Djokovic to Sinner: 5 males to observe at Australian Open 2024. –AP/AFP FILE PHOTOS
Novak Djokovic is concentrating on an eleventh Australian Open title and within the absence of injured Rafael Nadal a number of youthful gamers are out to cease him.
AFP Sport highlights 5 males to observe when the primary Grand Slam of the yr begins on Sunday:
Novak Djokovic
FILE–Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. (Picture by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)
He could also be 36 however the 24-time Grand Slam winner remains to be the person to beat after one other massively profitable 2023, which included overcoming Stefanos Tsitsipas within the Melbourne remaining.
The Serbian completed the yr as world primary after successful three of the 4 majors, with solely Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon denying him a clear sweep.
In complete, Djokovic claimed seven titles to take his profession haul to 98, together with a record-equalling seventh ATP Tour Finals crown.
However there’s concern round a proper wrist harm which noticed him lose to Alex de Minaur on the United Cup in Perth final week.
Carlos Alcaraz
FILE–Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.. (Picture by kena betancur / AFP)
The 20-year-old Spaniard’s overcome Djokovic on the grass at Wimbledon strengthened his standing as the most well liked prospect in males’s tennis.
His breakthrough for a maiden Slam title on the US Open in 2022 made him the youngest champion of a males’s main since compatriot Nadal on the 2005 French Open.
He additionally turned the youngest man to ascend to world primary.
Now ranked two, Alcaraz heads into the Australian Open as a severe contender after a yr that noticed him accumulate six titles.
The unanswered query is whether or not he can overcome Djokovic on the blue arduous courts of Melbourne, the place the Serbian has dominated for therefore lengthy.
Since Wimbledon, the pair have performed twice, each on arduous courts. Djokovic gained each instances.
Daniil Medvedev
FILE–Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Matthew Stockman/Getty Photographs/AFP
The 27-year-old Russian is a two-time finalist on the opening Grand Slam of the yr. He was outplayed by Djokovic in 2021 earlier than a heart-wrenching defeat by Nadal a yr later.
That slim defeat in 2022 had a profound influence on Medvedev, who struggled to recapture the identical kind for the remainder of the yr and slipped out of the world’s high 10.
However a resurgent 2023 has once more thrust him into the dialog as a title favorite after successful 66 matches, greater than every other participant on tour final yr.
The 2021 US Open champion is again as much as world quantity three and can start his bid for a second main title after a low-key build-up, skipping warm-up tournaments to deal with coaching.
Jannik Sinner
FILE–Italy’s Jannik Sinner. (Picture by LLUIS GENE / AFP)
The 22-year-old Italian loved a breakthrough 2023, successful his first Masters title, in Toronto, and making the championship match towards Djokovic on the ATP Finals.
He was additionally instrumental in serving to Italy win the Davis Cup, beating Djokovic in three units alongside the way in which.
It led to loads of reward and expectations that it is just a matter of time earlier than the previous champion skier wins a serious.
At a career-high 4 on the planet, Sinner additionally gained titles in Montpellier, Vienna and Beijing final season, notching wins over Alcaraz and Medvedev.
Alex de Minaur
FILE–Alex de Minaur of Australia. (AP Picture/Trevor Collens)
The Australian has emerged as a menace at his house Grand Slam after a sensational begin to the yr, beating three high 10 gamers in a row on the United Cup.
They included Djokovic in straight units, with Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz additionally falling sufferer to a participant who spent the low season bettering his serve and backhand.
It has propelled the 24-year-old into the highest 10, the primary Australian to attain the feat since former world primary Lleyton Hewitt in July 2006.
De Minaur’s finest lead to a serious is the quarter-finals on the US Open in 2020 and he has by no means gone past the fourth spherical at Melbourne Park.
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However he’ll method the event filled with confidence, aiming to change into the primary Australian man to win his house Slam since Mark Edmondson in 1976.