Overview
- Sinner, the two-time defending champion, opens against France’s Hugo Gaston, while top seed Alcaraz faces Australia’s Adam Walton and Djokovic draws Spain’s Pedro Martinez, with play starting January 18.
- An Australian amateur, 29-year-old Jordan Smith, won the Million Dollar One Point Slam at Rod Laver Arena to claim AUD 1 million after a single-point, knockout format.
- Smith eliminated Sinner on a service error under rules granting professionals one serve and amateurs two, and Alcaraz fell to Maria Sakkari in another exhibition upset that carries no bearing on the Slam.
- The tournament will stream in full on discovery+ and HBO Max, with Eurosport channels available via DAZN (and in Italy also on TimVision and Prime Video Channels) following the end of traditional TV carriage such as Sky.
- Lorenzo Musetti stopped an exhibition with hip pain as a precaution and Novak Djokovic cut short a practice with neck issues, with his participation in a scheduled exhibition listed as uncertain.