“The surface is perfect for him,” Novak Djokovic picked as favorite at 2023 Australian Open by Mats Wilander
Novak Djokovic gets the backing of Mats Wilander as the number one favorite for the upcoming 2023 Australian Open.
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Novak Djokovic and Mats Wilander
Novak Djokovic made a remarkable return to Australia. Playing at the 2023 Adelaide International, he went on to defeat Sebastian Korda in a thrilling final. Having not dropped a single set throughout the week, Djokovic lost the first set tiebreaker. The second set was also a back-and-forth game with the Serb saving a championship point to force a third set.
In the final set, the 21-time Grand Slam title winner came out on top. It was his 92nd career title, matching Rafael Nadal‘s tally. With a week’s rest, he will have enough time to take care of his hamstring which caused some issues in Adelaide.
With record nine titles already at Melbourne Park, the former World No. 1 is undoubtedly the favorite for the 2023 Australian Open title. 3-time Australian Open champion Mats Wilander has already gone on record to declare the Serbian the number one favorite and has given a fitting justification as well.
“I think Novak is the No. 1 favorite for many, many reasons. Obviously, one reason is that he’s won the Australian Open nine times. The surface is perfect for him. The Australian Open has a history of having players winning it multiple times that are very consistent all the time – and I’m speaking from my own experience as I won there three times.
“When you play the way Novak plays, he doesn’t have ups and downs. Everybody is not 100% ready in Australia. Some are very ready, some are not ready, and he is always somewhat ready. Somewhat ready for him means he’s the favourite. The surface is perfect,” said Mats Wilander speaking on Eurosport.
Novak Djokovic to be seeded 4th at the Australian Open
Despite winning the ATP-250 event, Novak Djokovic remains the World No. 5. He holds 5070 ranking points going into the Australian Open. World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas has 5715 points while World No. 3 Casper Ruud has 5720 points.
Defending champion at this year’s Australian Open, Rafael Nadal, is ranked second with 5770 points while Carlos Alcaraz leads the pack with 6820 points. With Alcaraz withdrawing from the Major due to his leg injury, Nadal will be the top seed at the tournament. It will make Djokovic the fourth seed during his campaign for his 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
The Serb will have to however hope his hamstring doesn’t flare up during the Grand Slam’s fortnight as it will restrict his movement massively. As the Majors are Best-of-Five format, the matches can be tiring and he would need to be completely fit to bring out his A-Game.
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Sarthak Shitole
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