CNN —
Defending champion Rafael Nadal volition look English youngster Jack Draper successful the opening circular of the Australian Open successful a bid to clasp his 2022 crown and widen his expansive slam tally.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz whitethorn beryllium missing the tourney done injury, but with the instrumentality of Novak Djokovic to the competition, Nadal volition beryllium hard pushed to support his title.
Thursday’s gully was not benignant to the 22-time large winner: if helium defeats the satellite No. 40 Draper, helium perchance faces existent Next Gen ATP Finals champion Brandon Nakashima.
Potentially awaiting the Spaniard aboriginal would beryllium a quarterfinal against Daniil Medvedev, who was Nadal’s hostile successful past year’s epic five-set final. Medvedev volition beryllium looking to marque it a 3rd consecutive finals quality aft losing to Djokovic successful 2021 and to Nadal successful 2022.
A rematch of the 2021 last is connected the cards, with Djokovic successful the other fractional from Nadal and Medvedev. The nine-time Australian Open champion faces different Spaniard, Roberto Carballes Baena, successful the opening circular and is connected way to look location favourite Nick Kyrgios successful the past eight.
The tourney comes 12 months aft Djokovic was deported from Australia connected the eve of the 2022 variation aft erstwhile migration curate Alex Hawke recovered the tennis prima posed a hazard to nationalist wellness and bid because, arsenic a personage sportsman who had antecedently expressed absorption to radical being compelled to get the Covid-19 vaccine, helium could beryllium seen arsenic an “icon” for anti-vaxxers.
The minister’s determination to deport the erstwhile satellite No. 1 meant helium was initially banned from reentry for 3 years.
Nineteenth-seeded Kyrgios is portion of a thrilling conception of the gully which includes Holger Rune, Dan Evans and Andrey Rublev.
Russian Rublev comes into the Australian Open arsenic the 5th seed, but connected Wednesday suffered a daze decision to satellite No. 110 Thanasi Kokkinakis successful the Adelaide 2. Rublev faces a blockbuster opening circular lucifer against erstwhile satellite No. 3 and 2020 Australian Open finalist Dominic Thiem.
Andy Murray features successful the different prime of the circular arsenic helium faces 13th-seeded Matteo Berrettini. The Italian bushed the three-time expansive slam victor successful 4 sets astatine the 2022 US Open and has beaten the Scotsman 3 retired of their 4 ATP meetings.
Following reigning champion Ashleigh Barty’s status from tennis past year, Iga Światek has dominated the athletics and comes into the tourney arsenic the apical seed. The Pole opens against German Jule Niemeier but faces a tasty imaginable quarterfinal clash with American blistery imaginable Coco Gauff.
The 18-year-old superstar comes into the tourney successful good form, having won the ASB Classic without dropping a acceptable and is looking to physique connected her fantabulous 2022 which saw her scope the Roland Garros last wherever she was beaten by Światek.
Ahead of immoderate quarterfinal clash with the favourite though, Gauff faces a 2nd circular lucifer against 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu who is successful a contention against clip to retrieve from an ankle injury.
In the different fractional of the draw, 2nd effect Ons Jabeur starts her 2023 trying to spell 1 amended than past twelvemonth and triumph a expansive slam. The Tunisian made some the Wimbledon and US Open finals but fell astatine the last hurdle successful her pursuit to go the archetypal Arab and North African pistillate to triumph a expansive slam.
After missing the 2022 Open, Jabeur opens her 2023 relationship against Tamara Zidanšek and could look Aryna Sabalenka who is coming disconnected the backmost of winning astatine Adelaide 1, her 11th vocation rubric and archetypal successful 19 months.
Elsewhere, American Jessica Pegula has been drawn successful the aforesaid portion of the gully arsenic Maria Sakkari. Pegula precocious led Team USA to triumph successful the inaugural United Cup, which featured a superb straight-set triumph implicit Światek. Having reached back-to-back quarterfinals successful Melbourne and astatine the apical of her game, she volition beryllium looking to acceptable up a thrilling semifinal with her United Cup opponent.
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