Australian Open Week 1 Energy, Federer FOMO, and the Matches We’re Circling
The Australian Open is here and somehow it already feels like the tournament has been going for a week. Even though we are not in Australia, we are absolutely experiencing the full emotional journey from afar. Call it jet lag without the flight. The biggest theme coming into this Slam is simple: the season starts now. There is no slow build, no gentle warm-up. Melbourne is the first real “tell” of the year. Who looks ready. Who looks uncomfortable. Who is about to level up.
First, we have to talk about the pre-tournament atmosphere because the Australian Open is making a very loud case for what modern tennis can feel like. Fan Week looked packed, playful, and genuinely inviting. The kind of energy that makes you think, okay, I should have been there. Then Federer shows up and it becomes a full-on FOMO situation. He did press, he did appearances, he hit on court, and yes, we all watched the clips like they were breaking news. A practice session with Casper Ruud turned into a mini event, complete with a tiebreak that had people half-jokingly asking for a wildcard. It was not the point. The point was the vibe. Federer on a tennis court still feels like a reminder of why people fall in love with the sport in the first place.
Then came the moment that fully won us over: the One Point Slam. This might be the best “tennis as entertainment” concept we’ve seen in a long time because it did something smart. It blurred the line between spectators and participants. The amateur pathway to get into it, the on-site qualifying, the energy of the crowd, the randomness of one point deciding everything. It was fun in a way that still felt tennis-specific. It also highlighted something important. There are so many people playing tennis right now who do not always watch tennis. Events like this are a bridge. They make the tournament feel like something you can be part of, not just something you buy a ticket to observe.
On the actual tour side, the lead-in week gave us a very clear headline: the WTA Next Gen wave is not “coming.” It is here. Finals featuring teenagers and 19-year-olds are starting to feel less like an outlier and more like the new normal. We talk through what that means for the draw, the matchups, and the way the women’s side is stacking up with both fresh faces and established names all sharing the spotlight.
We also run through the champions from the week, including big results on the men’s side and what it says when certain players start the year with a trophy. Some wins feel like momentum. Others feel like a reset. Either way, those early titles matter because they set expectations, for the players and for everyone watching.
From there, we get into the draw itself. How it works, why seeds land where they do, and what you should actually look for when you’re scanning the bracket. We share the qualifiers we’re excited about, including some of the names you might not know yet but will absolutely remember if they string together a couple of wins. Then we circle the first-round matches that feel like immediate popcorn, including the matchups that could turn into “why is this happening in round one” moments.
We also get practical because time zones are part of the Australian Open experience. We talk about how we’re watching from the US and the UK, how we’re surviving the sleep situation, and how we’re going to keep up as the tournament starts taking over the calendar.
Finally, we share what’s coming next on Ground Pass. We’re dropping episodes more regularly throughout the Slam, we’ve got a fashion-focused show planned, and we’re working on more behind-the-scenes content all season. Most importantly, OFF SEASON premieres January 18 at 4 PM Eastern on YouTube, live. If you want to watch together and chat in real time, that’s the plan.
Melbourne is here. The season starts now. Let’s do this.
