Grading the Australians at Grand Slams in 2025

(Getty/Elsa)

It has been an intriguing year at Grand Slams for the Australians this season, with plenty of resounding wins and even more heartbreak at times throughout the quartet of tennis' showpiece tournaments.

The First Serve grades some of the notables in school report card style to decipher how their major performances fared this season.

Alex de Minaur: B

Many will have quandaries over this grading, as before 2024, many Australian fans were desperate to see two major quarter-finals from the same player, and that is what de Minaur produced in 2025.

However, his losses saw him belted by eventual champion Jannik Sinner in Melbourne, beaten soundly by Alexander Bublik after holding a two-set lead in Paris, squandered a plethora of chances against Novak Djokovic in London and wasted even more against 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in New York.

The latter proved to be the most heartbreaking, with the New South Welshman boasting a set and break advantage, as well as two set points to take a two-set lead, not to mention a 5-2 buffer in the fourth before dropping the match and possibly missing out on the best chance he may ever have on reaching a Grand Slam semi-final.

At Wimbledon, it was a similar story, holding a sizeable lead against Djokovic in the fourth round before being reeled back in by the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

Following his loss in New York, de Minaur could not beat around the bush on how much it hurt.

"It is very tough when you work so hard for something, and you constantly are putting yourself in positions to, in a way, prove people wrong," de Minaur said.

"But yet again, you kind of fall, and especially this time, it's a tough one to take. I mean, there's no beating around the bush. It's one of those matches that I would love to play again.

"I played Jannik (in Melbourne), and he was just too good. There's not really much I could have done, but I felt like this one was on my racquet, and it is a shame.

"I don't know how I'll handle it. I'm definitely, as of right now, seeing red, but I'll get over it. It's just tennis, right?"

The fact that he was not able to cash in on his form and draw that de Minaur receives this grade, yes, he was sensational, but 2025 could have been much more.

Shop with a 15% storewide discount code: SERVE15 - excludes clearance items, machines, court equipment and gift cards at www.tennisdirect.com.au

Ajla Tomlanović: B-

Continuing in her comeback from injury in 2024, Tomljanović was only able to win two matches at major level in 2025.

The Croatian-born Australian defeated Ashley Kreuger in a tight three-setter in Melbourne before falling in a close contest against Diana Shnaider, before again going down in the second round at Roland-Garros to reigning finalist Jasmine Paolini after defeating compatriot Maya Joint in the first round.

Tight opening round losses to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Coco Gauff followed at Wimbledon and the US Open, respectively.

Her performances were strong for the most part, and the Florida native has fallen victim to her ranking, which is why this grading has been given. She will hope for much more in 2026, as the clock keeps ticking at the age of 32.

Alexei Popyrin: C

It was a mesmerising year for Popyrin in 2024, winning a maiden Masters 1000 title before defeating Novak Djokovic en route to the US Open fourth round, but this year has been far from those heights.

An opening round loss to Corentin Moutet in Melbourne was followed by a brilliant run to the fourth round at Roland-Garros where he faced Tommy Paul.

A French Open junior champion, Popyrin would have backed himself as he was yet to drop a set, and Paul was fresh off back-to-back five-setters, but he was soundly defeated by the Rome semi-finalist.

Wimbledon saw him pitted against Frenchman Arthur Fery in the opener, ranked well outside the top 200 and on Grand Slam debut, a match Popyrin would have more than expected to win.

The Australian rallied to win the third set after dropping the first two, but eventually fell in four before his campaign in New York, which saw him fall in straight sets to Sinner.

Despite the fourth round in Paris, it was a subpar year for Popyrin, who will strive for much more in 2026.

Subscribe to The First Serve via your preferred podcast platform and listen when it suits to our library of content, including The First Serve Live, our themed podcasts and our Aussie interviews on the road.

Maya Joint: A-

In her first full season at Grand Slam level, Maya Joint performed valiantly and showed enormous potential at just 19.

It was a baptism of fire in Melbourne, facing Jessica Pegula in the opening round and being beaten soundly before a straight-sets loss to Tomljanović at Roland-Garros.

19th seed Liudmila Samsonova was her first round matchup at Wimbledon, and again she was dethroned, but was able to take another main draw win at the US Open, defeating Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva before going down in a tight contest against eventual runner-up Amanda Anisimova.

Yes, there was just one win, but Joint has shown that there will be many more main draw salutations in the future, thanks to some gritty performances in a positive 2025 showing.

Other grades:

Jordan Thompson: B-; 5 wins 4 losses

Adam Walton: B+; 2 wins 4 losses

Kimberly Birrell: C; 0 wins 4 losses (played all four majors for the first time)

Tristan Schoolkate: A; 2 wins 3 losses

Rinky Hijikata: F; 1 win 4 losses

Aleksandar Vukic: B+; 3 wins 4 losses

Game4padel is leading the way in the growth of Padel tennis in Australia. Check them out at game4padel.com.au for club locations, corporate event opportunities and special offers.