January will be an important month for the best tennis players in the world, if only because of the first Grand Slam of the season on the calendar. Starting the year in the best possible way and showing that they are already in top form is the ambition of all the players, who will fight in preparation competitions to get ready for the prestigious Australian Open.
In addition to using all the weapons at their disposal to get a good result in Melbourne and try to fight for the trophy, the athletes will also have to look at the world ranking, which is also important for the definition of the seeding in the different competitions.
In the first month, the leaderboard can be completely revolutionized, taking into account the expiration of the “bills of exchange” of the different tennis players and the possibility of winning the 2000 point loot that Australia offers.
Only 90 points expire for the number one, Carlos Alcaraz, who stopped in the third round in the last edition of the AO. The Spaniard will be able to take advantage of this first part of the year to increase the difference with his rivals.
It’s a different story for Mallorcan champion Rafael Nadal: the Iberian will have to defend his victories at the ATP 250 in Melbourne and at the Australian Open, for a total of 2,250 starting points. Rafa will try not to lose too many places in the standings, perhaps with a good result in the United Cup.
Great opportunities for Casper Ruud, as he only needs 125 points and can also attempt an assault at the top of the standings. Stefanos Tsitsipas will have to repeat his excellent start to the year in 2022, with a semi-final in Melbourne (780).
A golden opportunity is undoubtedly in the hands of Novak Djokovic, who will not have points to defend for the case that broke out last year.
Djokovic will play the Adelelaide International
Novak Djokovic is in fine shape and is determined to win the 2023 Australian Open, according to World No.
15 Jannik Sinner. “I practised with Novak [on Friday] and he’s in shape. You can see that he wants to win and is determined. It’s very nice to have him back here in Australia and having him also at the Australian Open because I think he is one of the best players in the world, if not the best,” the 21-year-old said according to The Age.
“He will try to win every match he plays, every tournament he plays, but I think physically he is very, very good and moving very well. To win against him, you have to play your best tennis,” he added.
