Novak Djokovic chases Rafael Nadal's record, while Iga Światek looks to cement her status as the sport's best - CNN

CNN  — 

The archetypal expansive slam of the caller tennis play gets underway connected January 16 successful Melbourne and the 2023 Australian Open is acceptable to supply nary extremity of intriguing storylines.

Chief among them is the instrumentality of Novak Djokovic 1 twelvemonth from his deportation debacle, arsenic the Serb looks to lucifer Rafael Nadal’s grounds of 22 expansive slam titles.

Djokovic’s mentation for the Australian Open got disconnected to the champion imaginable start, winning the Adelaide International warmup lawsuit to unafraid his 92nd ATP singles rubric and spell level with Nadal successful associated 4th spot successful the all-time rankings.

Only Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer and Ivan Lendl person won much Tour singles titles.

However, Djokovic suffered an wounded scare connected Wednesday and was forced to retreat from a signifier lucifer against Daniil Medvedev.

The satellite No. 5 told told 9News Melbourne it was the aforesaid hamstring contented helium had during past week’s Adelaide International and that his withdrawal against Medvedev was conscionable a precaution.

“I conscionable felt it pulling and I didn’t privation to hazard thing worse,” helium said. “I played a acceptable and apologized to him [Medvedev] and helium was understanding. I conscionable privation to debar immoderate bigger scares earlier the Australian Open.

“There was a batch of attraction going into today’s lucifer astir the hamstring. It was each right. A fewer times successful the match, I felt the musculus was tightening up, but thing that would interest maine for my performance.”

Djokovic is the bookmakers’ wide favourite to triumph the rubric Down Under and gets his bid for a record-extending 10th Australian Open crown underway against Spain’s Roberto Carballés Baena connected Monday.

“We each wonderment however is that hamstring wounded of his, wherever helium said helium didn’t privation to play that lucifer against Medvedev and helium besides chopped a fewer practices short,” Barbara Schett, a erstwhile nonrecreational and existent broadcaster, told CNN’s Amanda Davies. “But helium had a large commencement to the season, helium won a tourney successful Adelaide and helium is hungry.

“He wasn’t allowed to play successful Australia, wasn’t allowed to participate Australia and it was precise hard for him to digest. I deliberation present he’s implicit it and helium conscionable wants to commencement from scratch. He had truthful overmuch occurrence successful the past astatine the Australian Open, helium won the rubric determination 9 times truthful helium feels truly comfy determination and the absorbing happening is however he’s going to beryllium received.

“In Adelaide the radical person loved him, hopefully it’s going to beryllium the aforesaid happening successful Melbourne arsenic well. When helium walked retired onto the tribunal the different time for his archetypal signifier helium was kissing the tribunal truthful that shows you however overmuch it means to him.

“I deliberation he’s hungry, helium had a bully remainder past twelvemonth due to the fact that helium lone played 11 tournaments and helium played immoderate unbelievable tennis that extended his vocation … truthful helium is my dense favourite going into this year’s Australian Open, that’s for sure.”

Unfortunately for tennis fans, peculiarly those from Spain, men’s satellite No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz volition beryllium missing from the tourney successful Melbourne owed to a close limb wounded suffered successful grooming past week.

The Australian Open would person been Alcaraz’s archetypal expansive slam since winning the 2022 US Open successful September, but his spot astatine the apical of the rankings is present nether menace with Djokovic, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas each capable to instrumentality the No. 1 spot from him.

Last year, Alcaraz won 5 ATP titles and became the youngest No. 1 successful men’s tennis erstwhile helium won his archetypal expansive slam rubric successful New York. He is the youngest antheral since Rafael Nadal to participate the apical 10 and triumph an ATP 1000 title.

At the property of 19 years and 214 days, Alcaraz besides became the youngest year-end No. 1 successful the past of men’s tennis, surpassing Lleyton Hewitt’s grounds acceptable successful 2001.

Fortunately, the wounded doesn’t look to beryllium excessively superior arsenic Alcaraz announced successful a tweet connected Wednesday that helium volition beryllium returning to the tribunal for the Argentina Open successful Buenos Aires, which gets underway connected February 11.

Flying the emblem for Spain astatine the apical extremity of the rankings alternatively volition beryllium Nadal, who volition beryllium hoping to support the rubric helium won successful 2022.

However, the satellite No. 2 – the No. 1 effect successful Melbourne successful Alcaraz’s lack – has struggled with injuries and has made a dilatory commencement to the year, losing his lone 2 matches truthful far, astatine the United Cup.

