It’s that time when tennis begins in full swing for the calendar year opening with the 2023 Australian Open, which kicks off on 16th January at Melbourne Park.
It is the first of 4 Grand Slams in the calendar year, the others being the French Open (Roland Garros), Wimbledon and US Open. The tournament has been held since 1905 and the 2023 edition will be the 111st edition.
Played under sweltering conditions, the Aussie Open is the ultimate test of player endurance and character. With 256 players contesting from the first round, here are three favourites for both the men’s and women’s singles tournament.
Men’s Favourites
Novak Djokovic
The Serbian is the outright favourite to win in Melbourne-with good reason too.
He is a nine-time champion of the tournament, winning it in 2008, 2011-2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019-2021. When it comes to the Australian Open, it is simply Novak Djokovic’s tournament to lose.
Djokovic’s 2022 participation was marred by controversy as he was denied entry into Australia for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a battle he’s been adamantly against since the pandemic began. His absence drew criticism of the Australian authorities among his supporters, but it didn’t deter his determination to win on the court.
Djokovic still went ahead to win the ATP 1000 Masters in Rome as well as ATP 250 events in Astana and Tel Aviv. His biggest prize came when he saw off Nick Kyrios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 to lift a seventh Wimbledon title, taking his Grand Slam tally to 21- one behind his long-time rival Rafael Nadal. Djokovic won the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over emerging talent Casper Ruud.
At 35, Djokovic still has an incredible level of determination to succeed- an attribute that puts him above the rest on the circuit. He is currently ranked fifth in the world, but it would be to little surprise if the Serb finds himself back at number one in the near future, starting with victory at the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal
The 36-year-old Spanaird took full advantage of Djokovic’s absence in Melbourne last year to win a record-breaking 21st tennis major by beating Daniil Medvedev in five sets 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5. Rafael Nadal would go on to make it 22 Grand Slams by lifting a record-extending 14th French Open crown with victory over Casper Ruud.
Nadal is no stranger at Melbourne Park, having won the Australian Open in 2009 previously before his Grand Slam record-breaking moment in 2022. He has been to the final six times with his most notable ones including the 2012 and 2017 finals against Djokovic and Roger Federer respectively, but he lost both in epic five set battles.
Aside from the two Grand Slam triumphs, Nadal enjoyed a relatively successful 2022 season, claiming titles in ATP 250 events in Acapulco and finished the year ranked second in the world behind fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is a graduate of Nadal’s tennis academy in his hometown of Mallorca.
Nadal, like Djokovic, is a very determined, fierce and competitive individual. This despite his battles with various injuries down the years. His rivalry with Djokovic has been a dominant and pulsating fixture in men’s tennis for the past decade, with the Serbian having the slight edge leading the head-to-head 30-29. Nadal however leads Djokovic 11-7 in Grand Slams. A final between the two (circa 2012) will not be off the cards for the third time in Melbourne.
Daniil Medvedev
Men’s tennis has been dominated by the now-retired and 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, the aforementioned duo of Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray. Away from these four only Daniil Medvedev has had a fervent attempt at trying to break their dominance.
Since winning the 2020 ATP Finals in London, Medvedev has been steadily improving. He reached the 2021 Aussie Open, where he lost to Djokovic, before winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open in the same year, successfully claiming payback by beating Djokovic, this time in an unexpected straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Medvedev reached the 2022 Aussie Open final again but lost to Nadal. He went on to claim ATP titles in Los Cabos, Mexico and Vienna, Austria.
Considering Nadal and Djokovic are the major favourites going into any Grand Slam (when healthy), Medvedev is an excellent alternative, but he is never to be written off given that he is just as determined as the duo and could shock either of them, like he has done in the past.
Women’s Favourites
Iga Swiatek
2022 was all about Iga Swiatek, who was miles apart from the rest of the women on circuit.
The Polish star won eight titles: three WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome, as well as another three WTA 500 events in Doha, Stuttgart and San Diego.
The biggest icing on the cake saw Swiatek lift a second French Open, beating teenage star ‘Coco’ Gauff 6-1, 6-3 and a maiden US Open title, defeating Ons Jabeur in straight sets. All these landmark wins cemented Swiatek’s place atop the women’s world rankings. 2022 saw Swiatek’s career titles shoot to 11 and career prize money at $14.7 million.
Thus Swiatek enters the Australian Open as the outright favourite in the women’s draw. Her best performance in Melbourne came last year, where she lost to American Danielle Collins in the semi-finals.
With 2022 being a year to remember, the 2023 Australian Open is the opener for a year Swiatek is expected to dominate.
Ons Jabeur
Ons Jabeur, like Swiatek, had a memorable 2022 season, where she achieved some firsts.
The Tunisian missed the Australian Open due to injury after featuring at the Sydney Tennis Classic. She returned at the Dubai Duty Free Championship, reaching the quarter-finals where she lost to Simona Halep.
Jabeur would go on to reach six finals: WTA 500 tournaments in Charleston and Berlin as well as 1000 events in Madrid and Rome, winning in Berlin and Madrid. Her biggest moments came at Wimbledon and the US Open where she reached the final for the first time in her career, but lost to Elena Rybakina and Swiatek respectively.
It was a historic moment as Jabeur became the first African to ever reach a Grand Slam final. Her 2022 exploits saw her move up the rankings to second, though some distance behind Swiatek, but with a considerable lead over world number 3, American Jessica Peluga.
Jabeur’s best finish at the Australian Open was in the quarter-finals in 2020, where she lost to Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-4. Her 2022 form could be enough motivation to go all out for Grand Slam glory and what a story it would be for her and the African continent if it comes at the Aussie Open women’s final come January 28.
Caroline Garcia
Garcia’s 2022 wasn’t as glamorous as Swiatek and Jabeur’s, but it was still noteworthy by her standards.
The French woman took home four titles: ATP 250 events in Homburg, Warsaw, the 1000 event in Cincinnati and the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.
There was also no Grand Slam success for Garcia in 2022. She did however reach the semi-finals at the 2022 US Open, losing to eventual runner-up, Jabeur. It remains her best Grand Slam result till date. At the Aussie Open, the fourth round in 2018 is the farthest she’s ever gone. Her 2022 participation was a disappointing 6-4, 6-7, 3-6 first round exit to American qualifier Hailey Baptiste.
Regardless of this setback, Garcia is ranked fourth in the women’s rankings and cannot be written off. The women’s circuit (unlike the men’s) is known to be very unpredictable, producing different champions at events, hence this could be Garcia’s moment for ultimate glory.
