A record 25 Grand Slam victories and an 11th Australian Open championship are what Novak Djokovic is aiming for. Rafael Nadal is hurt, thus a number of younger players are trying to stop him.
Five men to watch when the first Grand Slam of the year gets underway on Sunday are highlighted by AFP Sport:
1. Novak Djokovic
The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Melbourne final, is still the man to beat despite his advanced age of 36.
After winning three of the four majors, the Serbian concluded the year as the world’s top player; only Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon prevented him from completing a perfect year.
Djokovic reached 98 career championships with seven titles overall, including a record-tying seventh ATP Tour Finals victory.
He was bothered with a right wrist injury at the United Cup in Perth against Alex de Minaur, although he now claims to be “pain-free.”
2. Carlos Alcaraz
With his victory over Djokovic on the grass at Wimbledon, the 20-year-old Spaniard cemented his place as the sport’s most exciting newcomer.
He became the youngest men’s major champion since fellow countryman Rafael Nadal at the 2005 French Open after making history by winning his first Slam championship at the US Open in 2022.
He also became the youngest man to ascend to world number one.
Having won six titles last year, Alcaraz is now rated number two and is a strong contender going into the Australian Open.
The unsolved question is whether he can defeat Djokovic on Melbourne’s blue hard courts, where the Serbian has had such a long reign of dominance.
The two have met twice since Wimbledon, both times on hard courts. Both times, Djokovic prevailed.
3. Daniil Medvedev
The 27-year-old Russian is a two-time finalist at the first Grand Slam of the year. Djokovic outplayed him in 2021, and then a heartbreaking loss to Rafael Nadal the following year.
Medvedev was severely impacted by that close loss in 2022; he found it difficult to regain his previous level of play for the remainder of the year and fell out of the top 10.
But after winning 66 matches last year—more than any other player on the tour—a resurgent 2023 has once again catapulted him into the title race.
The winner of the US Open in 2021 is back at the top of the world rankings and will start his pursuit of a second major championship following a low-key build-up, missing warm-up matches to concentrate on his preparation.
4. Jannik Sinner
The 22-year-old Italian has a breakthrough 2023, winning his first Masters title, in Toronto, and making the championship match against Djokovic at the ATP Finals.
Additionally, he played a key role in Italy’s Davis Cup victory, defeating Djokovic in three sets.
It sparked a lot of appreciation and anticipation that the former champion skier would soon win a major.
Sinner finished the previous season with titles in Beijing, Vienna, and Montpellier, where he defeated Alcaraz and Medvedev. Sinner is currently ranked fourth in the world.
5. Alex de Minaur
After an incredible start to the year, which included beating three of the top-10 players in a row at the United Cup, the Australian has proven to be a threat at his home Grand Slam.
They lost to Djokovic in straight sets, and the guy who spent the off-season honing his serve and backhand also defeated Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz.
The 24-year-old has surged into the top 10, becoming the first Australian to do so since July 2006, when Lleyton Hewitt was the former world number one.
De Minaur has never advanced past the fourth round at Melbourne Park and his best major finish is the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2020.
He does, however, have a lot of confidence going into the competition and hopes to become the first Australian guy to win a home run since Mark Edmondson in 1976.