, having won the 2023 Australian Open alongside Jason Kubler as wild card entries.Hijikata just reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane unseeded, while Kubler was awarded a qualifying wild card.
Ajla Tomljanovic (UTR 12.00)
Back from injury, Ajla Tomljanovic is the highest rated Aussie woman in the draw and two-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist.
Main draw wild cards include James Duckworth (UTR 14.68), Adam Walton (UTR 14.40), Marc Polmans (UTR 14.32), Kimberly Birrell (UTR 11.81), Olivia Gadecki (UTR 11.67), and Taylah Preston (UTR 11.52).
Australian Open Qualifying Aussies
Seventeen Australians have received qualifying wildcards, increasing the total Aussies in the qualifying draw to 25.These Aussies include Li Tu, Destanee Aiava, Talia Gibson, Jaimee Fourlis, John Millman, Arina Rodionova, Storm Hunter, Daria Saville, Astra Sharma, Priscilla Hon, and Kubler.
Tu is a five-time UTR Pro Tennis Tour (PTT) champion and had a breakthrough 2022 season on the ATP Tour. Aiava, just 23 years old, won her first PTT title in September last year before capturing her biggest trophy at a ITF W60 in Sydney.