Melbourne, Australia – Contenders Novak Djokovic And Rafael Nadal They had been positioned into the 2 halves of the Australian Open in Thursday’s draw, which means the 43-times Grand Slam champions can solely meet within the closing at Melbourne Park.
9-time Australian champion Djokovic is again within the grueling match after lacking it final yr when his visa was revoked and he was deported from the nation as a result of he was not vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. He additionally couldn’t compete within the 2022 US Open.
Fourth seed Djokovic will open his bid for a tenth Australian Open title in opposition to the Spaniard Roberto Karpeles Baena In a match that begins on Monday.
Iga Swiatekthe No. 1 ranked participant within the ladies’s match, faces Germany Julie Niemeyerwhich was ranked No. 68 within the opening spherical. The Polish participant reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in 2022, the yr she received the French and US Open titles.
However the primary focus within the first spherical shall be on Nadal, who faces a doubtlessly powerful showdown in opposition to a British participant Jack Draper. Draper, 21, was a semi-finalist on the Subsequent Era Championships in November and also will play a semi-finalist on the Adelaide Worldwide on Friday.
Her final five-time Australian Open finalist is a spherical opener Britain’s Andy Murray in opposition to italian Matteo Berettinithe earlier Wimbledon finalist and is seeded No. 13.
Murray defeated the Australian Alex de Minor 6-3, 6-3 in an exhibition recreation on Thursday and he’s completely satisfied along with his kind.
“It is all the time troublesome to play in exhibition matches prefer it’s the primary spherical of a grand slam, however I needed to let all of it out on the courtroom to offer my physique the most effective preparation, see how I used to be transferring, see how I used to be serving, and it labored out effectively,” Murray mentioned. .
Potential males’s quarter-finals by seeding are: Nadal vs. No. 7 Daniel Medvedev In what might be a rematch of final yr’s closing at Melbourne Park, which Nadal received after dropping the primary two units, and ending third. Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime Within the high half and Djokovic in opposition to No. 5 Andrey Rublevand No. 2 Casper Street vs. No. 8 Taylor Fritz within the decrease half.
Nadal has a career-leading 22 Grand Slam titles, greater than Djokovic.
Wimbledon closing Nick Kyrgioswho faces Roman Cifullin Within the opening spherical, Djokovic will play an exhibition match on Friday in Melbourne.
“I’m among the finest gamers on this planet, so I’ll undoubtedly go into the Australian Open and any main tournaments with confidence,” mentioned Kyrgios.
Anas JaberAnd he or she ranked second, who reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2022, and performs with Tamara Zidancic within the ladies’s draw.
Quantity 3 Jessica Pegulawho captained the US workforce that received the United Combined Nationals Cup in Sydney final week, faces Jacqueline Christian Romania within the first spherical.
Australia Cup captain Billie Jean King Alicia Molickwho attended the draw at Melbourne Park, mentioned Pegula was the contender.
“I really feel like she has psychological stability and I actually really feel she might be right here within the later stage of the Australian Open,” Molik mentioned.
The seventh seed Coco Jovewho received a match in Auckland final week, faces a troublesome first-round check in opposition to him Katerina Sinyakovawho defeated her within the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup in November.
Former US Open Champion for Nice Britain Emma RaducanoShe’s going to face world quantity 74 Germany, who withdrew from their spherical of 16 match on the ASB Traditional as a result of damage final week. Tamara Korbach.
Potential ladies’s quarterfinal matches are: Swiatek in opposition to Gauff in what shall be a rematch of final yr’s French Open closing, received by Swiatek, and Pegula in opposition to seed 6. Maria Scary within the higher half of the arch; And Jaber reverse No. 5 Arina Sabalenkaand quantity 4 Caroline Garcia vs. No. 8 Daria Kasatkina within the decrease half.
One other large first spherical match is the two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in opposition to Sophia Keninwho received the title at Melbourne Park in 2020.