This year’s Australian Open is set to be the tournament of comebacks, but not every returning star will end up competing at this season’s first slam.
Fans, for instance, won’t get the chance to see Rafael Nadal in action as the Spaniard’s hopes of returning to grand slam tennis ended this week after he picked up yet another injury during a warmup event in Brisbane.
However, the sport will welcome back the likes of Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu, who have both been missing from the big stage for quite some time.
Injuries ravaged Raducanu’s 2023 season with the Brit only featuring in one of the four grand slams events – beaten in the second round of last year’s Australian Open.
Osaka, meanwhile, took a year away from the sport to focus on her mental health and then becoming a mother in July 2023.
Despite both pulling out of a charity event just days ahead of the Australian Open, the two stars are still expected to feature at what promises to be an unpredictable tournament at Melbourne Park.
Men’s draw: Destiny for Djokovic?
Many had hoped that Nadal would be in the running for yet another grand slam title at this year’s Australian Open after almost a year out of the sport. He had not played since last year’s edition Down Under after suffering an injury and undergoing hip surgery in June, which ruled him out for the rest of the 2023 season.
The Brisbane International marked the start of Nadal’s long-awaited comeback and the Spaniard showed promise before picking up a “micro tear on a muscle.”
With Nadal out, all attention is on Novak Djokovic in the men’s draw.
The Serb needs just one more grand slam singles title to break the all-time men’s or women’s record, an achievement that would make him the most successful tennis player of all time.
He currently shares the singles grand slam record of 24 with Margaret Court.
Prize money?
Players will be competing for a record-breaking prize purse at this year’s Australian Open, with a total of just over $58 million (86.5 million Australian dollars) up for grabs.
It’s a 13% increase on last year’s pot, with the winners of both the men’s and women’s singles tournaments earning over $2.1 million (3.15 Australian dollars).
The Australian Open says the prize money has more than quadrupled in the last two decades having stood at $19.1 million in 2005.
