MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Here are some of the top men at the Australian Open, which starts at Melbourne Park on Sunday morning local time (Saturday night EST), with money-line odds via BetMGM Sportsbook:
Seeding: 1
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FILE - Australia's Alex de Minaur returns the ball against Italy's Jannik Sinner during the Davis Cup semifinal at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during the men's singles tennis final at the Roland Garros stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
FILE - Daniil Medvedev of Russia hits a backhand to Jannik Sinner of Italy during the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)
FILE - Taylor Fritz, of the United States, returns a shot to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Carlos Alcaraz of Spain returns a shot from Jannik Sinner of Italy during their men's singles finals match of the China Open tennis tournament, at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)
FILE - Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Italy
Age: 23
2024 Record: 73-6
2024 Titles: 8
Career Titles: 18
Grand Slam Titles: 2 — Australian Open (1: 2024), U.S. Open (1: 2024)
Last 5 Australian Opens: 2024-Won Championship, 2023-Lost in 4th Rd, 2022-QF, 2021-1st, 2020-2nd
Aces: Sinner tested positive twice for a banned anabolic steroid in March but wasn’t suspended because a panel determined he didn’t use the drug intentionally and instead was exposed to it by his physiotherapist. The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed his exoneration. ... Won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last January and his second at the U.S. Open in September. ... Ended 2024 with winning streaks of 14 matches and 26 sets.
He Said It: “Of course, I had some ups and downs, and whoever knows me, (knows) I was emotionally a bit down and a bit also heartbroken."
Read All About It: Sinner's 2024 included two Slam titles and two positive doping tests
Odds Are: +125
Seeding: 3
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Spain
Age: 21
2024 Record: 54-13
2024 Titles: 4
Career Titles: 16
Grand Slam Titles: 4 — French Open (1: 2024), Wimbledon (2: 2023, 2024), U.S. Open (1: 2022)
Last 5 Australian Opens: 2024-QF, 2023-Did Not Play, 2022-3rd, 2021-2nd, 2020-DNP
Aces: Can complete a career Grand Slam at the age of 21 by winning the title at Melbourne Park. ... As it is, he is the youngest man in tennis history to win at least one major championship on three surfaces. ... Leads Jannik Sinner 6-4 head-to-head in their burgeoning rivalry. ... Went 12-5 against opponents ranked in the top 10 last year. ... Is 4-0 in Grand Slam finals.
He Said It: “I'm trying to make the people enjoy watching tennis."
Read All About It: Alcaraz wants a seat at the adult table after his fourth major trophy
Odds Are: +350
Seeding: 4
Career-Best Ranking: 4
Country: United States
Age: 27
2024 Record: 53-23
2024 Titles: 2
Career Titles: 8
Grand Slam Titles: None — Best: Runner-Up, U.S. Open (2024)
Last 5 Australian Opens: 2024-QF, 2023-2nd, 2022-4th, 2021-3rd, 2020-3rd
Aces: Had never reached more than one Grand Slam quarterfinal in a single season until 2024, when he got there at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and made it to the final at the U.S. Open before bowing out against Jannik Sinner. ... Also lost to Sinner in the title match at the ATP Finals, becoming the first man from the U.S. to get that far at the season-ending championship since James Blake in 2006. ... Fritz's coach, Michael Russell, earned ATP Coach of the Year honors for 2024.
He Said It: "I’ve always said: Once I do something once, I just feel a lot more confident in being able to do it again.”
Read All About It: Fritz was the first American man in 15 years to reach a Grand Slam final
Odds Are: +2800
Seeding: 5
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Russia
Age: 28
2024 Record: 46-21
2024 Titles: Zero
Career Titles: 20
Grand Slam Titles: 1 — U.S. Open (1: 2021)
Last 5 Australian Opens: 2024-RU, 2023-3rd, 2022-RU, 2021-RU, 2020-4th
Aces: Has made the final at Melbourne Park in three of the past four years but has yet to claim the championship. In two of those defeats in a title match, took a two-set lead before losing in five (to Jannik Sinner last year and to Rafael Nadal in 2022). ... Is 1-5 overall in Grand Slam finals.
He Said It: “Hopefully I can win some more Grand Slams. I believe in myself. I believe in my tennis.”
