World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz would miss the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, after injuring his right foot during training, the Spaniard confirmed on Friday.

Also Read: New ATP Men's Tennis World Rankings

"I picked up an injury through a chance, unnatural movement in training. I'd worked so hard to get to my best level for Australia but unfortunately, I won't be able to play. It's tough, but I have to be optimistic, recover and look forward. We'll see you at the Australian Open in 2024." US Open champion wrote on his Twitter account.

Australian Open will begin in Melbourne on January 16. Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal means defending champion and 22-time major winner Rafael Nadal will be promoted to top seed at the tournament. This would mean he would not be able to face old rival Nadal until the semi-finals at the earliest.

By winning his first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open last September, Carlos Alcaraz became the world's youngest world number one since the creation of the ATP rankings in 1973. He then became the youngest player in history to end the year at the top of the world rankings.

Also Read: Tennis 2022: Here are the winners of ATP 1000 and Grand slams in 2022

However, an abdominal injury forced Carlos Alcaraz to retire in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters in November, which in turn forced him to miss the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, won by Djokovic. Moreover, Alcaraz also had to sit out of the Davis Cup finals. Djokovic at the same time will return to the Australian Open after being deported from the country last year.

Novak Djokovic has now played 430 Grand Slam matches, taking sole possession of the record for the most singles matches played in the Open Era, ahead of Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423). No other player has reached 400 matches. Let's take a look at the top 10 players who have the records of most matches played in Grand Slam in the Open Era.

Also Read: Youngest Grand Slam Champion (Men) | Top 10 List

Most Matches Played in Grand Slam

10. Stan Wawrinka | 221

Stan Wawrinka, who turned professional in 2002, played a total of 225 Grand Slam matches. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion and appeared in 50-straight Grand Slams before missing the 2017 US Open with two season-ending left knee surgeries. He is one of just three players to have defeated Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal at Grand Slams. Wawrinka reached four Grand Slam singles finals in his career to date, winning three, the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open; each time he defeated the reigning world No. 1 in the championship match (Rafael Nadal once and Novak Djokovic twice, respectively).

9. Stefan Edberg | 225

Swede Edberg competed in only 225 Grand Slam matches and he won 178 of those. Edberg, who turned professional in 1983 and retired in 1996, won two Wimbledon titles, two US Open trophies and two Australian Open titles during his 13-year career. In total he played 1,071 career matches for a win-loss record of 801–270 (74.8%)

8. Pete Sampras | 241

Pete Sampras has competed in 241 matches at Grand Slam tournaments. He compiled a 762-222 career singles record (77.4%) putting him in the top-10 all-time for the Open Era. Sampras captured 64 tour singles titles in 265 overall tournaments (was also a finalist in 24 tournaments). At the age of 19 years and 28 days, Sampras became the youngest US Open men’s singles champion in history, defeating his career-rival Andre Agassi.

Also Read: Oldest Grand Slam Champion | Top 10 List

7. Andy Murray | 257

Andy Murray has played 257 Major matches (200-57) from the 1,001 total singles matches he has competed in (739-262). Among the four Grand Slam events, the Brit has played the most matches at Wimbledon (74), where he has a 61-13 record.

6. Ivan Lendl | 271

Ivan Lendl competed in 271 Grand Slam matches (222-49) from the 1,340 matches tour-level matches he played in total (1,068-242). The Czech-American contested more matches at the US Open (86) than any other Grand Slam and compiled a 73-13 record at Flushing Meadows.

5. Andre Agassi | 277

Andre Agassi contested 1,144 singles matches overall in his career (870-274), with 277 of these being played at Grand Slam events (224-53). Among the four Majors, the American played the most matches at the US Open (98), where he accumulated a 79-19 record.

Also Read: Grand Slam record: Most wins in grand slams

4. Jimmy Connors | 282

Jimmy Connors played an ATP record 1,557 matches in his career (1,274-283), with 282 of these coming at Majors (233-49). The American contested more matches at the US Open (115) than any other Grand Slam and amassed a 98-17 record at the New York showpiece.

3. Rafael Nadal | 358

Rafael Nadal has competed in 358 matches at Grand Slam tournaments (314-44) from the 1,300 matches he has played in total (1,075-225). The Spaniard holds a 112-4 record at Roland Garros, where he has played more matches than at any other tournament.

