Here he is, fighting to take back the territory over which he reigned, almost unchallenged, for seventeen years. In his third fight at the 2025 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic he uses his teeth and nails from the first minute, intimidating an opponent announced as fierce and hungry. Tomas Machac24 years old, ATP 25 (official ranking) has good reasons to sell his life dearly: so far he has always lost comparisons with the Top 10 in the slams, and it happened to him twice in Melbourne, against the then number 10 Matteo Berrettini in second round of 2021 and against number 3 Casper Ruud in the first round of 2023. But he was still a boy, now he wants to be recognized as a formidable opponent for anyone.
Australian Open, from Sonego to Sinner: the Italians on the court on Saturday and what time they play
Djokovic does not intend to drag on, because his weak point is his physical fitness: he is 37 years and 240 days old, just 7 younger than the impassive Scot who watches him from his box, the new coach and former arch-enemy Andy Murrayforced by ailments to retire. In the first set Nole shows off perfect tennis, enrapturing a large part of the audience at the Rod Laver Arena who have seen him triumph ten times (there is no unanimity because there are small groups of die-hard opponents of the Serbian everywhere). In the second set he takes some minimal risks, which he shrugs off like an old lion with flies. In the third set he exercises total control, exploiting the service that years of work has brought to near perfection. It is a classic score, 6-1 6-4 6-4, which guarantees Djokovic, after two hours and 22 minutes, his fourth annual passage on this court, where another Czech will await him, Live in Leheckawho easily eliminated the Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi (6-2 6-3 6-3).
The two possible future opponents of the former number 1 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverevthey easily get rid of Nuno Borges and Jacob Fearnley. The Spaniard concedes a set to the Portuguese (6-2 6-4 6-7 6-2), the German does a good workout with the British (6-3 6-4 6-4).
The equal sharing of the ATP Slam and Masters spoils in 2024 fuels the collective feeling that in the coming years it will be Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to dominate the men’s circuit. It is not at all certain that it will go this way: moreover, Djokovic arrived first to counter the diarchy of the formidable champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, then Murray and Stan Wawrinka took their spaces. Aspiring competitors from Murcia and South Tyrol are boys like Learner Tien, who is 19 years and 46 days old, Joao Fonseca18 years and 149 days, e Jakub Mensik19 years and 138 days. The former, an American from a Vietnamese family, eliminated last year’s finalist late at night in five sets (6-3 7-6 6-7 1-6 7-6) Daniil Medvedev. Also yesterday, Fonseca, a Brazilian from Rio, succumbed to the blows of Lorenzo Sonego after a tug-of-war of almost four hours (6-7 6-3 6-1 3-6 6-3). Today Mensik comes close to winning in the tie break of the third set against the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokinathen giving in at the end perhaps due to some mobility problems due to cramps (4-6 4-6 7-6 6-4 6-2). Regardless of the results, the Czech Mensik seems to me to be the most physically equipped, while the technique of Fonseca and Tien is impressive. All three have a lot to learn, but they certainly don’t lack conviction in their abilities. Luckily for them, the slam school is worth a master’s degree.
After yesterday’s traffic jam, no matches with Italian singles players were scheduled today. Never mind, the golden age of Italian tennis did not have Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini as its exclusives and Musetti, Berrettini and the others as supporting players. Don’t underestimate the doubles players: you will see that at the Foro Italico, in May, for Sara Errani and for Jasmine there will be full houses like at Melbourne Park. At the Internationals you will struggle to find a seat even for the matchesSimone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassoriwho today eliminated the Italian-Argentine-Ecuadorian pair of Luciano Darderi and Diego Hidalgo with a double 7-6.
Camporese: “Sinner has a perfect team, now there will be a queue to train it”
by Cosimo Cito
Our smiling Olympic champions are very popular in the country of kangaroos, swimmers and tennis players, which boasts of the 0.67 gold medals per million inhabitants won last year in Paris. It doesn’t matter if this afternoon the audience on court 3 loudly supports the home players Daria Gavrilova (born in Russia, she prefers the surname of her husband Luke Saville, an excellent doubles player) and Priscilla Hon: the attractions are them, Sara and Jasmine, the Italian champions. The match seems unequal in the first set but produces good exchanges and emotions in the second, resolved by the authoritative break obtained by the Romagna and Lucca players in the eleventh game (6-1 6-4). Then it’s just smiles.
#Djokovic #warning #young #lions #Nole #man #great #shape
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