The Australian Open 2024 starts on Sunday. It is already clear: There is no way around Novak Djokovic. The Serb wants to win his 25th Grand Slam. It would also be his 11th title “down under”. This means that “Djoker” could also overtake Margaret Court. The Serb has good chances, especially since Rafael Nadal pulled out due to injury (eXXpress reports).
This means that for the first time since 1999, neither Rafael Nadal nor Roger Federer will appear in the main draw. But Djokovic still seems too strong for the much-described large transfer fee. Apart from the five-set defeat at Wimbledon against Carlos Alcaraz, he has won all three other major tournaments in 2023. Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, perhaps also Andrej Rublev and Alexander Zverev are probably the fiercest opponents.
Boris Becker, now also Holger Rune’s super coach, expects that the “Djoker” will now be tested more and more by the younger ones. “I believe that Djokovic will win one or two more Grand Slams, but also that Alcaraz and Co. will thwart his plans more often.” But especially in Australia, where Djokovic has a sensational 89:8 record of wins and losses, he remains favorite for his fifth title in six years.
From an Austrian perspective, only Sebastian Ofner and Dominic Thiem have hopes. Ofner meets Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (27) for the first time. After five failed qualifications there, the Styrian is taking part in the main competition of the Australian Open for the first time. A year ago he was number 193 in the ATP rankings, but he comes back in 37th place, improved by classes. Definitely a reason for optimism despite the difficult opponent.
“First round in Melbourne against Kokkinakis, it would definitely have been easier to draw,” was Ofner’s first comment. “Firstly, he plays really well and unpleasantly, secondly, all the fans in Australia will probably be against me.” Wolfgang Thiem’s protégé expects a match on a larger court. “Nevertheless, if I play well, I think everything is possible. He plays similar to me. It will definitely be a good match.”
For Thiem, it is the fourth anniversary of his great run to the Melbourne final, which he then lost in five sets after leading 2-1 against Djokovic. Such an outburst in performance is currently unthinkable. For the Lower Austrian (30) it is his tenth Australian Open. His opponent is the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, whom he defeated without losing a set on the way to the 2020 US Open title. “It will be a tough match. He didn’t have a great year, but in the end he saved his season. “I’ll give it my all and I’ll be happy when it starts,” was Thiem’s first brief preview of the duel with the world number 27.
2024-01-12 15:28:33
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