Australian Open Men's Singles 2025: 25 favorites to watch out for | Alexei Popyrin, No. 25
The Australian Open 2025 is on the horizon with the season's first Major set for a January 12 start. The men's singles event has been dominated by Novak Djokovic for a long time, who has 10 titles to his name in Melbourne. However, he failed to win a Major title in 2024, and the next generation of players stepped up.
The number of contenders has grown in recent years, and home favorite Alexei Popyrin kicks off the countdown for the list of possible contenders at the upcoming Australian Open. The 25-year-old had a career year in 2024 and he will be keen to build upon that in the coming season.
Following years of hard work, Popyrin hit his stride this year. He stormed into his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open with an impressive scalp of players to boot. He kicked off his campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 39 Tomas Machac. Next up for him was No. 14 Ben Shelton, who he beat 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Popyrin rallied from a set down to edge past No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov, and did the same against No. 6 Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals. He defeated No. 18 Sebastian Korda 7-6 (0), 6-3 to advance to the biggest final of his career.
Standing between him and the title was No. 8 Andrey Rublev, and he beat him 6-2, 6-4 for the biggest triumph of his career. His good run of form didn't stop with his Canadian Open victory, and he made heads turn at the US Open as well.
Popyrin advanced to the fourth round of a Major for the first time, and ousted defending champion Djokovic in the third round as well. He had a 28-22 record this season, and peaked at No. 23 in the rankings, and tallied six top 10 wins in a year for the first time in his career. With his career being on the upswing, he will have his sights set on a deep run at his home Slam.
Alexei Popyrin could potentially make the home fans proud at the Australian Open 2025
Alexei Popyrin's record at the Australian Open isn't promising with eight wins and seven losses at the venue since his debut in 2018. He has made the third round thrice, in 2019, 2020, and 2023, his best finish in Melbourne. He has beaten two top 10 players here over the years, No. 8 Dominic Thiem in 2019, and No. 9 Taylor Fritz in 2023.
While his record at the Australian Open is rather average, Popyrin has the potential to make a deep run in 2025 based on how he performed this year. He is the first among his compatriots to win a Masters 1000 title as a slew of Australians have risen through the rankings in the past few years.
Alex de Minaur is in the top 10, and Nick Kyrgios, who's set to make a comeback in 2025, is a former Major finalist. However, Popyrin bested them all by being the first to capture a big title. It wasn't an easy run by any means, and if he displays the same form once again, then he could be the last man standing at the Australian Open 2025.