The top tennis players will compete for the championship of the Australian Open from January 12, 2025. Among the 128 participants, predicting the final champion is no easy task. Recently, Tennis.com used AI to predict the men's and women's singles champions, with ChatGPT and Google's Gemini both favoring top players like Sabalenka, Gauff, and Swiatek. Although the selection logic of these two AI systems is reasonable, there are some errors in their reasoning.
Gemini lists Sabalenka as the most likely candidate to win. It accurately points out that Sabalenka is chasing her third Australian Open title and won the US Open last year. However, it mistakenly mentions that she was the runner-up at Wimbledon last year, when in fact Sabalenka did not participate in the tournament.
Next, it chooses Swiatek, supporting her without any factual errors. For Gauff, it incorrectly states that she is seeking her first Grand Slam title. In reality, if she wins in Melbourne, it would be her second Grand Slam title after winning the US Open in 2023.
Gemini also includes Rybakina, Pegula, and Emma Navarro as contenders for the title, and there are no errors in the arguments supporting them.
In addition to Gauff, Swiatek, and Sabalenka, ChatGPT's prediction list also includes Jabeur and the Williams sisters. However, Serena Williams retired in 2022, and Venus Williams is currently inactive. Despite the errors, the top three ranked players on the tour remain the biggest favorites to win based on recent match results.
Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff are not only the top three ranked players on the tour but have also won six out of the past eight Grand Slam titles. Belarusian player Sabalenka won the Australian Open and US Open last year and also won the Australian Open in 2023.
Swiatek has won the French Open three years in a row, while Gauff won the US Open in 2023, with the Wimbledon title being the only Grand Slam title they have not yet won. This year, all three are in excellent form. Sabalenka won the Brisbane International; Gauff remained undefeated in the United Cup, winning all five singles matches; Swiatek also participated in the event, only losing to Gauff in the final. Therefore, it is not surprising that these three are considered the favorites to win the 2025 Australian Open.
On the men's side, Google's Gemini AI lists Sinner as the most promising candidate to win, followed by his main competitors Alcaraz and Djokovic, who are also vying to make history in Melbourne.
Alcaraz is pursuing the goal of completing a career Grand Slam, and if successful, he would become the youngest player in history to achieve this feat. Djokovic, on the other hand, is aiming to win his 25th Grand Slam title, breaking the record. The AI also lists three-time Australian Open runner-up Medvedev as a contender for the title, but mistakenly believes he has won in Melbourne before. In fact, his only Grand Slam title was won at the 2021 US Open.
Tsitsipas and Rune are also two players on the list. The former reached the Australian Open final two years ago, while the latter has yet to reach a Grand Slam final. Considering the current competitive landscape of the tour, it is difficult for anyone other than Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic to win the championship trophy for this event.
Sinner will attempt to become the fourth person to successfully defend his Australian Open title this century. Winning a Grand Slam is a daunting task, and successfully defending it is even more challenging. Since the beginning of the century, only three male players have successfully defended their Australian Open titles. Agassi was the first to do so, winning consecutively in 2000 and 2001; Federer followed suit, defending his title in 2006 and 2007, as well as in 2017 and 2018; and as the most successful player in Australian Open history, Djokovic has achieved this feat three times.
Djokovic won three consecutive titles starting in 2011, with his unbeaten streak ending in 2014. However, he quickly regained the title in 2015 and successfully defended it until 2016. Additionally, he achieved a three-peat between 2019 and 2021.
Sinner is now striving to join the ranks of these legendary players and aims to defend his Australian Open title, which will be his first attempt to defend a Grand Slam title. Even Djokovic failed in his first attempt to defend his title, reaching the quarterfinals in the 2009 Australian Open before losing to Roddick. Sinner faces a tough challenge, but if he can maintain his form from last year, it will be very difficult to stop him from reaching the top again. (Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)