Australian Open Daily Preview: Novak Djokovic Plays Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the Fourth Round - UBITENNIS
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Australian Open Daily Preview: Novak Djokovic Plays Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the Fourth Round

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Novak Djokovic on Saturday in Melbourne (twitter.com/australianopen)

As we enter the second week of the 2023 Australian Open, the remaining men’s field owns 21 Major singles titles, and of course they all belong to Novak Djokovic.  The nine-time champion is a huge favorite to tie Rafael Nadal with his 22nd Slam title, but only if his injured hamstring holds up.  On Monday, he faces the only Australian left in either singles draw, Alex de Minaur.

Other round of 16 action features tennis’ youth movement, with players like 19-year-old Holger Rune, 20-year-old Ben Shelton, and 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova.  And in a battle between two of the WTA’s hottest players to start the year, Aryna Sabalenka takes on Belinda Bencic.

Each day this preview will highlight the four most intriguing matchups, while outlining the other notable matches on the schedule.  Monday’s play will begin at 11:00am local time. 

Aryna Sabalenka (5) vs. Belinda Bencic (12) – 11:00am on Rod Laver Arena

Sabalenka is now 7-0 in 2023, and 14-0 in sets.  During the first week of this tournament, she allowed her opponents just over two games per set.  And most importantly, she’s struck just seven double faults through three matches, a stark contrast to the beginning of last year, when she was striking double-digit double faults in most of her matches.

Bencic is now 8-1 in 2023, with her only loss coming to World No.1 Iga Swiatek during the United Cup.  Like Sabalenka, she is yet to drop a set this fortnight.  And Belinda is now being coached by Dmitry Tursunvov, who previously coached Aryna to the top of the game.

Bencic has never been farther than this round in Melbourne, and came into this tournament with a modest 12-9 record at the Australian Open.  This is the third consecutive year Sabalenka has reached the fourth round down under, but she’s also yet to go farther, and was 8-5 here before this year.

They have split two previous meetings, both on hard courts.  Five years ago in New Haven, Sabalenka won in straights.  Four years ago in Dubai, Bencic won in a third set tiebreak.  In the rubber match, I give Aryna and her power game the slight edge at this event, despite the valuable coaching knowledge Tursunov can offer to Belinda.

Donna Vekic vs. Linda Fruhvirtova – Second on Margaret Court Arena

Vekic is a former top 20 player and US Open quarterfinalist.  But injuries have disrupted the last few years of her career.  Yet she’s undefeated to start 2023, having taken all her United Cup matches in straight sets.  And Hall of Famer Pam Shriver has joined her coaching team.

Fruhvirtova is one of many Czech teenagers on the rise, alongside her younger sister Brenda.  Less than a year ago, Linda was ranked outside the top 300.  But in her second appearance in the main draw at a Major, she’s into the second week for the first time, and is on the verge of cracking the top 50.

In their first career meeting, Vekic must be favored.  She has a vast experience edge over Fruvirtova, especially at Majors.  And Donna has been serving very well, winning 82% of first serve points across her last two matches.

Andrey Rublev (5) vs. Holger Rune (9) – Not Before 2:30pm on Rod Laver Arena

This is a blockbuster fourth round affair between two top 10 seeds.  Rublev has only dropped one set to this stage, and is looking to achieve his third quarterfinal in as many Majors.  Andrey went 51-20 last season, and 4-0 in finals, though he lost both of his matches in Australia to start this year before this event.

Rune has not dropped a set, and has only been broken four times across the nine sets he’s played.  He’s vying for his second Major quarterfinal, after first achieving that feat last year in Paris.  Later in the season in that same city, he won his first Masters 1000 title at the Paris Indoors, upsetting Novak Djokovic in a stellar final.

Earlier in that tournament, Rune defeated Rublev 6-4, 7-5 in their only previous meeting.  And based on the way the streaky Danish teenager is currently playing, I favor Holger to defeat Andrey again on Monday. 

Alex de Minaur vs. Novak Djokovic (7) – 7:00pm on Rod Laver Arena

Djokovic has managed to overcome his hamstring injury to reach the second week of this event for the 15th time.  But will his injured leg be able to keep up with the speedy Australian’s excellent court coverage?