Read All About It: Medvedev once again came oh-so-close to an Australian trophy last year
Odds Are: +1400
Seeding: 7
Career-Best Ranking: 1
Country: Serbia
Age: 37
2024 Record: 37-9
2024 Titles: 1
Career Titles: 99
Grand Slam Titles: 24 — Australian Open (10: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023), French Open (3: 2016, 2021, 2023), Wimbledon (7: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), U.S. Open (4: 2011, 2015, 2018, 2023)
Last 5 Australian Opens: 2024-SF, 2023-W, 2022-DNP, 2021-W, 2020-W
Aces: Being coached in Melbourne by former rival Andy Murray. ... Bidding to become the first player in tennis history with 25 Grand Slam singles titles. ... 2024 was his first season without at least one major trophy since 2017. ... Was 20-0 in semifinals or finals at the Australian Open until last year's loss to Jannik Sinner in the final four. ... 10 trophies in Melbourne are the most for a man. ... Won just one title in 2024, but it was a big one: an Olympic gold medal for Serbia.
He Said It: “To have a legend of the game, someone that is known to be as an intelligent tennis player as there is out there, it’s a great honor, great pleasure for me."
Read All About It: Djokovic adds an Olympic gold medal to his resume
Odds Are: +500
Seeding: 8
Career-Best Ranking: 6
Country: Australia
Age: 25
2024 Record: 47-21
2024 Titles: 2
Career Titles: 9
Grand Slam Titles: None — Best: Quarterfinals (four times)
Last 5 Australian Opens: 2024-4th, 2023-4th, 2022-4th, 2021-3rd, 2020-DNP
Aces: No Australian man has won the title at the country's Grand Slam tournament since Mark Edmondson in 1976. ... This will be de Minaur's first time seeded in the top eight at a major. ... He had only once ever reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal before 2024, when he made it that far three times: at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Now he'll try to do it in front of the home fans for the first time. ... Got engaged to British tennis player Katie Boulter in December.
He Said It: "I don’t make too much fuss. I just put my head down and work on my craft."
Read All About It: Hip injury forced de Minaur to pull out of Wimbledon showdown vs. Djokovic
Odds Are: +5000
FILE - Australia's Alex de Minaur returns the ball against Italy's Jannik Sinner during the Davis Cup semifinal at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
FILE - Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns the ball Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during the men's singles tennis final at the Roland Garros stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
FILE - Daniil Medvedev of Russia hits a backhand to Jannik Sinner of Italy during the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships at Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)
FILE - Taylor Fritz, of the United States, returns a shot to Jannik Sinner, of Italy, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
FILE - Carlos Alcaraz of Spain returns a shot from Jannik Sinner of Italy during their men's singles finals match of the China Open tennis tournament, at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)
FILE - Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route.
In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace. It's a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it's resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.
Their journey began Oct. 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington, D.C., where they will ask Congress to recognize Buddha’s day of birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday. Beyond promoting peace, their highest priority is connecting with people along the way.
“My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace,” said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group’s soft-spoken leader who is making the trek barefoot. He teaches about mindfulness, forgiveness and healing at every stop.
Preferring to sleep each night in tents pitched outdoors, the monks have been surprised to see their message transcend ideologies, drawing huge crowds into churchyards, city halls and town squares across six states. Documenting their journey on social media, they — and their dog, Aloka — have racked up millions of followers online. On Saturday, thousands thronged in Columbia, South Carolina, where the monks chanted on the steps of the State House and received a proclamation from the city's mayor, Daniel Rickenmann.
At their stop Thursday in Saluda, South Carolina, Audrie Pearce joined the crowd lining Main Street. She had driven four hours from her village of Little River, and teared up as Pannakara handed her a flower.
“There’s something traumatic and heart-wrenching happening in our country every day,” said Pearce, who describes herself as spiritual, but not religious. “I looked into their eyes and I saw peace. They’re putting their bodies through such physical torture and yet they radiate peace.”
Hailing from Theravada Buddhist monasteries across the globe, the 19 monks began their 2,300 mile (3,700 kilometer) trek at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth.
Their journey has not been without peril. On Nov. 19, as the monks were walking along U.S. Highway 90 near Dayton, Texas, their escort vehicle was hit by a distracted truck driver, injuring two monks. One of them lost his leg, reducing the group to 18.
