The difficulty automatically increases when you add him to one of his favorite locations where he has won his six titles. But Djokovic is a different animal at Melbourne Park. The last time he lost at the Australian Open was in the 4th round in 2018, when he lost to the unprecedented Chung Hyun.
The 35-year-old, who has since won all three editions he’s played in Melbourne, returns to Australia hungrier than ever after the Covid drama. And with last week’s Adelaide 250 title, Djokovic goes to the Grand Slam as the absolute favorite. But can anyone stop him?
All the talk is about Djokovic, but Melbourne Park’s defending champion and top seed is Rafael Nadal. The Australian Open is different. For the first time since 2010, of course. And unlike 2022, Nadal will enter the tournament without fear of injury.
But the Spaniards were given a very tough lot. He will face 21-year-old Jack Draper. Jack Draper has been looking good lately, including in Adelaide last week, and he’s also left-handed. In the second round, Nadal could face his 2022 Next Gen Finals winner, Brandon Nakashima. If he can pass the two youngsters, Francis Tiafoe, the only player Nadal beat at a Grand Slam last year, is waiting in the fourth round.
The winner will advance last year’s finalist Daniil Medvedev to the quarterfinals. But the Russian has the tough task of beating in the third round a well-formed Sebastian Korda, who held match point with Djokovic in last week’s Adelaide final.
