We may only be a couple of weeks into 2023 but we are about to witness the first Grand Slam of the year get underway as tennis’ finest heads down under for the Australian Open in Melbourne.
This year’s tournament will see the return of Serbian star Novak Djokovic, who has won the men’s singles title a record nine times. Djokovic missed the event last year due to his stance against Covid-19 vaccination and there was a whole debacle when he entered the country, which ended with him getting deported.
In his absence, veteran star Rafael Nadal was crowned the champion in 2022 to kickstart an impressive season which also saw him extend his winning record at the French Open in May. Right now it is hard to look past Djokovic, who won on his past three entries at the Australian Open, or Nadal for this year’s title. If both are at the top of their game, they are going to be incredibly difficult to stop. After reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon last year, a lot of eyes will be on Australia’s Nick Kyrgios to see if he can go one step further in 2023.
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In the women’s championship last year, Australian native Ashleigh Barty took home the title in stunning fashion before soon announcing her retirement from the sport, saying that her goals in tennis had been achieved. The current favourite is young Polish superstar Iga Swiatek. She reached the semi-finals here a year ago where she was defeated by American Danielle Collins. The defeat seemed to spur her on for the rest of the year as she claimed two Grand Slam titles, firstly at the French Open and secondly at the US Open in New York. The current world number one will be looking to start the year off with a bang.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2023 Australian Open.
When?
The tournament commences on Monday 16 January and it will conclude on Sunday 29 January.
Where?
It will be held inside Melbourne Park, home to the world-class Rod Laver Arena which has the capacity to hold just under 15,000 spectators, as well as the Hisense Arena and host of other show courts.
What are the notable first round matches?
The draw for the 2023 Australian Open took place on Thursday 12 January. Here are some of the best selection first round ties:
Jack Draper v Rafa Nadal
Andy Murray v Matteo Berrettini
Emma Raducanu v Tamara Korpatsch
Cameron Norrie v Luca van Assche
Kyle Edmund v Jannik Sinner
Iga Swiatek v Jule Niemeier
Novak Djokovic v Roberto Carballés Baena
How to watch?
UK coverage of the Australian Open 2023 will be broadcast live exclusively on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Discovery+ app.
What prize money will the winners take home?
Both the men’s and women’s champions will take home £2,454,345.25 as the Australian Open will be giving away more prize money than ever before.
Which British stars are competing?
British number one Cam Norrie enjoyed a stellar year in 2022, which saw him pick up two ATP 250 titles and reach his first Grand Slam semi-final - could this be the year he gets his first major title?
Dan Evans has already enjoyed a taste of success down under this year at the inaugural United Cup and will be looking to better his tournament-best of fourth round this time around.
Jack Draper is preparing to make his Australian Open debut at this year’s event. The 21-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2022, which saw him finish the year inside the top 50 world rankings.
Andy Murray, a runner-up in Melbourne on five occasions, will be looking to continue where he left off last season down under, after reaching his first ATP-level finals since 2017 in Sydney. Kyle Edmund rounds off the British men’s line-up.
Emma Raducanu is scheduled to make her second main draw appearance at the Australian Open. Last year, Raducanu suffered a second-round defeat against Danka Kovinic and will be looking to build on from her shock US Open triumph in 2021.
Harriet Dart will make her debut in the women’s main draw and comes into the first Grand Slam of the year off the back of an impressive performance at the United Cup where she represented Great Britain.
Tournament outright betting:*
Men:
Novak Djokovic 5/6
Daniil Medvedev 6/1
Nick Kyrgios 16/1
Rafael Nadal 18/1
Jannik Sinner 20/1
Casper Ruud 33/1
Women:
Iga Swiatek 2/1
Aryna Sabalenka 7/1
Jessica Pegula 10/1
Caroline Garcia 12/1
Coco Gauff 12/1
Ons Jabeur 12/1
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds courtesy of Betfred