This is Pannakara's first trek in the U.S., but he's walked across several South Asian countries, including a 112-day journey across India in 2022 where he first encountered Aloka, an Indian Pariah dog whose name means divine light in Sanskrit.
Then a stray, the dog followed him and other monks from Kolkata in eastern India all the way to the Nepal border. At one point, he fell critically ill and Pannakara scooped him up in his arms and cared for him until he recovered. Now, Aloka inspires him to keep going when he feels like giving up.
“I named him light because I want him to find the light of wisdom,” Pannakara said.
The monk's feet are now heavily bandaged because he's stepped on rocks, nails and glass along the way. His practice of mindfulness keeps him joyful despite the pain from these injuries, he said.
Still, traversing the southeast United States has presented unique challenges, and pounding pavement day after day has been brutal.
“In India, we can do shortcuts through paddy fields and farms, but we can’t do that here because there are a lot of private properties,” Pannakara said. “But what’s made it beautiful is how people have welcomed and hosted us in spite of not knowing who we are and what we believe.”
In Opelika, Alabama, the Rev. Patrick Hitchman-Craig hosted the monks on Christmas night at his United Methodist congregation.
He expected to see a small crowd, but about 1,000 people showed up, creating the feel of a block party. The monks seemed like the Magi, he said, appearing on Christ’s birthday.
“Anyone who is working for peace in the world in a way that is public and sacrificial is standing close to the heart of Jesus, whether or not they share our tradition,” said Hitchman-Craig. “I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of who showed up.”
After their night on the church lawn, the monks arrived the next afternoon at the Collins Farm in Cusseta, Alabama. Judy Collins Allen, whose father and brother run the farm, said about 200 people came to meet the monks — the biggest gathering she’s ever witnessed there.
“There was a calm, warmth and sense of community among people who had not met each other before and that was so special,” she said.
Long Si Dong, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth temple, said the monks, when they arrive in Washington, plan to seek recognition of Vesak, the day which marks the birth and enlightenment of the Buddha, as a national holiday.
“Doing so would acknowledge Vesak as a day of reflection, compassion and unity for all people regardless of faith,” he said.
But Pannakara emphasized that their main goal is to help people achieve peace in their lives. The trek is also a separate endeavor from a $200 million campaign to build towering monuments on the temple’s 14-acre property to house the Buddha’s teachings engraved in stone, according to Dong.
The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha himself as core for attaining enlightenment. It focuses on the mind-body connection — observing breath and physical sensations to understand reality, impermanence and suffering. Some of the monks, including Pannakara, walk barefoot to feel the ground directly and be present in the moment.
Pannakara has told the gathered crowds that they don't aim to convert people to Buddhism.
Brooke Schedneck, professor of religion at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, said the tradition of a peace walk in Theravada Buddhism began in the 1990s when the Venerable Maha Ghosananda, a Cambodian monk, led marches across war-torn areas riddled with landmines to foster national healing after civil war and genocide in his country.
“These walks really inspire people and inspire faith,” Schedneck said. “The core intention is to have others watch and be inspired, not so much through words, but through how they are willing to make this sacrifice by walking and being visible.”
On Thursday, Becki Gable drove nearly 400 miles (about 640 kilometers) from Cullman, Alabama, to catch up with them in Saluda. Raised Methodist, Gable said she wanted some release from the pain of losing her daughter and parents.
“I just felt in my heart that this would help me have peace,” she said. “Maybe I could move a little bit forward in my life.”
Gable says she has already taken one of Pannakara’s teachings to heart. She’s promised herself that each morning, as soon as she awakes, she’d take a piece of paper and write five words on it, just as the monk prescribed.
“Today is my peaceful day.”
Freelance photojournalist Allison Joyce contributed to this report.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," get lunch Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Aloka rests with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
A sign is seen greeting the Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Supporters pray with Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Supporters watch Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
A Buddhist monk ties a prayer bracelet around the wrist of Josey Lee, 2-months-old, during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Buddhist monks participate in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Bhikkhu Pannakara leads other buddhist monks in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Audrie Pearce greets Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Bhikkhu Pannakara, a spiritual leader, speaks to supporters during the, "Walk For Peace," Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," arrive in Saluda, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," are seen with their dog, Aloka, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
