Top 5 British tennis moments from the 2024 Australian Open
Just like that, the first Grand Slam of the season is wrapped up and what a tournament it was at Melbourne Park in Australia.
Although the men’s and women’s singles titles went the way of Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, the fortnight still brought plenty to celebrate for our British tennis stars.
That said, it’s time to look back on our top 5 British tennis moments from the 2024 Australian Open.
Cam Norrie back on form after reaching fourth round for the first time
After a challenging end to 2023, Cam Norrie made an impression in Melbourne Park, where the British No.1 reached the fourth round at the tournament for the first time in his career.
Norrie eased through his opening round encounter before going on to pull a comeback win in his first of two five set epics across the fortnight against Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri. In the third round, the 28-year-old upset 11th seed Casper Ruud in one of his best performances to date, winning 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3. A dominant performance against the Norwegian saw Norrie hit a sensational 62 winners and claim 41/55 points at the net.
Despite pushing world No.6 Alexander Zverev to five sets in the fourth round, Norrie just missed out in a spot in the quarter-finals in the deciding match tie-break, but left Melbourne with plenty of positives to take away.
"I think there's still lots to come," Norrie said in his post-match press conference. "I'm still 28-years-old. I think you look at the longevity of the other players playing now, I think they're getting better. I just want to keep learning and keep pushing and keep improving.
"I learned a lot last year and the years before. I know I've got the top 10 level in me.”
Raducanu back to winning ways on Grand Slam return
The Australian Open marked the highly-anticipated return of 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu to Grand Slam action – one year on from her last appearance at a major.
Having been sidelined for the last eight months due to injury, Raducanu returned to court at Melbourne Park to clinch her third consecutive first round win at the tournament since making her debut in 2022. The Brit glided to a straight sets victory over Shelby Rogers to book her spot in the second round, before narrowly missing out in a tough three-set battle with Yafan Wang.
Despite being only her second tournament back, Raducanu demonstrated her resilience and ability to fight until the very last point. Given the Brit’s extended period of absence, her quick return showed encouraging glimpses of quality that will undoubtedly continue to flourish once she gains regular match time back on the tour.
Hewett and Reid seal 19th Grand Slam title together
They did it again! Formidable wheelchair tennis duo, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid rose to victory to wrap up their fifth consecutive Australian Open doubles title.
Once again, the British pair dominated the field and didn’t drop a set across the tournament. Moving into their 17th Grand Slam final in 18 tournaments, Hewett and Reid defeated Japan’s Tokito Oda and Takuya Miki, 6-3, 6-2 to secure their 19th major trophy as a partnership.
With the pair showing no signs of slowing down, it’s safe to say they could be set for even more Grand Slam success in 2024.
Skupski reaches first Grand Slam final of the season
Neal Skupski got his year off to the ideal start, with the British doubles star reaching his first Slam final of the year in Melbourne. Skupski joined up with American doubles specialist Desirae Krawczyk to reach the mixed doubles final.
The pair, who already have two major titles to their name having lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2021 and 2022, dropped just one set en route to the final before falling short against Su-Wei Hsei and Jan Zielinski in a championship tie-break.
Despite missing out on the trophy, Skupski has set the tone for what will hopefully be another successful campaign, as he continues his journey on the ATP tour with new partner Santiago Gonzalez.
Jack Draper earns first ever five set victory
Day three of the tournament marked a memorable one for Jack Draper, who’s fast start to the season was rewarded by sealing a career-first five set win.
Question marks have been previously raised over whether Draper can physically go the distance in five-set matches, having overcome multiple hurdles with his fitness since he burst onto the ATP Tour. However, the 22-year-old squandered all doubts by coming back from two sets to one against Marcos Giron to compete his first five set thriller in some of the toughest conditions.
“I’m obviously very happy,” Draper said. “First five-set win. It wasn't easy sort of getting here, not having much preparation.
“It is a big positive that physically I was able to come through the match, not cramp. As the match went on, I got better and better.”
With the Aussie summer swing showing strong steps forward for the rising Brit, a promising season looks to be on the horizon as he continues his journey to the top of the ATP rankings.