10 things to look for at the 2023 Australian Open

 The 2023 Australian Open is underway, which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for at the first grand slam of the year. Let's go! 

Note: To check out the draws for all events, click here. 

#1. Can Rafael Nadal defend his title? Rafael Nadal comes in as the top seed in the men's draw, eager to defend his title from last year. With Novak Djokovic back in the field after missing last year due to not getting vaccinated, things are going to be tougher for Nadal. Fortunately, Djokovic is on the other half of the draw for Nadal, so if he were to see Djokovic, it won't be until the final. It'll be fun to see how far Nadal goes and whether or not he'll be able to defend his crown. 

#2. Can Iga Świątek go the distance down under? Iga Świątek is the top seed in the women's draw and is establishing herself as the top player in the women's game. She won the US Open last year and will look to win her second straight grand slam, both on the hard courts. She reached the semifinals last year in the Australian Open and should be primed to make an even deeper run this year. If you're talking contenders on the women's side, she might be the one to pick. 

#3. Can Novak Djokovic re-establish his dominance? Novak Djokovic owns the Australian Open. Nine of his 21 grand slam titles have come in this event. He's had more success at this event than any other grand slam. However, he didn't play in this event last year and it's never easy to win an event after missing it the year before. Plus, he's likely to encounter mixed reactions from the fans for how he handled things last year. How he deals with the early rounds will be really key to his success. He needs to set a good tone and pick up right where he left off. If he does, he's going to be really tough to stop. 

#4. Can Ons Jabeur break through? Ons Jabeur is the number two seed in the women's draw after reaching back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. She's knocking on the door and is eager to break through to win her first grand slam. She reached the quarterfinals in 2020, so she's had some success at this event, but after not playing it last year, she's gonna have to adjust to being back in this environment. I think it's going to be really interesting to see if her past couple slams propel her forward and how she does if she finds herself in a third straight grand slam final. 

#5. Can Frances Tiafoe bring his US Open success with him? Frances Tiafoe is the 16th seed and is coming off a run to the US Open semifinals. This will be a real test for him as he won't have the home court advantage he had in New York. If he's able to reach the semifinals of this event, that'll be a really strong indicator that he is here to stay for the foreseeable future. 

#6. Does Victoria Azarenka have another run in her? Victoria Azarenka is seeded 24th and had a decent outing at the Australian Open last year, reaching the 4th round. She won the event back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013. It's been a while, but she knows how to win this event. It would be really cool for her to win a third grand slam and if there's any place she'd do it, it would be in Australia. Also, she did reach the US Open final in 2020, so she's recently shown she can contend at grand slams. 

#7. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas reach the final? Stefanos Tsitsipas is the number three seed on the men's side and is eying a third consecutive trip to the semifinals. The big question with him is can he get over the hump and into the final. He's reached the final at Roland Garros (2021), so it's not totally uncharted territory for him. Still, he hasn't yet figured out how to get to the final at this event. Getting past Nadal is not going to be easy, but I like his chances of sneaking past Nadal in the semifinals better than I do against Djokovic. So, he's got a shot. 

#8. Can Jessica Pegula reach the semifinals? Jessica Pegula is the third seed in the women's draw, but she's never gotten past the quarterfinals at any grand slam. She reached the quarters at three of the four grand slams last year, only failing to do so at Wimbledon. How she does at the Australian Open will be a really strong indicator of whether or not she's made progress from last season. 

#9. Can Casper Ruud make a deep run? Casper Ruud is the number two seed on the men's side and reached the final at both the US Open and French Open last year. As for the Australian Open, the furthest he's gone is the 4th round in 2021. He didn't play in it last year. How he does this year after a strong 2022 season is something to watch for. Definitely a strong candidate to at least reach the semifinals if not the final. 

#10. Will Coco Gauff finally breakthrough down under? Coco Gauff is seeded 7th and is coming off a strong 2022 in which she reached the French Open final and US Open quarterfinals. However, she has not had that same kind of success at the Aussie Open, with her best finish being the 4th round in 2020 followed by a 2nd round exit in 2021 and a 1st round exit in 2022. She's regressing at this event and needs to put together a strong run in 2023. Will it happen? Time will tell. 

Predictions: On the men's side, I gotta roll with Novak Djokovic. He owns this event and will be hungry to reclaim his rightful crown. On the women's side, I'm going to pick Iga Świątek. She's the top player in the world right now and is bound to win the Australian Open at some point. Why not this year? 

