 "Australian Open 2023 Draw: Rafael Nadal gets tough draw, placed in separate half from Novak Djokovic")
Melbourne: Defending champion Rafael Nadal has been handed a tough draw for the 2023 Australian Open that gets underway on Monday (16 January). Novak Djokovic, his closest rival in the quest for most major titles, has been placed in the other half meaning they can only meet in the final. With World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz missing due to injury , Nadal takes the top seed and starts against Britain’s promising Jack Draper. He then potentially has two tricky-looking opponents in Brandon Nakashima and Yoshihito Nishioka. If the Spaniard does win all three matches, he could face World No 17 Frances Tiafoe. The American had sent Nadal packing in their Round of 16 clash at the US Open.
Nadal could then meet two-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals before prospective matches against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Djokovic.
In the other half, nine-time Australian Open winner Djokovic, returns to the hard-court tournament after missing it last year when his visa was revoked and he was deported from the country because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19.
Fourth seed Djokovic will open his bid for a 10th Australian Open title against Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round. However, there is an injury cloud hanging over Djokovic after he tweaked his hamstring enroute winning the season-opening Adelaide International last week. He cut his practice match on Wednesday short to get more treatment. The Serb has a relatively easier route than Nadal with potential matchups against Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, Holger Rune in the quarterfinals and Casper Ruud in the semi-finals.
Among notable first round matches, five-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray has a tough clash against former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini and 2020 finalist Dominic Thiem, on the mend after wrist injury , has Andrey Rublev. The potential men’s quarterfinals by seeding are: Nadal vs Medvedev in what would be a rematch of last year’s final at Melbourne Park , and Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Felix Auger-Aliassime in the top half; and Djokovic Rublev, and Ruud vs Taylor Fritz in the bottom half. Swiatek gets Niemeier in underwhelming draw
In comparison to some get-popcorn-ready matchups on the men’s side, the women’s draw is relatively lukewarm. Iga Swiatek, the women’s World No 1, takes on Germany’s Jule Niemeier, ranked 68, in the opening round. The Polish player, a semifinalist at Melbourne Park in 2022, a year in which she won the French and US Opens, has injury concerns coming into the tournament. She lost to Jessica Pegula in the United Cup and was in tears on the bench. Later, she pulled out of the Adelaide warm-up event with a shoulder injury.
Second seed Ons Jabeur, who reached both the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year, plays Tamara Zidansek in the first round. American third seed Pegula, a strong title contender, takes on Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the opening round.
Seventh seed Coco Gauff, who won a tournament in Auckland last week , has a tough first round against Katerina Siniakova, who defeated her in the Billie Jean King Cup finals in November. The potential women’s quarterfinals are: Swiatek vs Gauff in what would be a rematch of last year’s French Open final , and Pegula vs Maria Sakkari in the top half; and Jabeur vs Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Adelaide International last week , and Caroline Garcia vs Daria Kasatkina in the bottom half. In a big first round clash, two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka faces 2020 winner Sofia Kenin. Watch the LIVE coverage of Australian Open 2023 on Sony Sports Ten 2 and Sony Sports Ten 5 channels starting from 16th January 2023 at 5:30 am IST. Read all the Latest News ****, Trending News ****, Cricket News ****, Bollywood News ****, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook ****, Twitter and Instagram ****.