Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic will miss the chance to defend his title at the Australian Open after the Federal Court ruled in favor of his exile from the nation.
Affectionately named the ‘Happy Slam’ by one of the greatest players of all time in Roger Federer – who unfortunately will not participate due to an injury – the build-up to the Australian Open is far from enjoying a joyous atmosphere. The gala event will finally start on Monday morning without her three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic.
The Australian Federal Court’s decision, which was nothing short of a fatal blow to Serbian fans but was understandable considering the greater good stretches beyond the confines of a game, was ruled out on Sunday afternoon (IST) COVID-19 was not vaccinated on the grounds that Djokovic was to be deported back to his country.
Read more: Djokovic loses relegation appeal
However, with or without the world No. 1 Serbian, the first Grand Slam of the year will begin on Monday morning and open up opportunities for other players on the court to make a bigger and possible claim for the title. So Indiatvnews.com takes a look at the top five contenders who can go all the way to lift the trophy at the iconic Rod Laver Arena on January 30.
1. Daniil Medvedev
File photo of Daniil Medvedev.
It would not be wrong to say that Daniil Medvedev is now the face of the ideology that believes that the dominance of the Big 3 (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer) is over. And let’s face it, they have a point. After all, not many people took the Russians seriously in late August when he said he wasn’t in New York to see Djokovic, who was one major title away from claiming the elusive calendar slam, lift the US Open. A fortnight later, the 25-year-old Daniel defeated the world No. 1 Serb in straight sets to win his first Grand Slam.
The modus operandi of winning after two major final losses was also a warning that he had moved into the big leagues. It is mesmerizing to see that Medvedev has made perfect use of his 6′ 4″ tall stature to reach the ball while playing error free tennis on a large scale.
The question still remains, is World No. 2 unbeatable yet?
No, not quite yet. In the tournament just after his exploits at Flushing Meadows, Daniel lost to Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in the marquee clash of the Paris Masters and ATP Finals respectively. 2022 also started on a sour note in the ATP Cup with a loss to World No. 31 Yugo Humbert, but has since been largely dominant, including a decent win over World No. 7 and fellow title contender Matteo Berrettini.
However, don’t read too much about the results of the year-end tournaments and give him credit for being the last Grand Slam champion in Melbourne to have also been vaccinated for COVID-19!
2. Alexander Zverev
File photo of Alexander Zverev.
Once a US Open finalist (2020) and a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist over the past two seasons, Alexander Zverev must have felt the heat when the likes of Medvedev and Dominic Thiem overtook him to savor their first major successes. The 23-year-old German has long been touted as a future star, but has often failed to address the weaknesses of his game in the past.
But make no mistake, he is no newbie to winning titles. He has been a consistent performer on the ATP Tour with copious amounts of titles (59 wins and six titles) and claimed Tokyo Olympic gold, knocking out Invincible Djokovic in the semi-finals.
The German not only added aggression to his game but also made up for his shortcomings with second serves and down-the-line forehands, which were often exploited by his rivals.
Its best performance was during his ATP Finals match against Medvedev, who has always enjoyed a better head-to-head record against his German rival in the years to come. Zverev, often surprising Medvedev and forcing him to take a more defensive approach, overcame his Russian rival in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
3. Rafael Nadali
File photo of Rafael Nadal.
His traditional rivals may be out of his way, but that doesn’t make him an outright title contender and Rafael Nadal himself probably knows this. After all, the veteran Spanish star stepped out at Melbourne Park earlier this year after a long lay-off with a foot injury that kept him out of August and a season that followed a bout with COVID-19 , in which he was subdued by Djokovic. In his stronghold Roland Garros. Nadal will have to do something special to get into the iconic Rod Laver Arena, where his meeting with the Norman Brooks Trophy has been denied since 2009.
However, standing on the edge of a historic 21st Grand Slam title during her return to the circuit, with a contention-free win at the same venue tune-up event, adds to the feeling that the 35-year-old southpaw has one in her bag. There is enough experience to go all the way.
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas
File photo of Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, who gained notoriety for his bathroom break at the US Open, is more than that. His talent was put to full use during last year’s Roland Garros, when he defeated title contenders Medvedev and Zverev to reach their first Grand Slam final. The 23-year-old Greek nearly pulled off a heist in the resulting grand finale against Djokovic, which he took down two sets before the Serb made an epic comeback for his 19th Major. Though the defeat brought Tsitsipas to tears, it was an eye-opener for the rest of the circuit, which saw the calendar slam and the armor of the seemingly invincible world No. 1 in the hot pursuit of Olympic gold.
Yes, one could still argue that Tsitsipas’ clay court exploits – including the ATP Monte Carlo title – are unlikely to have an impact on his hard court outings. However, the Australian Open has been nothing short of an unfinished business for the Greek, where he has enjoyed two stellar runs in the last four. That includes a resounding victory over Nadal in a fierce five-set fight for a place in the semi-finals last May. The upset could also be regarded as his vengeance against the great Spanish Armada, who had toyed with the young Greek in the last-four stage two years ago.
In fact, Tsitsipas’ biggest curse over the past few seasons has been his habit of admitting an apparently unintended error—mostly for low-powered shots—rendering an unwanted and impossible defeat. This year it will be a challenge as well if he beats his training partner Mikel Yammer in the opening round. They are likely to face tough challenges in Grigor Dimitrov and Kasper Roode long before the draw.
5. Matteo Berrettini
File photo of Matteo Berrettini.
Between his Wimbledon final debut at the French Open and a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open, Berrettini proved that his semi-final outing at the US Open a few years ago was no fluke. And despite his lack of success on the ATP Tour, the 25-year-old largely Italian knows how to raise his game to a great extent.
It’s also worth noting that his Achilles heel was a definite Serbian during his stellar run at all Grand Slams last month, who is already being ousted from Australia.
Having said that he is just an outside contender for the title in the form of the Australian Open, where the shortcomings of his defensive game have often been highlighted despite the fact that the sharpest surface of all the majors should be aided by his quick serves .
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