Australian Open: Bopanna to debut with new doubles partner, Nagal in singles

It is that time of the year when tennis enthusiasts and players turn to Australia, for the first Grand Slam event of the year, the Australian Open. 

The prestigious tournament is set to start on January 12, at Melbourne Park and will feature the biggest names in tennis in both men's and women's categories. 

This year also sees a few Indians in the mix competing in the singles and doubles categories. 

All eyes on reigning men's doubles champion Bopanna

Bopanna is the talk of the town, with the reigning men's doubles champion all set to make a fresh journey in the Grand Slam with his new Colombian partner Nicolas Barrientos, ending a fruitful partnership with Australian Matthew Ebden, with whom the Indian won the tournament last year. 

In what was a two-year partnership, the duo won the Australian Open, reached the final of the US Open, claimed two ATP Masters 1000 titles, and climbed to the top of the ATP ranking. 

Nicolas Barrientos has big shoes to fill, and it will be interesting to see how the pair's dynamics come into play over the course of the tournament. 

Sumit Nagal in main draw

India's only representative in the men's singles category is Nagal, currently ranked 96th in the ATP men's singles ranking. 

He also featured in the tournament last year. But he came to the main draw via the qualifiers and made history when he defeated then world no.27 Alexander Bublik in the first round, becoming the first Indian men’s tennis player to beat a seeded player in a Grand Slam since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989.

Coming off of a highly successful 2024, where Nagal ended the year inside the top 100 ATP ranking for the first time, he will be poised to do well in this tournament. 

He will play Tomas Machac of Czechia in the opening round. 

Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti will also feature in men's doubles, with the pair coming into the tournament after making a good start to 2025, reaching the semifinals of the Auckland Open this week. 

The other Indian to feature in the Grand Slam is Sriram Balaji, partnering with Rithvik Bollipalli in men's doubles. 

Where to watch Australian Open 2025?

The Australian Open will be telecasted across the Sony Ten channels, and will also be available on SonyLiv app and website.