Revealed: Why the chances of a local winning the men’s title at the Australian Open are the best they’ve been in 43 YEARS

Three men’s local hopes will be sown for the first time in 43 years as Alex de Minaur, Alexei Popyrin and Jordan Thompson look to defy the odds and complete a famous Australian Open triumph.

De Minaur is seeded eighth, Popyrin 25th and Thompson 27th when the Open draw takes place in Melbourne on Thursday evening.

Not since 1982, when Grand Slams had just 16 seeds and the Australian Open failed to attract the world’s best players, has the host nation protected three men from higher-ranked rivals in the opening rounds.

Wimbledon 2000, when Pat Rafter, Lleyton Hewitt and Mark Philippoussis graced the courts, is the only other time Australia has boasted three men’s seeds at a slam this century.

But without a men’s singles grand slam champion in 23 years, these are relatively heady days for Australian men’s tennis.

Nine players are in the top 100, marking a turning point at the US Open in September.

Alexei Popyrin is one of the most improved players on the ATP circuit and is seeded 25th at Melbourne Park

Australia had a total of 20 players in the singles main draws at Flushing Meadows, a first for 42 years, with De Minaur reaching the quarter-finals after ousting Thompson in the fourth round, and Popyrin arriving as a grand slam force with victory over the great Novak Djokovic under the bright lights of New York.

Four months later, De Minaur is back to full fitness after recovering from a nagging hip injury, while Popyrin and Thompson have both been seeded at a major for the first time after establishing themselves in the top 30 in the world.

De Minaur also has the comfort of knowing he won’t face a higher-ranked opponent until the quarter-finals.

But Australia’s best hope remains wary of unseeded threats such as enigmatic compatriot Nick Kyrgios, who, if he can overcome an abdominal injury, will be a first-round nightmare for every player in the 128-man draw.

‘Nothing is guaranteed. You still have to beat everyone. “Everyone is extremely dangerous, it’s very open there and anything can happen on any given day,” De Minaur said.

Despite Djokovic identifying Popyrin as a real threat for the grand slam title after falling to the 25-year-old in New York, bookmakers are largely viewing the Open as a three-way battle.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner, third-ranked four-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz and 10-time AO champion Djokovic are the only players with single odds to win the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after the Australia Day final.

As world number 1, Sinner is the top seed, ahead of Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz, with Taylor Fritz completing the top four expected to reach the semi-finals.

High-energy baseliner Jordan Thompson is ranked 27th with the draw taking place in Melbourne on Thursday evening

The seeded trio and Kyrgios, who has not competed in a grand slam since the 2022 US Open but plays on an injury-protected ranking, are among 20 Australians in the main draws.

Chris O’Connell, Aleksandar Vukic, Rinky Hijikata, Thanasi Kokkinakis, James Duckworth and Adam Walton all earned direct entry into the men’s singles, while Tristan Schoolkate, Li Tu, Omar Jasika and James McCabe all received wildcards.

Olivia Gadecki was the only woman to gain direct entry, while Ajla Tomljanovic, Daria Saville, Maya Joint, Talia Gibson and Emerson Jones all play on wildcards.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1998 to complete a hat-trick at the Australian Open and lead as strong favorite after starting her season with a win at the Brisbane International.

Iga Swiatek, American United Cup hero Coco Gauff and Italian revelation Jasmine Paolini, who reached two Grand Slam finals in 2024, make up the all-important top four women’s seeds.