De Minaur loves representing his country, especially at this event.  This round of 16 appearance equals his best result at his home Slam, which he first achieved a year ago.  Alex best Major result was reaching the quarterfinals at the 2020 US Open.  In the lead-up to this tournament, he upset Rafael Nadal at the United Cup, winning 7-5 in the third.

In their first career encounter, an injured Djokovic still must be the favorite.  Novak is now 34-2 since the start of Wimbledon last summer, and he’s a man on a mission after missing multiple Majors last year due to his vaccination status.  But if de Minaur can use his defensive skills to extend points, and to extend Novak out wide, which the injured nine-time champion has been struggling to cover, Alex has a shot to upset another all-time great this month. 

Other Notable Matches on Monday:

Magda Linette vs. Caroline Garcia (4) – Garcia came back from a set down to defeat Laura Siegemund in the last round, and is seeking her second consecutive Slam quarterfinal.  Linette is into the second week of a Slam for the first time in her career in her 30th time in a Slam main draw, and at the age of 30.  Six years ago in Strasbourg, Caroline beat Magda in straight sets.

Karolina Pliskova (30) vs. Shuai Zhang (23) – Pliskova is yet to drop a set, and is 7-0 against Shuai at all levels.  Zhang famously was contemplating retirement before 2016 Australian Open, having gone 0-14 in the main draw of Majors.  But then she reached the quarterfinals of this event, a feat she repeated three years later at Wimbledon.  She also won the women’s doubles title at this tournament in 2019 alongside newly-retired Aussie Sam Stosur.

Ben Shelton vs. J.J. Wolf – This is the first appearance in the fourth round of a Major for both young Americans.  For Wolf, it’s only his third time in the main draw at a Major, after previously advancing to the third round of the US Open in 2021 and 2023.  A year ago, he was ranked outside the top 200, but will be inside the top 50 after this fortnight.  For Shelton, it’s his second time in the main draw at a Major, and his first time traveling outside the United States in his life.  A year ago, he was ranked outside the top 500, but would also move into the top 50 with a win on Monday.

Roberto Bautista Agut (24) vs. Tommy Paul – Bautista Agut eliminated an exhausted Andy Murray on Saturday night, and was a quarterfinalist here four years ago, which was also the last time he defeated Murray down under.  Paul is vying for his first Major quarterfinal, after also reaching the round of 16 at last July’s Wimbledon.  Bautista Agut is 3-1 against Paul, though Tommy took their most recent meeting, just two months ago in Bercy on a hard court.

Monday’s full Order of Play is here.

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Wrist Injury Threatening To End Holger Rune’s Olympic Dream

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5 days ago

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21/07/2024

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Holger Rune will have a second medical opinion on Monday before deciding if he is fit enough to play at the Olympic Games, according to his team. 

The Danish world No.17 recently retired from his quarter-final match at the Hamburg Open due to a knee injury. The hope at the time was that his withdrawal would be just a precautionary measure ahead of the Olympics. However, he is also dealing with a second issue that appears to be more serious.

According to TV 2 Sport, Rune has been struggling with a wrist issue and underwent a scan on Sunday which his mother Aneke says ‘doesn’t look promising.’ Aneke is also the manager of her son’s career. Rune’s Olympic dreams now rest on the outcome of a second medical expert that he will visit tomorrow who has a better understanding of the sport. 

“Unfortunately, it does not look promising after the first medical opinion after the review of the scan of the wrist,” Aneke Rune told TV 2 Sport.

“We are waiting for two tennis-specific doctors who will give a second opinion tomorrow (Monday). Tennis wrists look different from regular wrists, so we’ll hold out hope for one more day.” 

Rune is one of three Danish players entered into the Olympic tennis event along with Caroline Wozniacki and Clara Tauson. The country has only won one medal in tennis before which was at the 1912 Games when Sofie Castenschiold won silver in the women’s indoor singles event. 

So far this season, the 21-year-old has won 27 matches on the Tour but is yet to claim a title. He reached the final of the Brisbane International and then the semi-finals of three more events. In the Grand Slams, he made it to the fourth round of the French Open and Wimbledon. 

It is not known when a final decision regarding Rune’s participation in Paris will be made.

