Who will be the next Australian Open winner?

The Australian Open is finally here! The renowned tennis tournament has seen some of the best players in the world battle it out for the top spot in the first Grand Slam event of the year. Tennis fans were hoping to witness another classic Nadal-Djokovic matchup but the Spaniard dropped out due to an injury.

Rafa Nadal was seen as the biggest threat to the 2023 Australian Open champion (Djokovic) but was forced to retire from the tournament after his match with Jordan Thompson.

"Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem with a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I had the chance to make an MRI and I have a micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that's good news," shared Rafa Nadal on social media.

The Spaniard has struggled with recurring injuries in the past. He has missed a total of 16 Grand Slams due to injuries throughout his career.

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Good news for Novak Djokovic who also struggled with an injury before the Australian Open. There were doubts surrounding his injury but his representative confirmed his attendance.

Novak Djokovic snatched a major victory at the 2023 Australian Open final after three sets against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Serbian tennis player conquered his 22nd Grand Slam title (his 10th in Australia)!

Aryna Sabalenka conquered the 2023 Australian Open for women after a tough match against the Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the final. The Belarusian tennis player won her first-ever Australian Open, will she be able to defend her title?

Let's look back at some other big winners!

Swede Thomas Johansson won the tournament only once in 2002. He continues to work in the tennis world as a coach.

André Agassi, nicknamed the 'Kid of Las Vegas' or 'Flipper' for his fast game, won the title four times. In addition to 2003, he also took home the title in 1995, 2000 and 2001.

2004 is the year in which Roger Federer, or 'King Roger' – considered one of the best tennis players of all time – won the Australian Open for the first time. During his career, he would go on to take home six titles at the Oz Open, including 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017 and 2018.

The only Oz Open title for former Number One Marat Safin, the ‘wild’ boy of Russian tennis. After retiring he continued his career as a coach.

2008 was the first year another tennis champion, Novak Djokovic, claimed an Australian Open title. Djokovic has so far managed to win the famous tournament nine times. Alongside 2008, you can also count 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Spaniard Rafael Nadal has currently only won the gold in Australia on two occasions: in 2009 and in 2022.

Stanislas Wawrinka, famous for his powerful backhand, has won the Australian Open final back in 2014.

Now we come to the women's list of honors. Jennifer Capriati, considered one of the best tennis players of her generation, won the iconic trophy twice, in 2002 and the previous year in 2001.

2003 is the year of Serena Williams' first victory at the Australian Open. Subsequently, 'The Queen' won it six more times and always thrived at the event. In addition to 2003, Williams also took the top step of the podium in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2017.

Former player and current coach Justine Henin only took gold at this event on one occasion, the 2004 Australian Open.

For former French tennis icon Amelie Mauresmo, there was only one victory at the Australian Open, back in 2006. Even today she is remembered for her incredible one-handed backhand.

Maria Sharapova, one of  tennis' modern greats, got to lift the trophy in 2008. The retired legend was also the only Russian to win this Grand Slam.

Kim Clijsters, a former Belgian tennis player who won first place in 2011, is also on the Australian Open honor's list.

Victoria Azarenka boasts consecutive titles at the Australian Open, both 2012 and 2013. Born in 1989, the Belarusian tennis player has had an incredible career and is a former World Number 1.

Na Li is a former Chinese player who was credited with popularizing the sport in her country. She took out the title in 2014.

Angelique Kerber, the German tennis player with Polish citizenship, got to hoist the trophy in 2016.

Active from 2005 to 2020, the Danish-born player won the title in 2018. Caroline Wozniacki was number one in the world for 71 weeks.

Born in 1997, Naomi Osaka joined the Australian Open titles list first in 2019, and again in 2021.

After winning the 2020 Australian Open, Sofia Kenin reached the fourth position in the world rankings in March 2020.

Despite her young age (25) and after winning the 2022 Australian Open, then World Number 1 Ash Barty decided to leave tennis in sensational fashion with a video message posted on Instagram: "I gave everything I had for this sport, now I want to chase other dreams".