Also Read: Most Wimbledon Titles in Open Era (Men)

2. Roger Federer | 429 

Roger Federer is the legendary player who had the record of most matches played in Grand Slam but Djokovic beat him recently. He played 1,526 matches in total in his career (1,251-275), with 429 of his matches coming at Grand Slam events (369-60). The Swiss earned over 100 victories at both Wimbledon (105-14) and the Australian Open (102-15), while he also amassed 89-14 and 73-17 records at the US Open and Roland Garros respectively.

1. Novak Djokovic | 430

Following his third round win at Australian Open 2025, Novak Djokovic surpassed his great rival Roger Federer. Djokovic has contested 430* matches at Majors (371-49) from 1,325 matches overall (1,106-219). The Serbian has won more than 90 matches at the French Open (96-16), the Australian Open (94-9), and Wimbledon (93-11), while he holds a 88-13 US Open record.

Madrid became the capital city of sport tonight as the Laureus World Sports Awards celebrated its 25th anniversary by gathering the greatest athletes not only of the past 12 months, but of the 21st Century.

Simone Biles and Rebecca Andrade – friends, rivals and Olympic champions from the world of gymnastics – were both winners here; both sides of Spanish football’s great duopoly were represented on the winners’ podium, as Real Madrid and Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal were honoured; and Olympic and Paralympic heroes including Mondo Duplantis, Tom Pidcock and Jijang Yuan added a Laureus to their laurels.

Standing alongside the world’s greatest athletes were leaders from the inspirational Lesotho-based football programme Kick4Life, recipients of the 2025 Laureus Sport for Good Award.

25 years after the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards were held in Monaco in 2000, this special anniversary edition of the greatest show in sports was also a celebration of the growth of Laureus as a unique sporting movement, encompassing the world-famous Awards and the year-round work of Laureus Sport for Good in over 40 countries.

The Awards evening launched a multi-media wave of posts, coverage and broadcast around the world, as athletes, media and bloggers reacted to this year’s winners – each presented with ‘The Laureus’ - the coveted statuette awarded to the winner in each category and the prize the greatest athletes in the world value above all other Awards – voted on by the 69 sporting legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

Meetings that only happen at the Laureus World Sports Awards 🤝#Laureus25 | #OnlyAtLaureus pic.twitter.com/I9I2KyulGw

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 21, 2025

And this year, the body awarded two additional statuettes, honouring 22-time Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal and Kelly Slater, an 11-time world champion in surfing.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games were at the heart of the sporting year in 2024, and this year’s list of Laureus winners includes several athletes who added a Laureus to their collection of gold.

It was the fourth time lucky for the greatest pole-vaulter of all time, Mondo Duplantis. He was awarded the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award after being nominated in each of the last three years and is the second track-and-field athlete to win this Award, after four-time winner Usain Bolt.

Still just 25 years old, the Swede shows no signs of loosening his grip over the competition following another historic year. After winning his second World Indoor Championship gold medal in March, Duplantis broke his own world record for a remarkable ninth time in 2024 on the way to gold in Paris, before shattering it again at the Silesia Diamond League meeting the following month. Duplantis received his Award from last year’s winner, Novak Djokovic.

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, Mondo Duplantis: “I am incredibly honoured to have won my first Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in the sporting capital of Madrid and to have the great Usain Bolt pay tribute to me, who I follow as the second track and field athlete to win this Award.

“The Laureus Awards are the ultimate awards that we athletes want to win. I know because this is the fourth time I have been nominated – and that proves it’s harder to win a Laureus than an Olympic gold medal!

“I’ll never forget receiving this beautiful Laureus from the great Novak Djokovic – I’m following in the footsteps of giants like Novak, Usain, Rafael Nadal and Lionel Messi. The list of past winners of this Award is like a history of sporting greatness over the past 25 years.

“The Laureus Awards represent something more than sporting achievement. The fact that they are voted on by the 69 world-class athletes of the Laureus World Sports Academy elevates them to another level. These are athletes who know the dedication and commitment that lies behind sporting successes; they have set the mark that athletes like me strive for. To be recognised by them is truly something special.

“Finally, I must also acknowledge Laureus’ broader mission of using sport as a vehicle for change in the world. The work of Laureus Sport for Good has transformed lives around the world, and – as the Awards celebrate its 25th anniversary – it is important to reflect on the enormous legacy that it has created. It’s a legacy I am proud to be a part of.” 

