Competition is heightened across men’s and women’s draws but the top seeds remain the players to beat in Melbourne
In the promotional campaign released by the ATP this month to welcome in the new season, the governing body of men’s tennis underlined that it is determined to look towards its future. As numerous talented young players featured in the campaign, the poet James Massiah narrated the dawn of a new era in a sport that has moved on.
And yet, the tour’s ranking belies its narrative. There may be newer, fresher challengers, but the figure at the head of the sport and the man to beat remains the same as it has for well over a decade.
In the United Cup, meanwhile, Swiatek showed her brilliance by going unbeaten in her five singles matches. It was wildly entertaining to see her even making her male opponents’ lives difficult, battering their second serves and going toe to toe with them from the baseline in the mixed doubles matches.
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s closest competitors are in far better position than a year ago. The players ranked between two and four are each responsible for Djokovic’s four losses away from clay last season; although Carlos Alcaraz ended last season fatigued, his preternatural development continued as he clinched a second grand slam title under the most spectacular circumstances against Djokovic at Wimbledon. Alcaraz will have to quickly find his feet in Australia after opting against a warm-up tournament, but his rapid growth will surely continue.
in the men’s draw, Swiatek begins as the favourite, even though she has been handed a tough draw. The No 1 seed begins against the 2020 champion Sofia Kenin, with the winner facing either the 2016 champion Angelique Kerber or 2022 finalist Danielle Collins. She may well have to face Jelena Ostapenko or Rybakina, two players with great records against her, en route.
Beyond the order at the top of the game, though, the definitive theme of the women’s draw is the comebacks: Naomi Osaka and Kerber return from maternity leave, Emma Raducanu from injury and Elina Svitolina and Caroline Wozniacki continue their stories from last year. Among them all, Osaka returning towards the top of the sport would be priceless.
This year, there is a change for the competitors as the tournament moves to a Sunday start. While the organizers have claimed that the move is an attempt to minimize late finishes, an additional weekend day of play is an additional day of revenue for the tournament. Despite that, the Australian Open continues to offer notably less prize money than the other grand slam tournaments.
