Melbourne Park is gearing up for its first event in 25 years with out the presence of both Federer or Nadal. Djokovic, eyeing his twenty fifth main title, is able to surpass Margaret Courtroom‘s Grand Slam haul.
As the highest seed and defending champion, Djokovic stays a formidable pressure and a favourite within the event, with many eyes on whether or not he could make historical past as soon as once more in Melbourne.
‘My favorite place, little doubt’
“I am simply hoping I can begin the season in a means I have been beginning most of my seasons all through my profession – with a win in Australia, in Melbourne. My favorite place, little doubt,” Djokovic instructed reporters on Saturday.
“The court docket the place I’ve performed nice issues and achieved my biggest Grand Slam outcomes.
“I hope that I am going to have the ability to, if not play on the stage that I did final 12 months, then be very near that as a result of that was probably the greatest tennis ranges that I’ve ever performed, right here in Australia final 12 months.”
The Australian Open has prolonged its schedule by an additional day this 12 months in an effort to deal with the problem of late finishes which have drawn criticism in earlier tournaments.
Defending champion Sabalenka to face qualifier Seidel
Nevertheless, with Djokovic anticipated to have a snug begin in opposition to 18-year-old qualifier Dino Prizmic, and ladies’s champion Aryna Sabalenka set to face qualifier Ella Seidel afterward, the opening day’s proceedings on Rod Laver Enviornment might conclude swiftly.
Iga Swiatek is ready to tackle 2020 winner Sofia Kenin on Monday, looking for to proceed her dominant kind in ladies’s tennis because the retirement of Australian Ash Barty in 2022. Swiatek ended 2023 strongly by reclaiming the highest rating from Sabalenka on the WTA Finals after surrendering it in the course of the US Open.
The ladies’s discipline on the Australian Open options a number of robust contenders, together with Brisbane champion Elena Rybakina, former champions Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, and Caroline Wozniacki returning after motherhood, and the most recent Grand Slam membership entrant, Coco Gauff, who secured a US Open triumph and defended her Auckland title within the lead-up to the Slam.
Alcaraz and Sinner goal to problem Djokovic
Within the males’s competitors, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner goal to problem Djokovic at his Australian fortress. Alcaraz, the Wimbledon champion, has already confirmed himself on the massive stage, whereas Sinner, but to win a significant, begins his marketing campaign in opposition to Botic van de Zandschulp on Sunday’s opener on Rod Laver Enviornment.
Melbourne’s vital Greek neighborhood might rally behind Maria Sakkari as she faces Nao Hibino on the primary showcourt, and fan favourite Caroline Wozniacki meets twentieth seed Magda Linette on Margaret Courtroom Enviornment. The Australian Open guarantees thrilling matchups and fierce competitors throughout each the boys’s and ladies’s attracts.
(With Reuters inputs)
