The 2024 tennis season is off to an exciting start.
Last year, tennis fans missed out on watching some of their favorite players compete due to injury or other personal reasons. Well, this year, many of them are back and looking to make a bang Down Under.
With the 2024 Australian Open set to kick off, many stars are returning to the tournament -- potentially for one last time.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal was set to return to the Australian Open but withdrew due to an injury he sustained in his first tournament back in Brisbane earlier this month.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
Nadal’s latest injury setback comes after being away from the court for almost a year and having surgery on his hip in June. The former top-ranked player also had a history of knee and foot issues that many thought would threaten his ability to remain on the tour for as long as he has.
Nonetheless, here are five must-watch tennis players who are competing at the Australian Open this year:
Alex de Minaur, Australia
Alex de Minaur is on fire.
The Australian Open hometown favorite returns to Melbourne Park with some epic wins from earlier this month under his belt.
De Minaur, 24, defeated three top 10 opponents at the United Cup Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, propelling him into the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time.
“I'm living my dream,” De Minaur said last Friday. “I can wake up in the morning and know that I've achieved a massive milestone, which was very tough to get to. I didn't know if I was going to achieve it. Now I can look at myself and say that I've done it, that I'm a completely different player to what I was last year. It's exciting because I've got bigger and better things to come hopefully.”
De Minaur enters the Australian Open as the highest-ranked Australian player.
Naomi Osaka, Japan
Naomi Osaka is back on tour ... and is a mother.
The 26-year-old from Japan has a special place in her heart for the Grand Slam Down Under. She is a two-time singles champion at Melbourne Park and is looking to reclaim her world No. 1 ranking one win at a time.
The four-time Grand Slam singles champion and rapper boyfriend Cordae announced the birth of their baby girl, Shai, in July 2023.
"2023 will be a year that'll be full of lessons for me and I hope I'll see you guys in the start of the next one cause I'll be at Aus 2024. Love you all infinitely," Osaka wrote on Instagram a year ago.
Just like Nadal, Osaka is competing at Brisbane International and after her first-round win on Jan. 1, she had some powerful thoughts.
“The last couple of years that I played before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” Osaka said after the match. “I feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter. I just really appreciate people coming out and knowing me and cheering for me, because I feel like there was a time I was just a little kid trying to watch my role models play."
Emma Raducanu, United Kingdom
The 2021 U.S. Open singles champion Emma Raducanu is back in action Down Under.
The 21-year-old Brit suffered from a lingering wrist injury that has left her out of competition since April 2023. It didn't stop there -- Raducanu had to undergo surgery on both hands and left ankle.
Raducanu is preparing for the Australian Open, playing the Auckland Classic and after her first-round victory, she commented on the adversity she's faced.
"It's difficult after having such a long hiatus, but I'm grateful to be healthy, I'm grateful to be able to move my body and not bedridden or in a wheelchair," Raducanu said. "It's pretty amazing to just be out here and playing and I'm just really happy to be back on the tour and can't wait to start this season and carry on hopefully injury-free and healthy.
Since winning the U.S. Open, Raducanu has struggled to break past the second round of a Grand Slam.
Amanda Anisimova, United States
In May 2023, Amanda Anisimova announced that she was taking an "indefinite break," citing burnout and concerns for her mental health.
The 22-year-old from New Jersey was shining brighter than ever during the 2019 tennis season. She had just won her first WTA title and made it to the French Open semifinals.
Just before the U.S. Open that year, Anisimova's father and former coach Konstantin died suddenly at 52 years old after suffering a heart attack.
"It was very tough," Anisimova said in January 2022. "I think definitely that’s the reason why I had a couple tough years playing tennis."
When she announced a mental health break last season, Anisimova took on new hobbies that included selling her impressive artwork to charity, going on road trips with friends and studying for a semester at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.
"I slowed my life down and that's something that I really needed," she said weeks before the 2024 Australian Open.
Ben Shelton, United States
Ben Shelton is not a comeback story, but he surely is someone to watch.
The 21-year-old from Atlanta has proven that he has what it takes the dominate the big stage -- especially against even greater opponents.
The world No. 17 had some impressive tournaments and wins last season, making it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and semifinals of the U.S. Open.
He recorded quality wins over fellow Americans Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul while having tight contests with the world's best in Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Was it a fluke, or will the rising American star have another breakthrough year?
