Queensland tennis fans are in for a treat, with some of Australian top-ranked players preparing to launch their new seasons at Brisbane International 2024.
Gold Coast-based Kimberly Birrell headlines the local contingent. The 25-year-old is set to contest her home tournament for the first time since 2019.
“I’m thrilled to be starting my year playing in the 2024 Brisbane International,” Birrell said.
“I have so many unforgettable memories from the tournament, from watching my idols as a junior to playing and having my first top-10 win in 2019.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to play my home tournament and can’t wait to test myself against the best tennis players in the world, in front of my friends and family.”
In her last appearance at the tournament, Birrell upset world No.10 Daria Kasatkina 5-7 6-4 7-6(3), marking the best win of her career.
“I don’t know if I could have gotten through it at the end without everyone’s support and just the energy,” she said.
“I train on this court, that court so many times and there were so many familiar faces in the crowd, so it means the world to have my family and everyone’s support.”
Birrell will have form on her side in her 2024 campaign, after she cracked the world’s top 100 for the first time in September.
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Alexei Popyrin and Max Purcell are also coming off career-best seasons, with both ranked inside the world’s top 50 by year’s end.
Popyrin has proven his ability to lift a level on home soil. In 2023, he stunned world No.6 Felix Auger-Aliassime in a quarterfinal run at the Adelaide International.
He followed that victory over Taylor Fritz in an electrifying five-set win in the Australian Open’s second round.
The 24-year-old Popyrin noted the boost provided by a supportive home crowd.
“I get goose bumps just thinking about it, honestly. They (the crowd) really helped me through the tough times,” he said.
“They were just equally as energetic and equally as motivating. I couldn’t have done it without them.”
> READ: Nine Grand Slam champions to contest Brisbane International 2024
Purcell, 25, took his singles game to the next level early in 2023, winning three consecutive ATP Challenger titles in February.
Purcell made the most noise in the second half of the year after some upset victories. Wins against top-10 stars Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud, as well as three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in August, proved monumental.
However it was his match against Carlos Alcaraz at the Cincinnati Masters that gave the Newcombe Medal finalist the most confidence.
“The loss against Carlos was the one (match) that stood out the most (this year),” Purcell said.
“The fact I went out there and serve-volleyed against the world No.1 and actually almost dug it out backed me with the fact that I can play from the back.
“I almost beat the world No.1 from the net in some conditions that he was really good in anyway. So it gave me a lot of belief that I can play with these guys.”
Jordan Thompson, who finished 2023 ranked world No.55, is set to make his third main-draw appearance at the Brisbane International.
Featuring in 2017 and 2018, Thompson reached the quarterfinals at Brisbane in 2017, defeating 2013 Roland Garros finalist David Ferrer.
The 29-year-old claimed some huge scalps in 2023 with victories against two top-10 players. Most notably, Thompson defeated AO 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas during the second round of Indian Wells in March.
The Australian contingent in Brisbane is bolstered by Arina Rodionova, Daria Saville, Aleksandar Vukic and Rinky Hijikata, who were each granted main-draw wildcards into the tournament.
> READ: Wildcards confirmed for Brisbane International 2024
Adult ticket prices start from $25, with a family pass (two adults and two children) from $58. Kids go free on ground passes across the first two days of the tournament.
Tickets for the Brisbane International are on sale through Ticketmaster.