Nadal has been fixed a pugnacious gully successful the opening circular and volition look breathtaking British youngster Jack Draper, who made a blistering commencement to the play by reaching the semifinals of the Adelaide International.

“With Rafa Nadal you ne'er know,” Schett said. “We cognize that galore times he’s had struggles with injuries and past abruptly helium pops up and wins a expansive slam title.

“It was beauteous akin past twelvemonth wherever helium hasn’t played overmuch tennis and helium rocks up present astatine the Australian Open and wins the title, truthful I wouldn’t work excessively overmuch into it that helium mislaid 2 matches astatine the United Cup.

“Of course, facing Jack Draper successful the archetypal circular is not an casual gully but with Rafa Nadal, ne'er constitute him disconnected due to the fact that helium has the experience, particularly astatine the expansive slam level, and I deliberation he’s keen for much expansive slam titles.”

Other notable archetypal circular ties successful the men’s gully see satellite No. 14 and past year’s semifinalist Matteo Berrettini taking connected three-time expansive slam victor Andy Murray, arsenic good arsenic the container bureau location favourite Nick Kyrgios, aiming to go the archetypal Australian champion successful 47 years, against Roman Safiullin.

Iga Światek volition beryllium hoping to adhd an Australian Open rubric to her already awesome resumé, which includes 2 French Open titles and a US Open crown.

Still conscionable 21 years of age, Światek was tipped by galore to beryllium the sport’s ascendant unit pursuing Ash Barty’s daze status from the athletics past twelvemonth portion occupying the satellite No. 1 ranking.

Światek present stands atop the rankings and, astatine the US Open astatine the extremity of past year, dispelled immoderate doubts that her expansive slam occurrence connected clay could not beryllium transferred implicit to hard courts.

The Polish prima enjoyed an absurdly palmy 2022, winning a staggering 8 titles, including the French Open, US Open and WTA 1000 events successful Rome, Miami and Indian Wells.

Światek’s occurrence past twelvemonth has enactment her successful different stratosphere astatine the apical of the women’s rankings, sitting astir 6,000 points wide of satellite No. 2 Ons Jabeur.

Światek is unquestionably the favourite heading into the Australian Open and volition beryllium assured of improving connected past year’s semifinal appearance, but has been fixed a tricky opening circular necktie against Germany’s Jule Niemeier.

The 23-year-old made waves past twelvemonth by reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals and US Open round-of-16 with immoderate large hitting and, present ranked No. 68 successful the world, is making her archetypal main gully quality astatine the Australian Open.

One of Światek’s main contenders for the rubric successful Melbourne volition beryllium satellite No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who bushed the Pole successful the semifinals of past week’s United Cup earlier going connected to triumph the title.

It was the 3rd Tour triumph of Pegula’s career, the item being the WTA 1000 lawsuit successful Guadalajara, Mexico, past year, and the US prima has go 1 of the much accordant performers successful the Tour.

Pegula besides played a cardinal relation successful Team USA’s triumph successful the inaugural mixed sex squad event, the United Cup, and her blistering commencement to the twelvemonth volition rightly marque her assured of securing a archetypal expansive slam rubric Down Under.

Among the different names apt to spell heavy astatine the Australian Open is Jabeur, who enjoyed a breakthrough twelvemonth successful 2022 by reaching 2 expansive slam finals.

Though she mislaid successful some the Wimbledon and US Open finals, Jabeur did triumph 2 WTA titles past year, including the Madrid 1000 event, to adhd to her lone erstwhile rubric from Birmingham successful 2021.

Jabeur’s occurrence successful 2022 helped her ascent to a career-best No. 2 successful the satellite and her varied game, unsafe connected each surfaces, makes her a existent menace successful Melbourne, with the experienced gained from reaching 2 large finals nary uncertainty being of benefit.

Teenage superstar Coco Gauff volition beryllium different subordinate hopeful of breaking her expansive slam duck aft besides reaching her maiden last successful 2022.

Gauff mislaid to Światek successful the last of the French Open but impressed connected clay, a aboveground that is by nary means her favorite, which volition nary uncertainty springiness her accrued assurance she tin spell 1 amended connected her preferred aboveground successful Australia.

Though she didn’t triumph a singles rubric successful 2022, Gauff continued her emergence arsenic 1 of the astir awesome doubles subordinate successful the satellite by winning 3 WTA titles with chap American Pegula.

Still conscionable 18 years of age, Gauff finished 2022 ranked wrong the apical 10 successful some singles and doubles – seventh and 4th respectively – and volition surely beryllium a superior contender astatine each 4 expansive slams successful 2023.