At the beginning of the new year, the tennis world has officially entered "Australian time", and the strong players from all walks of life have gathered in the southern hemisphere to fight for the coronation on Melbourne's blue courts, and the eyes of tennis fans around the world have once again been drawn to this blue tennis mecca. The biggest tennis players have returned from the offseason and can't wait to start a new journey in their first Grand Slam of the year.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Novak Djokovic

Can the drama of the return of the king be played out again in Australia? ASICS tennis ambassador Novak Djokovic may give his answer. A little more than a month ago, Djokovic officially announced that Murray had joined the coaching team, and the two former rivals will work together for the new season. In this blockbuster cooperation, the two have a common vision in their eyes, that is, the Serbian king can win his 25th Grand Slam title at this Australian Open. Although Djokovic missed out on reaching the quarter-finals in Brisbane last week, reaching his 100th tour title, his record suggests that his Australian Open win has no correlation with his warm-up results. As the 10-time champion, Djokovic is still the favourite to win the Australian Open.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Fritz

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Fritz will make his debut as a top-four seed in the men's singles Grand Slam tournament, and with a strong performance in the second half of last year, the American brother hit a personal high of No.4 in the world at the end of the year, and returned to the quarterfinals of the ATP year-end finals after two years. At the 2024 US Open, Fritz seized the opportunity to play on home soil, breaking the Grand Slam "card eight curse" for the first time at Flushing Park and reaching the final in one go. Fritz continued his strong start to the new year, with a 4-1 record in the United Cup to help the United States win the team championship for the second time, and his Australian Open prospects are worth looking forward to.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador De Minauer

Australian No. 1 Deminaur is another top 10 member of ASICS, reaching the quarterfinals of all three Grand Slam tournaments in 2024, including the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, but he has reached the fourth round of the last three Australian Opens. Returning to his hometown Grand Slam scene, De Minaur will undoubtedly be hoping to break through the quarter-finals for the first time at Melbourne Park. De Minaur showed great form in last week's United Cup without dropping a set in his two singles matches, but what kind of performance can he perform at the Australian Open this time? Let's wait and see.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Musetti

Currently ranked No.16 in the world, DSLR Musetti is a new member of ASICS, and the new generation of stars from Italy is one of the most prominent figures in men's tennis. Former junior world No.1 Musetti is in the top 20 in his fourth year of turning professional, reaching the semi-finals of his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon last year with five straight wins, before winning a bronze medal in men's singles at the Paris Olympics and the first Olympic singles medal in Italian tennis history since the Open era. Musetti's previous best performance at the Australian Open was only the round of 64, and it is believed that he will be able to achieve even better results this year.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Berrettini

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Berrettini, the 2024 Men's Comeback of the Year award, won three Tour titles last season and helped Italy defend their Davis Cup title. Berrettini missed last year's Australian Open due to health reasons, and his best result at Melbourne Park was the men's singles semi-finals in 2022. Despite being plagued by injuries in the past two years, tennis has always been his persistence and passion, and with his efforts over the past year, he has improved his world ranking from outside the top 100 to his current No.35. Returning to the court in his playing year, Berrettini is still a formidable player in tennis.

ASICS Asics Tennis Ambassador Paulini

Starting the season with world No. 4, ASICS Tennis Ambassador Paulini celebrates her 11th year on the WTA Tour. The 2024 season is undoubtedly a year for Paulini to shine, as she won her highest level of title in Dubai, WTA1000 Dubai, reached back-to-back Grand Slam finals at the French Open and Wimbledon, won the Olympic women's doubles gold medal with Errani, and helped Italy win the Billie Jean King Cup again at the end of the year. Can Paulini, who just celebrated his 29th birthday, make another breakthrough at the new Australian Open? We're looking forward to it.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Abdul-Jabbar

ASICS tennis ambassador Abdul-Jabbar made her six-month debut at the WTA 500 in Brisbane last week, winning three straight matches to reach the quarterfinals. The three-time Grand Slam runner-up Abdul-Jabbar's return has a lot to offer in women's tennis, and the Tunisian is looking forward to returning to the top. Jabbar's best performance at the Australian Open was the quarterfinals of the women's singles in 2020 and she is looking to get off to a strong start in her first Grand Slam tournament since her comeback.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Maya

For the past three years, ASICS Tennis Ambassador Maia has firmly occupied a place in the top 20, winning a heavyweight title at the 2024 WTA 500 in Seoul and reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open, setting her best record in a hard-court Grand Slam. While Maya has been more impressive on clay and grass courts, the Brazilian is more than capable of making a breakthrough at the upcoming Australian Open as she continues to refine her skills and develop her hard-court skills.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Zhang Shuai

ASICS tennis ambassador Zhang Shuai won the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wild Card Tournament at the end of last year and qualified for the women's singles main draw, making her 13th career appearance at the Australian Open. As a former women's doubles champion, Zhang Shuai will also partner France's former doubles player in the women's doubles at this year's Australian Open, which will be the first time the two have been combined since reaching the women's doubles final at the US Open last year.

ASICS Tennis Ambassador Yang Zhaoxuan

The Australian Open is ASICS' first Grand Slam tournament since his comeback last year, and it took a year for the Chinese doubles star to return to action after suffering an unexpected sprain at the Asian Games. Heading into the new season, Yang Zhaoxuan will continue to play alongside her old partner Xu Yifan, who reached the quarterfinals of the Women's Singles at the WTA 500 in Brisbane last week.

On the eve of the Australian Open, ASICS is about to usher in a big move in Melbourne, and its best-selling tennis shoe GEL-RESOLUTION will launch the latest model - GEL-RESOLUTION X, which has always been favored by top professional players for its excellent cushioning and wrapping. The launch of GEL-RESOLUTION X will not only bring more new colors, but also revolutionize various technologies to provide better comfort and stability for players. ASICS tennis ambassadors have put their feet on this blockbuster new product to start the new season with a healthy posture.

As Melbourne enters the hottest season of the year, we are about to return to the "show" at the beginning of the season for a brand new Australian Open. Melbourne Park is ready to witness every soul running on the road to chasing their dreams, and also look forward to the crowning of the next champion. You can't wait to join us in this Aussie extravaganza!

(Text: Faye Wong, Photo: ASICS, Visual China, Li Jianyi)