The three defending Australian Open champions to lose in the first round
In the Open era, only three defending champions have ever lost in the first round of the Australian Open.
So, before the start of the 2025 edition, it's time to look back at this short list of unexpected defeats.
The first player is Roscoe Tanner, winner of the 1977 edition of the tournament at the expense of Guillermo Vilas.
World No. 4 at his highest ranking and winner of sixteen titles, the American had won the Australian Open in January 1977, before having to defend his crown the same year, in December.
Seeded no. 2 at the event, which ended in early 1978, Tanner fell in the first round to New Zealand's Chris Lewis in five sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4).
He didn't compete again until 1981 and 1983, when he was beaten in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
In 1997, Boris Becker, who had beaten Michael Chang in the 1996 final, arrived as the tournament's number 6 seed.
The German was thus one of the favourites to succeed himself, but a newcomer to the circuit, Carlos Moya, had to be reckoned with.
The Spaniard, ranked 25th in the world at the time, put up a fierce fight against Becker. Trailing two sets to one, Moya never relinquished his grip, winning the last two sets in masterly fashion (5-7, 7-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4).
Without knowing it, Becker had played his last Australian Open, beaten by Moya's tenacity and the sweltering Melbourne heat.
Finally, Jennifer Capriati is the only player on the women's circuit to have been eliminated in the 1st round of the Australian Open after winning the title the previous year.
Winner in 2001 and 2002 against Martina Hingis, Capriati arrived in Melbourne in 2003 with her sights set on a hat-trick of titles.
Seeded n°3, she faced Marlene Weingartner in her opening match. Serene until 6-4, 4-2, Capriati then began to make more errors and saw her opponent gradually come back into the match.
Weingartner, ranked 90th in the world, took advantage of this opening to win the second set in a tie-break, before taking the match and pulling off one of the feats of the tournament (2-6, 7-6, 6-4).
This was Jennifer Capriati's last appearance in Melbourne, after withdrawing from the 2004 edition and retiring in 2005 at the age of 25.
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