Simone Biles’ breathtaking displays in the French capital saw her named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year for the fourth time, equalling the record held by tennis great and compatriot Serena Williams – they both also have one Comeback of the Year Award.

Biles called the Paris Games her ‘redemption tour’ after taking a break from the sport, and the most decorated gymnast in history produced a stunning performance, picking up three golds and a silver. One year after winning that Comeback of the Year Award, her redemption is complete.

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, Simone Biles: “I’m so happy to be here in Madrid and to receive my fourth Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award.

“I won this Award for the first time in 2017, and Laureus has been a part of my story since then. And I share their belief that sport has the power to change the world. That might be a little girl watching someone like me on television and deciding she can do it, too. Or it could be the incredible work Laureus Sport for Good has undertaken for the past 25 years, all over the world.

“I’d like to thank the legendary members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, who vote for the winners. It must be an almost impossible job, but their unique personal experiences of sport at the highest level gives them an understanding of what it takes to be the very best. Their generation has inspired us, athletes standing here before you. That is why the Laureus Awards truly are the ‘Athletes Awards’ and I am proud to have added to my ‘Laureus’ collection.”

Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade completed her inspirational return from career-threatening injuries at the Paris Games, and she is this year’s recipient of the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award.

Andrade considered quitting the sport in the wake of a series of soul-crushing injuries, including three anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, and agonising rehabilitations. Her long road back to the top was complete when she won gold in the floor competition – a moment memorialised forever by the image of her long-time rival Biles bowing to her as she stood at the top of the podium.

Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award winner, Rebeca Andrade, said: “This beautiful Laureus Statuette represents a huge amount of hard work, of struggle and pain, and also great happiness and one of my most cherished memories – standing on top of the Olympic podium again.

“In the 25-year history of these Awards that have become the ultimate prize for athletes, these stories of resilience have inspired generations of young people. Previous winners of the Comeback of the Year have included some of the greatest athletes of all time, from my fellow Brazilian, Ronaldo, to Simone last year.

“And just as our stories reach every corner of the world, we stand here alongside Laureus Sport for Good as they bring together projects from across the globe which use sport to improve the lives of children and young people.

“Individual sports can be isolating, but Paris showed that camaraderie can exist between competitors, and I was so proud to compete alongside last year’s winner of this Award, Simone Biles. Simone and I are the only two gymnasts to win a Laureus Award, and I hope our stories can inspire anyone who has experienced injuries and setbacks to keep fighting through the many obstacles placed in front of them on the long road to recovery.”

Tom Pidcock is the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year after winning the Olympic mountain bike cross-country title in unforgettable fashion.  

His hopes of defending the title he won in Tokyo appeared all but over after suffering a puncture, but after changing wheels, the British rider staged a stirring fightback to reel in leader and home favourite Victor Koretsky before pulling off a daring late overtake in the trees to win gold against the odds.

Pidcock is the fourth British cyclist to win the Action Sportsperson of the Year Award, following Jamie Bestwick (2014), Rachel Atherton (2017) and Beth Shriver (2022).

🏆 Yuyan Jiang is the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability#Laureus25 pic.twitter.com/7AANKAFYac

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 21, 2025

Paralympic swimming superstar Jiang Yuyan collected the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.

Yuyan was the most decorated athlete at the 2024 Paralympic Games, winning seven para swimming golds from seven events in the pool, matching the feat of Laureus Academy Member Mark Spitz.

The 19-year-old also set two individual world records and was honoured as the flagbearer for the Chinese team at the closing ceremony. She is the seventh Chinese winner of a Laureus after Yao Ming (Breakthrough 2003, Spirit of Sport 2015), Liu Xiang (Breakthrough, 2005), China Olympic Team (Team, 2009), Li Na (Exceptional Achievement, 2015), Xia Boyu (Sporting Moment, 2019) and Eileen Gu (Action, 2023).

🏆 Lamine Yamal is the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year#Laureus25 pic.twitter.com/IvBkTEgvXl

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 21, 2025

Teen sensation Lamine Yamal was the recipient of the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after emerging as one of football’s global superstars.

 As part of the Spain team which won Euro 2024, he became the youngest player to score in the European Championships as well as the youngest to feature in the final and was named Best Young Player of the tournament. He is only the second footballer to win this Award, after Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder who won it last year.

