AO Men's Draw: Dangerous Sinner in Djokovic's Half

Novak Djokovic’s bid for a document twenty fifth main title will start subsequent week in Australia, and the Serbian legend has been drawn into 1 / 4 along with his opponent in final yr’s remaining (Stefanos Tsitsipas), and into the identical half as Jannik Sinner, the rising pressure that he defeated for the title on the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.

Anyway you slice them. Grand Slam attracts all the time appear to scream Djokovic. The powerhouse gained three of the 4 majors on supply in 2023 to take his whole to 24, and though he has been coping with an harm to his proper wrist, it’s tough to see anybody getting in his means in Melbourne, the place he’s a ten-time champion.

Djokovic, who faces a qualifier in his opening match, will get a style of the native ire in a conflict with Alexei Popyrin or Marc Polmans, and if he advances to the third spherical he may see his former rival Andy Murray and even Gael Monfils. However neither of the 2 has aged fairly as fantastically as Djokovic.

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Australian Open males’s singles draw (printable view) pic.twitter.com/bjXeIjDGqU

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Issues would possibly get trickier for Djokovic within the second week. His slated spherical of 16 opponent, based mostly on seeding, is the rising American Ben Shelton; Djokovic may see Tsitsipas, his opponent in final yr’s remaining, within the quarterfinals, and at last Sinner, who’s on the cusp of a breakthrough, within the semifinals.

Alcaraz’s Half Options Zverev and Rune

Within the decrease half, No.2 seed Carlos Alcaraz has drawn former finalist Daniil Medvedev into his half, together with Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune. Alcaraz opens with Richard Gasquet of France, adopted by both Dan Evans or Lorenzo Sonego in spherical two. Within the third spherical, Alcaraz may see Alexander Bublik, the hard-serving Kazakh, and within the fourth spherical American Tommy Paul might be ready.

Alcaraz is slated to face Zverev within the quarterfinals if the seed maintain, and Mevedev within the semis. It’s the trickier draw, when put next subsequent to Djokovic’s. Now nicely into his comeback from ankle surgical procedure in 2022, Zverev is coming into type and might be a harmful risk to Alcaraz. Similar for Medvedev, who valiantly took down the Spaniard within the semifinals ultimately yr’s US Open.

That stated, Alcaraz will probably be relieved to be on the opposite aspect of the draw as Sinner, a rival who has given him matches over the past two seasons.

First Spherical Popcorn

Among the many most fascinating first-round clashes on the boys’s aspect this yr are Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Matteo Berrettini, and Dominic Thiem vs Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Tsitsipas holds the 3-0 edge over Berrettini however he has been coping with some again problems with late.

Thiem leads Auger-Aliassime 1-0, however they haven’t performed since 2020, and Thiem’s type has been lower than fascinating over the past two years, ever since he returned from a nine-month hiatus attributable to wrist and arm points.

Auger-Aliassime himself has handled a knee subject, and has struggled to stack up wins of late.