After previewing the women’s tour we now move to the men’s side. Who will reign victorious? What surprises will catch us off guard? Will there be another first time Grand Slam Winner? Read on to find out.
The Big Stories
Former Rivals Join Forces
In the midst of Italy’s rampant run to securing the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup double, amazingly that wasn’t the main story in the tennis world. Instead, word of mouth was that Novak Djokovic would be appointing Andy Murray as his coach for the 2025 Australian Open.
Some praised the move, arguing that a former opponent could bring perspective like no one else. The more cynical argued that it was a desperate roll of the dice from a deteriorating thirty-seven-year-old who tasted his first year without Grand Slam glory since 2017. Either way, 2025 hasn’t started as the Serb would wish. Djokovic was handed a 7-6. 6-3 loss by the big serving Reilly Opelka at the quarter-final stage in Brisbane.
In past years it’s not a loss that would have alarmed. He had often looked off the pace in the weeks before a Grand Slam but moved up the gears mattered most. However, last year makes you question whether such a pattern is plausible now.
Besides, there is no longer a “banker slam”. Jannik Sinner is clearly the hard court master, while Carlos Alcaraz is the man to beat on grass. It leaves just Roland Garros, where over the gruelling five-set format, it’s likely he will have just one year left of being a contender. Sure, he managed an Olympic win on Philippe Chatrier last season, but a two week Grand Slam is a different ball game.
First Time Slam for Zverev?
At the age of twenty-seven, Alexander Zverev is still to break the Grand Slam duck. On two occasions he has been a set away. Firstly, against Dominic Thiem in the eerily quiet Louis Armstrong lockdown-induced stadium and last season against Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros final. With twenty-three titles to his name, the world number two has been placed amongst the likes of David Ferrer and Marcelo Rios as the best player to never win a slam.
There is time for that to change though.
Since his horror injury in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-final, the German has returned to the top of the game and was one of the in-form players at the back end of last season. Away from Wimbledon – where he has never excelled- Zverev is a contender in Australia, the USA and particularly in Paris.
An exciting Roland Garros.
This brings us nicely to the next topic: The French Open.
Jannik Sinner currently has the tools to dispose of anyone on hard court. Should he play his top tennis, it’s hard to see any other outcome than the Italian retaining his two Grand Slams.
Carlos Alcaraz is the king of Wimbledon grass, winning the previous two Wimbledons in emphatic style.
While Alcaraz has a French Open in his locker, he doesn’t own the same imperious dominance there as he does on grass. The same can be said for Sinner who is yet to win one. While the other slams already feel slightly like foregone conclusions, Paris is by far the most open. Even names such as Casper Ruud or Stefanos Tsitsipas have terrific pedigree on clay, with three finals between them, losing only by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in his prime. Simply, in an era of big hitters, clay brings some variance.
Potential Breakthroughs?
Now for the most unpredictable part: the breakthroughs.
It’s not just a case of Brisbane recency bias, but it’s really tough to see anything other than a positive future for Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard. Standing at 6’7, the Frenchman hit an astounding 532 aces last season. Overall, this puts him eighth on the list with Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Hubert Hurcakz smashing 797, 736 and 725 throughout. Yet that trio needed 797, 736 and 735 matches respectively. Mpetshi-Perricard needed just 28. Per match, his rate of nineteen leads the way, with Hurcakz second yet so far back in 12.
With the greatest of respect to the 2018 Wimbledon Semi-Finalist, this isn’t a John Isner case study. Remarkably despite his size, Mpetshi-Perricard suffers no issues with his movement. Moreover, his baseline game is outstanding, with a single-hand backhand that could cause anyone serious issues. He is a freak of nature and has all the ingredients to be a future Grand Slam champion, although 2025 may be too soon for that, he will likely break into the top ten.
To put it lightly, France is in good hands. That is because his teammate Arthur Fils showed terrific promise last season as well. As much as it sounds like an intangible cliche, the twenty-year-old has the aura on court of a champion. His big-hitting game is a sight to behold.
His main highlight last year was in Tokyo when he defeated Fritz, Matteo Berretinni, Ben Shelton, Holger Rune and Ugo Humbert to lift his second career title.
However, as is common with young aggressive baseliners, he has room to improve with consistency as his unforgiving style can be conducive to a string of unforced errors.
There are other names to watch out for as well. Joao Fonseca continues to impress on the Challenger Tour after a title at the Next Gen Finals in Saudi Arabia. Alex Michelsen, Lucuiano Darderi and Jakub Mensik are a few others to keep a close eye on.
Quick Fire Predictions
Australian Open: Jannik Sinner
Roland Garros: Alexander Zverev
Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner
US Open: Carlos Alcaraz
1.Jannik Sinner
2.Alexander Zverev
3.Carlos Alcaraz
4.Taylor Fritz
5.Casper Ruud
6.Danill Medvedev
7.Novak Djokovic
8.Alex De Minaur
9.Giovanni Mpethsi Perricard
10.Lorenzo Musetti
Beyond The Score 
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