The Australian Open is the first of the Tennis Grand Slams every year. The annual tournament sees the best players in the world descend on Melbourne Park to start the year in the best fashion.
Some of the greatest ever players have won the tournament, which starts with 128 singles players of both the men's and women's sides, whittling them down over the rounds until we are left with one champion.
Since the inception of the Open Era in the late 60s, tennis has continued to develop and change. The current game is already very different to what it was at the turn of the century, and we are currently bearing witness to the changing of the guard in terms of the top players and who will dominate the game for years to come.
Below in this article, we list the winners of the singles Australian Open title since the turn of the decade, which we are classing as the start of the modern era of the game, highlighting the past 26 years of the tournament.
Men’s Australian Open Winners
The first winner of the 21st Century was Andre Agassi. His win in 2000 was the second of the four Australian Open titles that Agassi would win, first winning in 1995 and subsequently winning in 2001 and 2003. Rank outsider Thomas Johansson won in 2002, splitting two of Agassi’s titles.
Overall, Agassi is third on the list of the most decorated Australian Open winners in the Open Era. The two men who are above him both won all their titles after Agassi’s reign, and it will be no surprise that they are Roger Federer (6) and Novak Djokovic (10).
Even in both the Open and Amateur Eras, Federer and Djokovic will still be first and second on the list of most decorated champions in Melbourne. That dominance, starting with Federer’s win in 2004 and Djokovic’s last win in 2023, has meant that the pool of winners since 2000 is quite small, with only nine men in total winning the title overall.
The three other men to win in those 19 years were Marat Safin in 2005, Stan Warwinka in 2014, and the third great player of the 21st Century, Rafa Nadal in 2009 and 2022. The biggest victim of this dominance would be Andy Murray. The legend from Scotland has lost the final of the Australian Open five times in this period, losing to Federer once and Djokovic four times. Nadal lost the final four times, but he did at least win twice.
In the most recent three editions, one of the new guard of men’s tennis dominated, in Jannik Sinner, who won it in 2024 and 2025. This was the first Grand Slam he ever won and has since gone on to epitomise the current era of the game with his great rival, Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz finally won the Australian Open too, in 2026, to complete his Career Grand Slam, becoming the youngest man to achieve that feat in the Open Era.
List of Men’s Australian Open winners since 2000.
2026: Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
2025: Jannik Sinner (ITA)
2024: Jannik Sinner (ITA)
2023: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2022: Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2021: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2020: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2019: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2018: Roger Federer (SUI)
2017: Roger Federer (SUI)
2016: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2015: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2014: Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
2013: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2012: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2011: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2010: Roger Federer (SUI)
2009: Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2008: Novak Djokovic (SRB)
2007: Roger Federer (SUI)
2006: Roger Federer (SUI)
2005: Marat Safin (RUS)
2004: Roger Federer (SUI)
2003: Andre Agassi (USA)
2002: Thomas Johansson (SWE)
2001: Andre Agassi (USA)
2000: Andre Agassi (USA)
Women’s Australian Open Winners
Whilst the men’s Australian Open title has only been lifted by nine men since 2000, the women’s title has been lifted by almost double that many players in that time, with 16 winners.
The century started with Lindsey Davenport winning her final ever Grand Slam, taking the Australian Open in 2000. This was Davenport’s only Australian Open win, and since her, 10 other women have won the title once. The most recent winner was Elena Rybakina, who won in 2026, which was her second Grand Slam.
The most dominant woman in this whole period is the one and only Serena Williams. She won her first title in 2003, beating her sister Venus and went on to win the title six more times. 14 years after Serena and Venus met in 2003, the two fought for the Australian Open title again in 2017, which Serena won. Venus did set a record here, though, being the longest span between grand slam singles final appearances, having her first in 1997.
The next closest number of wins since 2000 has been two, and four women have won the Australian Open that many times. Jennifer Capriati won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, with Victoria Azarenka doing the same in 2012 and 2013, and Aryna Sabalenka also did it in 2023 and 2024. Naomi Osaka is the only woman to win two tournaments not back-to-back apart from Williams, winning in 2019 and 2021.
List of Women’s Australian Open Winners since 2000
2026: Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
2025: Madison Keys (USA)
2024: Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
2023: Aryna Sabalenka (BLR)
2022: Ashleigh Barty (AUS)
2021: Naomi Osaka (JPN)
2020: Sofia Kenin (USA)
2019: Naomi Osaka (JPN)
2018: Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
2017: Serena Williams (USA)
2016: Angelique Kerber (GER)
2015: Serena Williams (USA)
2014: Li Na (CHN)
2013: Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
2012: Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
2011: Kim Clijsters (BEL)
2010: Serena Williams (USA)
2009: Serena Williams (USA)
2008: Maria Sharapova (RUS)
2007: Serena Williams (USA)
2006: Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)
2005: Serena Williams (USA)
2004: Justine Henin (BEL)
2003: Serena Williams (USA)
2002: Jennifer Capriati (USA)
2001: Jennifer Capriati (USA)
2000: Lindsay Davenport (USA)