Australian Open storylines: Novak Djokovic returns, Rafael Nadal faces Jack Draper test, Iga Swiatek favourite

The 2023 Australian Open is here.

The first Grand Slam of the new tennis season starts in just a few days in Melbourne on January 16.

We take a look at the top storylines to track over the next two weeks.

Djokovic returns

Novak Djokovic’s return is the big storyline at the Australian Open.

When the first balls are hit at Melbourne Park on Monday it will be exactly a year since Djokovic boarded a plane out of the country after having his visa revoked and being deported.

Now he’s back and bidding to win the tournament for a 10th time.

If the reception he might receive is uncertain – Australian Open boss Craig Tiley has issued a strong warning to fans who might heckle him – the outcome of his return appears clearer. Even before the withdrawal of world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic was the strong favourite.

His recent record in Australia is phenomenal. He’s won his last 34 matches in a row in the country and hasn’t lost in Melbourne since 2018.

He will have “emotional baggage” according to Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou. And there’s also a decent level of competition: Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios could all prove tough outs for Djokovic, not to mention the likes of Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime. But Djokovic is likely to be hungry, very hungry, to win this one.

Swiatek aims for No. 4

Iga Swiatek is not as heavy a favourite as Djokovic, but she still looks far and away the one to beat on the women’s side of the draw.

Jessica Pegula showed that Swiatek is not unbeatable – as she looked at times last year – as she produced a fine performance to finally get the better of the world No. 1 at the United Cup.

But how much will that count in Melbourne?

Swiatek has largely played her best tennis on the big occasions and has been able to seize control of matches against most of her top rivals.

Might early in the year be the best time to beat Swiatek before she has got into her stride again? Or will she assert her dominance again and win her fourth Grand Slam title?

First-round frenzy

There’s always great excitement and eagerness around the first round of a Grand Slam, especially the first round of the first Grand Slam of a new season.

British No. 3 Jack Draper against defending champion Rafael Nadal is probably the pick of the first-round matches, but what about former Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem against fifth seed Andrey Rublev? Or former world No. 1 Andy Murray against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini?

In the women’s first round there’s Sofia Kenin against Victoria Azarenka in a battle of former Australian Open champions, and Marta Kostyuk against Amanda Anisimova, and Leylah Fernandez v Alize Cornet, and Bianca Andreescu v Marie Bouzkova.

Grand Slam tennis, it’s good to have you back.

Alcaraz absence shakes up draw

The injury withdrawal of Alcaraz is a blow for a few reasons.

Firstly for Alcaraz it means he has missed another big tournament following his US Open victory, having also not being able to play the Nitto ATP Finals due to a different injury. He will not get the chance to become the first player in ATP history to win a second major immediately after the first.

Not having Alcaraz in the draw means the wait goes on for a second meeting with Djokovic, and another showdown with Nadal.

And it has implications for the men’s draw.

Nadal is top seed and Ruud is second. Neither are as fancied to win the Australian Open as the third and fourth seeds – Tsitsipas and Djokovic.

How far will Brits go?

There hasn’t been much British singles success at the Australian Open since Andy Murray and Johanna Konta made the final and semi-finals respectively in 2016.

The men’s contingent this year offers plenty of promise, even if the draw hasn’t shaken out too kindly.

Cameron Norrie has been playing well this month, beating Nadal at the United Cup and going well in Auckland. He hasn’t had much success in Melbourne in the past but his form looks good enough to change that.

And what about Murray? He didn’t manage to get a seeding spot as his form towards the back end of 2022 wasn’t as good as hoped and he has been landed with a difficult opener against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini.

Kyle Edmund is also playing at the Australian Open for the first time since 2020 after a couple of injury-hit years.

If Raducanu doesn’t play it will leave Harriet Dart as the only British woman in the singles draw.

Sabalenka, Sakkari, Garcia ones to watch

Trying to pick out who is going to challenge Swiatek at Grand Slams is becoming a regular thing.

Ons Jabeur and Pegula should be her main rivals as world No. 2 and world No. 3 respectively, but there are a few other names that stand out in the top 10.

Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari and Carolina Garcia are all bounceback stories.

Sabalenka struggled at times last season, particularly with her serve, but finished by making the US Open semi-finals and final of the WTA Finals. She started 2023 by winning the Adelaide International and sounds like she has a fresh mindset for the year.

“I feel like I have to become a little bit boring on court to reach my goals. I’ll just keep doing that,” she told the WTA Insider Podcast.

Garcia, 29, had a resurgent year in 2022 as she returned to the top five after almost five years away. Her season highlights included winning the Western & Southern Open, reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open and beating Swiatek in Poland. She has only once made it past the third round in Melbourne but will hoping for a strong run this month.

Will Kyrgios go deep?

The term breakout year is usually reserved for younger players, but last season felt like a breakout for 27-year-old Nick Kyrgios. It all started at the Australian Open where he won the doubles titles with Thanasi Kokkinakis and gave Medvedev a decent test in the second round of the singles.

Kyrgios has only once made the quarter-finals of his home Slam, back in 2015, but this looks his best chance to make a run in Melbourne.

It looks like he knows it too; surely the reason he withdrew from the United Cup and the Adelaide International was to ensure he is in the best shape possible for a shot at ending Australia’s long wait for a men’s champion at the Australian Open (Mark Edmondson was the last to do it back in 1976).

If Kyrgios plays like he did over the summer of 2022 he has a chance.

He was hitting and serving superbly at Wimbledon and the US Open, and seemed more composed than in the past. He is also the defending doubles champion after winning last year with Thanasi Kokkinakis. It will be interesting to see whether he continues with singles and doubles if he’s still in both draws going into the second week.

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