Sinner leads top 10 for Instagram followers gained at Australian Open. GETTY IMAGES

Fansearch, a platform dedicated to discovering creators, has revealed the athletes who have seen the biggest increase in Instagram followers during the Australian Open 2024. Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Bublik, Sabalenka or Sinner were at the top of the list..

In the social media era, athletes not only win prizes, matches, trophies and milestones in their tournaments, but they also help to grow their social media following around the world. Fansearch wanted to know which players increased their followers more after the first 2024 Grand Slam: the Australian Open. 

Fansearch CEO Nina Sprenger observed that athletes attract new fans and followers through exceptional performances or viral occurrences. The 2024 edition of the Australian Open was one of those tournaments deeply dominated by three players: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. 

They have won every year since 2006, except 2014 when Wawrinka took the title. With Nadal and, of course, the retired Federer, out of the competition, only Novak Djokovic, who had won four titles out of the five possible titles since 2019, could extend that run.

Aryna Sabalenka with the 2024 Australian Open trophy. GETTY IMAGES
Aryna Sabalenka with the 2024 Australian Open trophy. GETTY IMAGES

It would seem logical that the player who beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals to claim later the title in Melbourne would have the most followers of any tennis player. That is exactly what happened to Jannik Sinner, who gained almost a million followers (904,777) on social media during the tournament. 

WTA number two Aryna Sabalenka was the woman with the most followers with 425,348, second in both categories at the Australia Open. She won the WTA tournament for the second year in a row. 

Despite his early exit after just one match, Alexander Bublik's viral racket-smashing moment saw him gain nearly 350,000 Instagram followers, surpassing tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in social media popularity.

Two-time Australian Open champion Nadal wanted to return for the 2024 edition, but finally couldn't. The Spaniard was the talk of the town at the time and gained several followers during the event.

Top 10 players by Instagram follower gain

1.  Jannik Sinner: +904,777 followers.

2.  Aryna Sabalenka: +425,348.

3.  Alexander Bublik: +347,248.

4.  Rafael Nadal: +183,505.

5.  Novak Djokovic: +164,974.

6.  Carlos Alcaraz: +137,052.

7.  Mirra Andreeva: +76,164.

8.  Alexander Zverev: +64,524.

9.  Daniil Medvedev: +56,351.

10. Anna Kalinskaya: +51,560.