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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