Novak Djokovic is off to a great start this 2023, as he’s in the running to claim his 92nd tour-level title in the ongoing Adelaide International.
The world No. 5 is already in the semi-finals of the said competition, where he’s up for a heavyweight early-season clash against Daniil Medvedev, who is two notches below him in the ATP rankings.
But the same can’t be said for his Big 3 colleague, Rafael Nadal, as he’s far from his best form right now, and he has his work cut out for him ahead of his Australian Open title defence next week.
Speaking of the Australian Open, youngsters Carlos Alcaraz and Reilly Opelka have officially announced their withdrawals due to injuries.
Read on below as SBOTOP serves you the latest ATP 2023 updates.
Another banger between Djokovic and Medvedev
Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev will square off for the 13th time after defeating Denis Shapovalov and Karen Khachanov, respectively, in the Adelaide International quarter-finals.
Battles between these two Top 10 ATP players have been entertaining, to say the least, with Djokovic winning eight of their previous 12 meetings, including 10 on hard courts.
“Hopefully it will be another long night,” said Djokovic ahead of his match against Medvedev. “Normally when you play Daniil, you have to be ready to go the distance, physically, mentally, game-wise.”
“He’s definitely one of the best players in the world for the past five years. He’s established himself as a Grand Slam winner and a No. 1 in the world, so he’s someone I respect a lot,” added the Serb.
Djokovic enters this epic clash with an astounding 21-1 record since September, while Medvedev is looking to redeem himself after seeing his ranking dip from No. 1 last February to No. 7 at the end of 2022.
Medvedev hasn’t won his past eight matches against Top 10 opponents, but one of his rare wins came at the 2021 US Open final for his maiden Grand Slam at Djokovic’s expense.
Their last meeting was in the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in Italy, where Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev in the Red Group round robin. Djokovic went on to win the whole thing for the sixth time, tying him with Roger Federer for the most in history.
Nadal’s 2023 is off to a lacklustre start
Rafael Nadal has the most Grand Slams with 22, and he’s aiming for No. 23 after a great run in 2022. However, there are doubts about this possibility since he hasn’t started well.
He suffered two consecutive defeats at the United Cup mixed team tournament against Cameron Norrie and Alex De Minaur, and he has now won only one of his past seven matches on the ATP tour.
With his early elimination from the said tournament, Nadal will regroup ahead of the Australian Open since he’s the defending champion, and his main focus is to get healthier.
Nadal, 36, has battled injuries throughout 2022. He had an abdominal tear, which took him out of Wimbledon, and he was also dealing with chronic ankle and knee issues.
But his doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, offered a positive outlook for Nadal, saying that the 22-time Grand Slam champion is no longer “physically hindered.”
The ATP 2023 odds are stacked against Nadal since the Australian Open is actually his weakest major, which is why it’s remarkable that he’s the defending champion in the first place. In seven of his 17 appearances in Melbourne, he has been eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz and Opelka out of Australian Open
World No. 1 and 38 Carlos Alcaraz and Reilly Opelka are not going to compete in Melbourne this season, and they’ll use this time off to recover from their respective knocks.
Alcaraz, who became the youngest player to finish as the top-ranked ATP player at the end of last season, would’ve held the top seed at a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. However, his abdominal injury has been holding him back.
With his withdrawal, the likes of Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Novak Djokovic have the opportunity to rise to the top spot after the Australian Open.
Opelka, meanwhile, has been bothered by hip and ankle injuries over the last half of last season. He hasn’t played since his defeat to Nick Kyrgios at the 2022 Citi Open in the US last August.
Zhang Zhizhen is the primary beneficiary of Opelka’s pullout. He will take the American’s spot in the upcoming Australian Open for his third main singles draw at a Grand Slam.
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