Aryna Sabalenka and Frances Tiafoe were among four players to be announced for the 2025 Brisbane International, which will be played during the opening week of the new season.
Many important tournaments, including the ATP Finals and WTA Finals, remain to be completed in the 2024 season, but players are already planning when and where they will start in 2025 after the off-season begins next month.
Some players, including Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, argue that the tennis calendar is too long, leading to burnout and injuries. Alcaraz admitted to not wanting to travel to some tournaments because he felt a break was needed.
However, the length of the tennis season will remain the same next year. That means the Brisbane International is set to begin on December 30th, and the first four players have been confirmed for the combined ATP and WTA tournament.
Aryna Sabalenka is the highest-ranked of the four players announced. A few days ago, the world No. 2 won her fourth tournament of 2024 at the Wuhan Open, overcoming the home favorite Qinwen Zheng in the final.
Although being No. 2 is impressive, that ranking will improve further in a few weeks. Sabalenka is guaranteed to become the new No. 1 on the WTA rankings when Swiatek drops the points she earned from winning last year's WTA Finals.
The race for the year-end No. 1 ranking is still alive, though. Swiatek overtook Sabalenka at the WTA Finals last year, and the five-time Grand Slam champion can achieve that again at the 2024 iteration.
The WTA Finals will decide whether Sabalenka begins the 2025 Brisbane International as the world No. 1. Regardless, the Belarusian has positive memories from last year when she reached the tournament's final.
Elena Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in the 2024 final, but the event helped the three-time Grand Slam champion find some rhythm ahead of the Australian Open, which she ultimately won.
Jessica Pegula is another top WTA star who has signed up for the Brisbane International. This year's US Open runner-up represented Team USA at the United Cup during the opening week of the 2024 season.
Coco Gauff has committed to competing at the 2025 United Cup, and Pegula will begin her 2025 season in Brisbane instead. The 30-year-old is a threat at any hardcourt tournament if she produces her level from the North American swing in August and September.
Frances Tiafoe is one of the two ATP players confirmed. The American can be electrifying to watch, but he will hope to avoid any incidents like his furious meltdown at an umpire at the Shanghai Masters.
Holger Rune has also signed up for the Brisbane International. The Dane was the runner-up to Grigor Dimitrov at last year's tournament in the Australian city, falling 6-7, 4-6 in the final against the Bulgarian.
Despite Rune's inconsistency during 2024, the 21-year-old's stock remains high, as shown by his selection for the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia alongside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev.