ATPGuy.com : 2023 Australian Open

Sunday, April 30, 2023

10 things to take away from the 2023 Australian Open

(Credit: Wiliam West/AFP)

Before I shift gears to write about the French Open, I need to share my 10 things to take away from the 2023 Australian Open. Here we go!

#1. Novak Djokovic is the GOAT Down Under: Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 in the men's final. It was Djokovic's 22nd grand slam title (tied for #1 all-time with Rafael Nadal) and his 10th Australian Open title, which is #1 all-time. While the overall GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate will rage on for years, Djokovic is indisputably the GOAT at the Australian Open. He owns this event having won the last four times he entered: 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2023.

#2. Aryna Sabalenka is a grand slam champion: Aryna Sabalenka won her first career grand slam singles title, defeating Elena Rybakina 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 in the women's final. She had been to three grand slam semifinals before at Wimbledon (2021) and the US Open (2021 & 2022), so she has been knocking on the door. Once a player wins a grand slam, there's more pressure on them in future slams. It'll be interesting to see if she'll be able to build on this title and snag another grand slam this year or if the pressures that come with being a grand slam champion will get to her a bit. The US Open will be particularly big since that too is a hard court event.

#3. Stefanos Tsitsipas is knocking on the door: Speaking of knocking on the door, Stefanos Tsitsipas has now been to two grand slam finals, the first one being the 2021 French Open. He's also been to five grand slam semifinals including this year's Australian Open, so he's a guy who keeps on putting himself in position. It does feel like his time will come and if it does, Australia is a very likely place for it to happen.

#4. Elena Rybakina is a serious contender: While she fell in the final, Elena Rybakina showed she is a real threat at grand slams by getting back to her second career grand slam final after winning Wimbledon in 2022. I think it's safe to say that we're going to be seeing her compete deep into slams rather frequently. She's turning 24 in June and is just starting to enter her prime.

#5. Tommy Paul had a breakthrough tournament: Tommy Paul turns 26 in May and is now ranked #17 in the world as a result of his run to the semifinals before falling to Djokovic in straight sets. The previous best outing he had at a grand slam was a trip to the 4th round of Wimbledon in 2022. So, he really had an outstanding and breakthrough event in Australia. It'll be fun to see if he can build on this and get back to another grand slam semifinal or better.

#6. Victoria Azarenka is back (for now): I don't know if she'll be able to sustain this or not, but Victoria Azarenka reached her first grand slam semifinal since the 2013 French Open. The two grand slams she has won were at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013, so if there's an event for her to return to form, it's this one. She is turning 34 over the summer and is definitely on the older side, but she does seem to have found a new groove. How long will this new groove last remains to be seen, but it certainly is fun to have her back in the conversation.

#7. Rafael Nadal had a rough outing: Rafael Nadal fell in the second round and clearly did not have his best stuff. He had a 1st round exit at the 2016 Australian Open, so by no means does this spell the end of him. Still, any time you see a player of his magnitude fall so early in a grand slam, one can't help but wonder if it's a sign of age. Obviously the French Open is going to be huge for him.

#8. CoCo Gauff needs to find her groove Down Under: CoCo Gauff had a 4th round exit and while that doesn't sound too bad, she's yet to go beyond the 4th round in the Australian Open. She's reached the final of the French Open and the quarterfinals of the US Open, but at the Australian Open she has not found that same kind of success. At just 19 years of age, Gauff has plenty of time to figure it out, but nonetheless, making deeper runs Down Under have to be a priority for her.

#9. Casper Ruud went out way too early: Casper Ruud came in as the number two seed and is currently ranked #3 in the world. Going out in the 2nd round is not how he wanted this tournament to go. Ruud does have a couple grand slam finals under his belt at the French Open and US Open in 2022, but he needs to find more consistency. How he responds the rest of this year is going to be very telling.

#10. Magda Linette found a new gear: After never getting past the 3rd round at any grand slam, Magda Linette made a run to the semifinals before falling to Sabalenka in straight sets. Whether or not this was a one hit wonder kind of run is the big question, but at 31 years of age, her best tennis very well may be ahead of her. Linette is now ranked #19 in the world. If she can make another deep run at a slam this year, she should finish the year ranked inside the top-20.

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Monday, January 16, 2023

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?