Australian Open 2023: Preview and analysis of the men’s and women’s draw | In Focus podcast

In Focus by The Hindu

The first Grand Slam of 2023 will get rolling from January 16 in Melbourne, Australia. Last year, the event witnessed plenty of unseemly controversy, including a courtroom drama, over the deportation of Novak Djokovic, and it also saw Rafael Nadal pick up a historic 21st Slam title. But this year Djokovic is back, and has announced his intentions by winning the Adelaide International, a preparatory event, last week. While Nadal is the defending champion, world no 1 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn due to a freak injury.

The draw in the women’s section, as has become the norm in recent years, is wide open. Naomi Osaka will be missing, as also last year’s champion Ash Barty, who has retired from the sport, and world no 1 Iga Swiatek is under an injury cloud. The rest of the field has several contenders, from last year’s runner-up Danielle Collins, to the Czech Petra Kvitova, world No. 2 Ons Jabeur and the American Coco Gauff. So, who are the favourites, who are the dark horses, and what are the narratives that are likely to dominate this year’s Australian Open?