In Melbourne, the usual land of exploits, they or they could play the spoilsports, defying all logic. Focus.
Thanasi Kokkinakis
He will probably not win at home, but he could liven up the fortnight while the whimsical Nick Kyrgios seems to be in distress at the start of the year. In Search of Lost Time. Kokkinakis, 25, has had a career so far marred by multiple injuries of all kinds, sometimes quite serious, to the point of staying away from the courts for an entire season. If he never did better than a 69e world place in 2015, the Australian giant has the potential to do much better. He proved in Adelaide last week that he was finally on the right foot by reaching the last four (beaten by Monfils), after notably taking out Frances Tiafoé. And this week, he is playing the final in Adelaide 2 against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech. “I went through things that guys my age have never been through. I always feel like I have a lot to give. I hope 2022 has great things in store for me.” Rafael Nadal, his theoretical opponent, at 2e turn is warned.
Cameron Norrie
Seeded number 12, the Briton could find in the round of 16 the Italian Matteo Berrettini (n ° 7). Before that, the left-hander will have to wrestle with the American Sebastian Korda, from the first round. No small task. Norrie, who finished 2022 at the foot of the top 10 (12e), after playing no less than six finals, tied with Djokovic, ahead of Ruud (5), Medvedev (5) and Tsitsipas (5), emerged from the shadows by winning the Indian Masters 1000 under the sun Wells, last October, to everyone’s surprise. The 26-year-old Briton, long a supporting role on the circuit, has a new status to assume and new territories to explore. The blocker-fighter, who has never passed the stage of the third round in Grand Slams (3rd round at the Australian Open, Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in 2021 and US Open 2020), has the means to do much better This year. Starting with this Australian Open.
Holger Rune
Rune, 18, won three Challengers (second division tournaments) in 2021, became in Santagio the youngest quarter-finalist of an ATP tournament since Borna Coric in 2014. He also qualified for the US Open, his first Grand Slam tournament, where he even took a set from a certain Novak Djokovic in the first round. He also stood out when he entered the stadium wearing… an Ikea bag “It was not premeditated. I had it for a few tournaments. It was perfect for my drinks and my bananas, he had declared to the Team. I took the first bag I had on hand, nothing more. The reactions were funny.” And its dazzling progress impresses observers. 473e world at the end of 2020, it points a year later at the gates of the top 100. Opposed, to the 1is turn to South Korean Soon-woo Kwon, the Dane has a good opportunity to continue his dazzling progress.
Ons Jabeur
Believe” (“Believe it”) she posted on her Twitter account, after becoming, last October, the first player from an Arab country to climb into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. Quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in 2020, she reached this same stage at Wimbledon last year. A successful 2021 season (48, for 19 defeats) with a title in Birmingham and finals in Charleston and Chicago. Charismatic and very spectacular, Ons Jabeur has a one-handed sliced backhand that has been compared to that of Roger Federer. Just that. An elbow injury, however, forced him to retire in the quarter-finals in Sydney on Thursday, casting doubt on his ability to be 100%, on the occasion of the first Grand Slam of the season.
Paula Badosa
This clay court specialist, quarter-finalist at the last Roland-Garros, is also comfortable on other surfaces. In 2021, she was thus crowned in Indian Wells (WTA 1000) and was notably 8e finalist at Wimbledon and semi-finalist at the Masters. At 24, the Spaniard, a native of New York, has entered the top 10 and occupies the current 8e world rank. Long compared to Maria Sharapova, Paula Badosa is starting to make a name for herself: “People call me the Spanish Sharapova, she said 5 years ago to As. Even though I’m Paula, I like this comparison. Victim of depression at 17, she thought about quitting tennis for a while. It will take two years to get out. And for a year and a half, she has been progressing at great speed, she who was at 70e rank at the start of 2021. She started the year well with a final in Sydney against Krejcikova. What hope to shine in Melbourne. She hasn’t done better than a 2 so far.e tour in Melbourne in three appearances.
Clara Tauson
Danish tennis is definitely lucky. Besides Rune for boys, he has another nugget for girls in the person of Clara Tauson. Behind Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old is the second youngest player in the top 100. After qualifying, she won the Lyon tournament without conceding a single set last March. She also won the WTA 125 in Chicago and the WTA 250 in Luxembourg. Not bad for a first year on the main circuit. Good results which allowed him to make a big leap in the classification of the 152e place at the end of 2020 at 44e at the end of 2021. She has a great opportunity to grow further in Melbourne, she who is playing her first Australian Open and has not yet passed the 2e turn in a Major.
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