Australian Open 2025: Men's Semifinal Preview

The 2025 Australian Open men's semifinals are set, with Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Ben Shelton all vying for the title. Here's a look at how each player can win it all.

Jannik Sinner (1)

No player in tennis has enjoyed more success than Sinner over the last 12 months. In fact, in 2024, he put together one of the greatest years in the sport's history, winning the Australian Open, US Open, and ATP Finals, netting over $19 million in prize money, and taking hold of the world's No. 1 ranking.

Sinner hasn't quite reached Djokovic levels of dominance at Melbourne Park -- who has? -- but he's certainly trending in a similar direction. The 23-year-old has won 15 of his last 16 Australian Open matches, 10 of them without dropping a set. His recent hard-court record at the majors is equally impressive, having prevailed in each of his last 19 matches.

The Italian struggled with an illness and the heat in his fourth-round win over Holger Rune, but was back to his dominant best against Australian eighth seed Alex de Minaur, blowing him off the court and dropping just six games in one of the most one-sided of quarterfinals we've ever witnessed.

Alexander Zverev (2)

He may not have captured that elusive Grand Slam title, but Zverev has been banging on the door for the better part of a decade. The German world No. 2 has played in 10 major semifinals and was a runner-up at the US Open in 2020 and the French Open in 2024.

That effort at Roland Garros seven months back was the highlight of a career-best season for Zverev, in which he won two Masters 1000 titles and tallied 69 wins for the year. He arrived at Melbourne Park in scintillating form and has managed to keep it rolling, looking every bit like the second-best player in the world as he's breezed through to the last four.

Novak Djokovic (7)

Nobody in tennis history knows how to win the Australian Open better than Djokovic. A 10-time champion of the event, Djokovic has been beaten at Melbourne Park just five times in the last 15 years. He also holds an ominous 20-1 record in semifinals and finals at the Australian Open.

Despite not lifting a Grand Slam trophy in 2024, Djokovic continues to prove that at 37 years of age he can still beat anyone on tour, on any given day. Two of his most impressive victories have come against world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, first to win gold at the Olympic Games in Paris last year and then again Tuesday in an epic Australian Open quarterfinal.

Ben Shelton (21)

In many ways, Shelton will be playing with house money when he faces Sinner on Friday afternoon. All of the attention will be on his opponent, the reigning champion, and the two men contesting the other semifinal match, meaning he'll have to deal with far less pressure and expectation than when he reached this same stage at the US Open in 2023. Don't underestimate how significant that can be.

Despite a relatively disappointing output at last year's majors, Shelton is a much improved and far more experienced player from that tournament at Flushing Meadows 18 months back.

The 22-year-old American won in Houston, was a runner-up in Basel, and scored two wins over top 10 players, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, in the second half of the 2024 season, pushing his ranking back inside the top 20. He's striking the ball harder, making fewer errors, and playing with extreme confidence.