The young brigade is catching up fast with the legends of tennis, feels Todd Woodbridge, a former world No.1 in doubles.
Speaking during a virtual interaction on Wednesday, Woodbridge said: “The quality of tennis the young ones are playing, specially what we saw at the US Open, excites me. Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Rudd and Jannik Sinner – I had thought it would take them longer to take on the Big Three. But the younger generation is not in awe of them anymore.”
Asked if memories of the deportation from Australia in early 2022, which forced Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open, will rankle the Serb during 2023’s first major, Woodbridge said: “Good news is that he will be playing at the Adelaide International so he will be in Australia for a few weeks before the Open starts. That will give him time to get all the stress and tension of last year out.
“There will be pressure from the media but he has dealt with it very well. He is coming back to a country he loves playing in. He has won the Open nine times. He loves the surface, the atmosphere. I think he will be very driven to win here.
“Because he was not allowed to play here last time, that will be added motivation. Also Rafa (Nadal) won when Novak was not allowed to play. That too will be on his mind when he tries to reach the record of most number of grand slams won.
“He has the quality to be the No.1 even now and perhaps he would have been had he played the full season. That was his choice not to, but he has not lost the form or quality. He should be comfortable here.”
Asked about Nadal’s chances, he said: “At the Laver Cup when Roger retired, you could almost see it in Rafa’s eyes that he may be the next. But if he is fit, he too will be eager to defend his title and extend his all-time record of 22 grand slam singles titles.”
Woodbridge was all praise for Alcaraz, but still put his money on Sinner to bring about an upset. “Carlos has the best of the Big Three’s style. He has the volleys of Federer, he has the tenacity of Nadal and the court movement of Djokovic. You put that together and it’s an awesome package. But I want to see how he copes with being the No. 1 and having won the last grand slam (US Open). He is still maturing, as an athlete and a man.
“I have this feeling that it will be the Italian Sinner who has the outside chance of winning here if Novak or Nadal doesn’t make it. I think he is ready for the next level.”
Among the women, Woodbridge wants to put his money on Belinda Bencic. “I know Iga (Swiatek) is in great form. Her dominance reminds me of Steffi Graf. But I will put my money on Belinda Bencic this time. “Then there is Ons Jabeur who has done wonders for the sport, specially in the Arab world. We have Maria Sakkari is a very exciting player.
“We also have Venus Williams here as a wildcard. I don’t think she would have accepted the wildcard if she was not in a good headspace, if she was not ready.”
Craig Tiley, the CEO of Tennis Australia, is relieved that the tournament, along with the rest of the world, is coming out of the pandemic scare.
“It has been a difficult two years all around. For 2023 we are focused on having the ‘Happy Slam’ back. And yes, we are happy to welcome back Djokovic.
“He is very popular here and perhaps the favourite to win this year. We also have all the best players this time. So that’s very exciting.”
The Australian Open will be telecast live on Sony Sports Network from January 16.
