Thanasi Kokkinakis, Rinky Hijikata, and Maya Joint have significantly increased the Australian representation in the 2025 Brisbane International, bringing the total number of local players in the main draw to nine.
Kokkinakis is set to compete at the Queensland Tennis Centre for his fifth time, marking his first official event since his pivotal role in guiding Australia to the Davis Cup semifinals, where he notably saved match points against Ben Shelton from the United States. Just last month, Kokkinakis clinched the Sydney Challenger title over Hijikata, reversing their encounter from the opening round of this year's Brisbane International.
Hijikata, ranked world No.73, has fond memories of the tournament, having reached the quarterfinals in January, which contributed to a successful season with five tour-level quarterfinal appearances, including one at the prestigious ATP 500 at Queen's Club. He expressed enthusiasm about playing at home again, hoping for a repeat or even better performance this year.
Maya Joint, at world No.116, is gearing up for her Brisbane debut after a standout year where she advanced to the second round at the US Open and was recognized as a joint winner of the Female Junior Athlete of the Year at the Australian Tennis Awards. She is eager to kick off the year strong before her home crowd and expressed interest in facing top player Aryna Sabalenka to gauge her competitive level.
The trio joins other Australian wildcards like Adam Walton for the men's event and Kimberly Birrell and Ajla Tomljanovic for the women's, alongside direct entries from compatriots including Nick Kyrgios, Alexei Popyrin, and Jordan Thompson. The event will boast a formidable lineup including Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Holger Rune, Frances Tiafoe, and Matteo Berrettini for the men, and Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and Daria Kasatkina for the women.
The Brisbane International is scheduled from December 29, 2024, to January 5, 2025, at the Queensland Tennis Centre, with qualifying matches starting on December 27. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
Nick Kyrgios and Novak Djokovic will play doubles together in Brisbane