Real Madrid are the Laureus World Team of the Year 🏆#Laureus25 | @realmadrid pic.twitter.com/rNMY2QiUbQ

— Laureus (@LaureusSport) April 21, 2025

Bellingham did not go unrecognised tonight, either. Real Madrid are quite simply a winning machine and were honoured with the Laureus World Team of the Year Award after a season in which they won La Liga for a record 36th time, delivered a 15th UEFA Champions League/European Cup title, and defeated rivals Barcelona 4-1 in the Supercopa de España.

The club continued to sweep aside all before them at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, winning both the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup, an achievement which saw Carlo Ancelotti become Madrid’s most decorated manager.

For 25 years, the Laureus World Sports Awards have seen the greatest athletes in the world share the stage with Laureus Sport for Good programmes that fulfil the mission defined by the founding patron of Laureus at the first Awards: to use the power of sport to change the world. 

Kick4Life is one of over 300 Laureus Sport for Good projects all over the world making a difference in their communities, and they were presented with this year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award in Madrid. Kick4Life uses football to reach at-risk children in Lesotho, promoting health education, life-skills development, gender rights and employability. The inspirational organisation, which was also nominated for this Award in 2022, has reached more than 250,000 young people since it was founded in 2005.

Nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards are decided by the world’s media, and the winners are voted on by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – the ultimate sporting jury. This year, the Academy also included two discretionary Awards.

Rafael Nadal received the Laureus Sporting Icon Award after a year in which he announced the end of one of the greatest careers in the history of professional tennis.  A celebratory video package of his career was specially voiced by Morgan Freeman, who included his own tribute to the Spaniard. This year’s Awards expands on Nadal’s ‘Laureus Slam’ – he is the only athlete to have won the Sportsman of the Year Award, the Comeback of the Year, the Breakthrough of the Year and the Laureus Sport for Good Award.

 Rafael Nadal said, “The Laureus World Sports Awards are important to me. Back in 2006, I won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award in Barcelona, in front of sporting heroes who had inspired millions of people around the world. Then last year, after twice being named Sportsman of the Year and also winning Comeback of the Year, my foundation was honoured to win the Laureus Sport for Good Award, here in Madrid.”

 “My retirement from competitive tennis made 2024 an emotional year for me, where there were some magical moments like the one in Paris, carrying the Olympic torch. Tennis and sports in general have given me so much; my drive has always been to compete and try my best every time I stepped on the court. Competitive tennis has stopped, and it is time to reflect and to appreciate all the support I receive from everyone – my friends and family, my fans, my fellow athletes.

 “A Sporting Icon? I think that is for other people to decide. But I hope that my career has inspired sports fans beyond tennis. I gave it everything I had. As athletes, we have a unique opportunity to use our influence and inspiration to make a positive impact on the world and as I move into my next chapter, I’m going to hold on to the ideals that I share with Laureus and work with them to achieve the most important thing an athlete can do – changing the world through sport.”

 And Kelly Slater, widely considered the greatest surfer of all time, received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award. Slater is a four-time winner of the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award and an 11-time World Surf League champion.

The full list of Winners in the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025

The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis and is held annually in Melbourne, Australia.

The women's tournament has seen a number of talented players win the title in recent years.

Also Read: Australian Open Winners list (Men)

The Australian Open winners list (Women) are given below.

Players who won the tournament multiple times

Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Naomi Osaka are some of the players who have won the Australian Open multiple times. 

Serena Williams, meanwhile, cemented her position as the most successful women’s player of all-time at the event, with seven titles.

In 2021, Naomi Osaka became the first player from Japan to win the Australian Open. She defeated American Jennifer Brady in the final. 

Naomi Osaka also won the tournament in 2019, becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title. 

Sofia Kenin, who hails from the United States, won the 2020 tournament, beating Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. 

Kenin, who was just 21 years old at the time, became the youngest player to win the Australian Open since Maria Sharapova in 2008.

In 2018, Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam title, defeating Romania's Simona Halep in the final. 

Wozniacki had previously been the runner-up at the tournament in 2011 and 2014. 

Serena Williams, who is widely considered one of the greatest female players of all time, won the Australian Open in 2017 and 2015. 

She defeated her sister Venus Williams in 2017 final and defeated Maria Sharapova in the 2015 final.

Also Read: Top 10 most-talked about Tennis dresses worn by female players

Madison Keys won Australian Open 2025 title

Meanwhile, Madison Keys of America won her first-ever Grand Slam title by becoming the champion in the women's singles event of the Australian Open 2025. 