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10 things to take away from the 2022 US Open

 

                                              (Credit: USOpen.org) 

The 2023 Australian Open is starting up soon (next week!) and before I write my 10 things to look for, I need to write my takeaways from the most recent grand slam (2022 US Open). I've been meaning to get this up sooner and will try my best to be more prompt with these in 2023, but nevertheless I feel it is better late than never. So let's dive in! 

#1. Carlos Alcaraz has arrived: Carlos Alcaraz won the men's singles title, defeating Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the final. Alcaraz showed a lot of heart and fight to win his first grand slam and as a result he is now the No.1 player in the world. It'll be fun to see how 2023 shapes up for him and what he does in the Australian Open this month. At 19 years of age, I feel he is just scratching the surface of what he can become. 

#2. Iga Świątek is a force: Iga Świątek defeated Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 to win the women's singles title. At 21 years of age, she is the No.1 player in the world with three grand slam titles already. Her first two grand slam titles came at the French Open, so to win a grand slam on the hard courts is significant. All that's left for her now is to make a deep run at Wimbledon (4th round is the deepest she's gone). If she figures out how to win on the grass, she could end up with double digit grand slam titles before it's all over. 

#3. Casper Ruud is knocking on the door: Casper Ruud reached two grand slam finals in 2022 at the French Open and US Open. At 24 years of age and ranked No.3 in the world, Rudd is truly knocking on the door and could very well win his first grand slam in 2023. He played Alcaraz tough in the final and should learn a lot from last season. 

#4. Ons Jabeur is knocking on the door as well: Ons Jabeur is also getting close to wining her first grand slam, reaching the final at both the US Open and Wimbledon. She's ranked No.2 in the world right now and should be liking her chances to breakthrough in 2023. Clay is the surface she needs the most work on as her best finishes at the French Open have been trips to the 4th round. 

#5. Rafael Nadal didn't have the outing he wanted: After winning the Australian Open and French Open as well as a trip to the semifinals at Wimbledon, losing in the 4th round is not the way Rafael Nadal wanted his US Open to go. Still, he's ranked No.2 in the world and poised to have a strong 2023. It'll be fun to see what kind of year he has. 

#6. Serena Williams' future is up-in-the-air: Just to set the record straight, Serena Williams is not retired. Her Wikipedia page accurately describes her as "inactive." She has said that she is not retired and that her chances of a return are "very high" despite being 41 years old. I would take her at her word that we'll probably see her play tennis again, but who knows what the future holds for her? Even she doesn't seem to know for certain. 

If there's reason to believe Serena might play again, I would point to the fact that she reached the 3rd round at the 2022 US Open, which obviously shows she's still got some gas left in the tank. Plus, women's tennis is much more wide open than men's tennis, which gives her more of a reason to believe she can make a deep run at a grand slam again. My guess is this all comes down to how much she wants this. If she really wants to be elite again, I wouldn't count her out. She has 22 grand slam titles, most all-time in the Open era, but Margaret Court's all-time record of 23 is a record she would still like to break. If there's anything that's motivating her to still play, it's that record. 

Via NBC News: 'I am not retired,' Serena Williams says 

#7. Nick Kyrgios made some progress: Nick Kyrgios reached his first ever quarterfinal at the US Open to follow up a trip to the Wimbledon final. Known as being a diva and drama queen, Kyrgios doesn't get enough respect for how good he is as a tennis player. I think he's starting to take his game more seriously and at 27 years of age, his best days very well may still be ahead of him. 

#8. Aryna Sabalenka needs to find that extra gear: For the second straight US Open, Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals, unable to get to the final. She also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2021 and is ranked No.5 in the world. You could say she's "knocking on the door" as well, but she is yet to reach a grand slam final, so I think it's better to say she needs to find that extra gear to propel herself forward into a final and see what happens. Maybe 2023 will be the year that happens for her. 

#9. Frances Tiafoe's Cinderella run came up just short: Frances Tiafoe was unable to complete his quest to be the first American man to win a US Open title since Andy Roddick (2003), losing in the semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz in five sets (7-6, 3-6, 1-6, 7-6, 3-6). At 24 years of age and now ranked No.19 in the world, the future is bright for the Maryland native. I expect big things from him in 2023 and look forward to seeing what the Australian Open brings for him. 

#10. Caroline Garcia had a major breakthrough: Caroline Garcia reached her first ever grand slam semifinal, losing to Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-3. The 2022 US Open was a major breakthrough for her and as a result, she is now ranked No.4 in the world. It'll be interesting to see if her semifinal run was a flash in the pan or if she'll be able to build on it in 2023. She's 29 years old, which is a bit on the older side, but in today's era it can also be an age where you are entering the prime of your career. 

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