Can anyone beat ten-time champion Novak Djokovic at his winningest tournament? I really, really want to say, YES. We have a host of up and comers like Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune, and even Medvedev. Despite Novak’s incredible mental strength at digging out wins down under, this could be the year he doesn’t win. But who will it be? First Quarter There is actually some concern over Novak Djokovic’s fitness, as he complained of a wrist injury after his last match. Last year he played through a leg injury in Melbourne but was able to manage his body and mind to win the title regardless. But this injury is more concerning to me. Wrists affect all strokes and they’re more fragile than legs. Beyond that, he suffered an uncharacteristic loss to Alex De Minaur at the United Cup; plus two losses to Sinner at the end of last year. For a healthy Djokovic I wouldn’t worry about the losses. But combine the recent losses with questions over his wrist, and I feel Novak is vulnerable
There does seem to be kind of a Big Four in women’s tennis. Four players who are the favourites for the slams, consisting of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff. These are the ones to whom the bookies give the best odds. Of course, let’s not forget there are 20 active slam winners in the women’s game. So a slam run from someone outside of the Big Four would hardly be surprising, but for the four favourites it feels to me that the gap is widening. Their stature is increasing. So can someone else claim this Australian Open? There are 10 former slam titlists outside the Big Four playing this tournament, and there are a host of up and comers and former slam finalists who could make it interesting. First Quarter Number one seed, Iga Swiatek , is the favourite of many pundits. But if you could make a tough draw to test her, this is it. Her early rounds pit her against former Aus Open champions, and the later rounds could have her face the thr