In the title match, Keys defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. 

Keys is the second-oldest woman to claim her first Australian Open singles title in the Open era after China’s Li Na, who was 31 when she triumphed at Melbourne Park in 2014.

Here is the full list.

Australian Open Winners list (Women)

The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis and is held annually in Melbourne, Australia.

The tournament has been held since 1905 and has seen some of the greatest players in the sport compete for the title. 

Also Read: Most matches won in Grand Slams by any player | Top 10 List

In this article, we will brief you on the Australian Open winners list (Men).

Jannik Sinner claims Australian Open 2025 title

Jannik Sinner won the latest edition of the Australian Open after defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. 

With this, the Italian becomes the first man to retain the title since Novak Djokovic’s “three-peat” from 2019 to 2021.

Aged 23 years 163 days, Sinner is also the youngest man to win multiple Australian Open titles since Jim Courier in 1992-93.

Djokovic won the most titles

Over the last decade, the tournament has been dominated by Novak Djokovic who has won the tournament ten times in this period (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023).

The only other players to win the tournament in this time are Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. 

Djokovic's record in the tournament is impressive, with his ten wins coming in a consecutive period of 11 years.

He has been able to defeat some of the greatest players in the world, such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, in the final of the tournament.

Djokovic also has two hat-tricks of Australian Open titles, once between 2011-2013 and then doing an encore from 2019-2021.

The Serbian’s first Australian Open crown came in 2008, when he came from a set down to beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.

Djokovic has beaten Andy Murray in as many as four Australian Open finals while he has also beaten Rafael Nadal in two finals.

Also Read: Tennis Stats: Players to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles without losing

Roger Federer won the title twice in last decade 

On the other hand, Roger has won the Australian Open twice in the last decade, in 2017 and 2018. 

He has been a finalist in the tournament five times in this period, showing his consistency at the tournament. 

While Stan Wawrinka has won the Australian Open once, in 2014. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the final, who was the defending champion at the time. 

This win was a major upset and Wawrinka proved that he is capable of winning the biggest tournaments in the world.

It is interesting to note that, in the last decade, the men's singles of the Australian Open has been dominated by Swiss players, with four out of the ten titles won by either Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka.

While Novak Djokovic, another Swiss player, has dominated the tournament with 10 titles. This shows the strength of Swiss players in the tennis world, particularly on hard courts.

Australian Open Winners list (Men)

To play at a consistent level at Grand Slams is a very difficult task. Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic are the two contrasting examples. In the Open Era, Rod Laver won 4 majors consecutively in 1969 and Novak Djokovic won 4 majors from mid-2015 to mid-2016. 

Also Read: Most Matches Played in Grand Slam

Let's take a look at the tennis Stats of players who won back-to-back Grand Slam titles without losing.

Tennis Stats | Players to win back-to-back Grand Slams

Rod Laver | 4 

Rod Laver knows what it takes to complete tennis’ ultimate achievement, having won the Grand Slam as an amateur in 1962 and again as a pro in 1969. He defeated Tony Roche in the US Open final (7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2) to win a fourth consecutive major title. Laver won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same calendar year (1969), which still stands as a unique achievement in the Open era.

As a professional Laver was banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments as well as other tournaments. In 1968, Laver was again able to compete. During his career, he won eleven Grand Slam tournaments, eight Pro Slam tournaments, and five Davis Cup titles. He was also the first player to win four consecutive Grand Slams in the same calendar year in 1962.

Novak Djokovic | 4

Novak Djokovic also achieved four consecutive Grand Slam titles. He won the last two majors of 2015 (Wimbledon and US Open) and the first two Slams of 2016 (Australian Open and French Open). By winning the title in Paris in 2016, Djokovic completed a 'Career Grand Slam' (winning all four major tournaments), the fourth man to do so in the open era after Andre Agassi (1999), Roger Federer (2009) and Rafael Nadal (2010). He also completed a golden slam in 2023 when he won all four grand slams and the Olympic games. 

Djokovic is the first man to win 24 Slam titles. He has tied Margaret Court for the most ever of any player in any era. Djokovic also won 10 Australian Open, which makes him the record holder for the most titles at that tournament. 

Also Read: Grand Slam Records: Most Grand Slam Finals in Men's Tennis