Have Novak Djokovic’s three biggest rivals made a fatal Australian Open mistake?
Novak Djokovic has regularly gone into a Grand Slam event without playing a warm-up tournament in recent years, but his biggest rivals have rarely followed that path.
Djokovic often plays his first grass court match of each season in his opening round at Wimbledon, which has tended to come on the first Monday of The Championships as he has won the title seven times in London since 2011.
The Serbian ensured he got some match practice ahead of the first major tournament of this New Year by playing in the United Cup, with the wrist injury he sustained in that event a concern heading into the Australian Open.
Yet there are also question marks hovering over Djokovic’s three biggest rivals ahead of the first round getting underway on Sunday, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev all arriving in Melbourne without any match practice in a competitive environment so far in 2024.
CARLOS ALCARAZ
The Wimbledon champion opted not to play a warm-up tournament in Australia, but Alcaraz may feel his more gentle introduction to 2024 was sensible rather than risky.
He played in a competitive exhibition contest against Djokovic in Saudi Arabia on December 27 and came through that three-set match with an impressive victory against his big rival.
Alcaraz then played another exhibition match against his fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut a day later back in his Murcia homeland, with those two matches giving him plenty of practice ahead of his trip to Australia.
He also staged a practice session with Sinner shortly before those exhibition outings and will play an exhibition match at the Australian Open venue on against Australia’s No 1 Alex de Minaur.
Alcaraz may feel the injury niggles that affected the back end of last year needed to be given time to heal and that may explain why he has taken a cautious route ahead of what will be only his third appearance in Melbourne.
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JANNIK SINNER
His well-publicised practice session with Alcaraz in Spain last month was part of Sinner’s build-up to what he hopes will be a breakthrough season in Grand Slam events.
Sinner’s two wins against Djokovic at the back end of the 2024 season in the ATP Final and the Davis Cup will fuel his belief that he has the firepower needed to trouble the world No 1 when it matters most.
Yet Sinner is still looking to reach his first Grand Slam final and he has also opted to head into the Australian Open without playing a warm-up tournament.
The world No 4 played in the Adelaide tournament ahead of his run to the last 16 at the Australian Open last year and is playing in the Kooyong Classic exhibition event this week as he gets used to conditions in Australia.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV
This Russian star will aim to get back into Grand Slam-winning contention this year after losing two finals at the Australian Open.
After playing in Adelaide ahead of last year’s tournament in Melbourne, Medvedev opted against playing in a warm-up tournament this year.
Yet he has been busy in the off-season, as he was a winning in the World Tennis League event in Saudi Arabia last month and he spent time with his wife Daria and their young daughter over the Christmas period.
“I’m only going to play the Australian Open this time,” explained Medvedev. “Going to try like this to have more of a vacation time than usual and more of an off-season time and start with a Slam straightaway, which is going to be new for me. But let’s see.”
VERDICT
Alcaraz, Sinner and Medvedev will all be contenders to win the Australian Open, but they will be vulnerable in the early stages of the competition.
They have no experience playing with the tournament balls that players have suggested get fluffy and heavy in the humid conditions in Australia and some of their early opponents may have an edge on them if they are more accustomed to the conditions.