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Hubert Hurkacz Undergoes ‘Knee Procedure’ Ahead of Olympic Bid

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1 week ago

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17/07/2024

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Poland’s top player on the ATP Tour is not giving up on his dream of winning a medal at the Olympic Games despite recently undergoing a medical procedure.

World No.7 Hubert Hurkacz suffered a knee injury during his second round clash at Wimbledon against France’s Arthur Fils. In the fourth set tiebreak of their clash, Hurkacz dived for a shot but landed badly on his knee and required on-court medical attention. He then played two more points before retiring from the match. 

In a social media post published on Wednesday, the  27-year-old confirmed he underwent a procedure on his knee earlier this week but didn’t provide any further details.  Although Hurkacz has stated his intention to play at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, where the tennis event will be held on the clay at Roland Garros. 

“I had a knee procedure this Monday, but I’m feeling better already and my team and are dedicating extensive time each day to the rehab process.” He wrote on Instagram. 

“It’s a dream for every athlete to represent their country at the Olympics, and I want to make sure I am fully fit and ready before making the final decision to step on court. The aim is not only to participate, but to win a medal for my country.”

So far this season Hurkacz has won 34 out of 48 matches played on the Tour. He won the Estoril Open in April and was runner-up to Jannik Sinner in Halle. 

The Olympic tennis event is scheduled to begin a week Saturday on July 27th. Poland is yet to win a medal in the event but expectations are high with women’s No.1 Iga Swiatek also taking part. 

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Motivation, Pressure And Expectations – Novak Djokovic Targets History At Wimbledon

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2 weeks ago

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13/07/2024

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image via x.com/wimbledon

Novak Djokovic has broken numerous records throughout his career but he still feels the pressure of trying to make history in the sport. 

The world No.2 is through to his 10th Wimbledon final where he will play Carlos Alcaraz, who beat him at this stage of the tournament 12 months ago. There is plenty on the line for the Serbian who could equal Roger Federer’s record for most men’s titles won at SW19 and break the overall record for most major singles won in the sport if he triumphs over the Spaniard. Djokovic currently has 24 Grand Slam trophies to his name which is the same as Margaret Court, who won some of her titles before the Open Era started. 

“Obviously I’m aware that Roger [Federer] holds eight Wimbledons. I hold seven. History is on the line.” Djokovic said on Friday after beating Lorenzo Musetti.

“Also, the 25th potential Grand Slam. Of course, it serves as a great motivation, but at the same time it’s also a lot of pressure and expectations.”

Coming into Wimbledon, there had been doubts over Djokovic’s form after he underwent surgery to treat a knee injury he suffered at the French Open. However, he has defied the odds to reach the final. His run has also seen him beat Alexi Popyrin and Holger Rune before getting a walkover in the quarter-finals from Alex de Minaur, who sustained an injury during the tournament. Then on Friday, he overcame a spirited Musetti in three sets. 

Despite the challenge, Djokovic has insisted that his expectations to do well are always high no matter what the situation is. During what has been a roller-coaster first six months of the season, he is yet to win a title this year or beat a player currently ranked in the top 10. Although he will achieve both of these if her beats Alcaraz on Sunday. 

“Every time I step out on the court now, even though I’m 37 and competing with the 21-year-olds, I still expect myself to win most of the matches, and people expect me to win, whatever, 99% of the matches that I play.” He said.

“I always have to come out on the court and perform my best in order to still be at the level with Carlos [Alcaraz] or Jannik [Sinner] or Sascha [Zverev] or any of those guys, Daniil [Medvedev]. 

“This year hasn’t been that successful for me. It’s probably the weakest results the first six months I’ve had in many years. That’s okay. I had to adapt and accept that and really try to find also way out from the injury that I had and kind of regroup.”

Djokovic hopes that a Wimbledon win will help turn his season around like it has done in the past for him. 

“Wimbledon historically there’s been seasons where I wasn’t maybe playing at a desired level, but then I would win a Wimbledon title and then things would change.” He commented.

“For example, that was the case in 2018 when I had elbow surgery earlier in the year, dropped my rankings out of top 20, losing in fourth round of Australian Open, I think it was quarters of Roland-Garros, and just not playing the tennis that I want to play. Then I won Wimbledon and then won US Open and then later on became No.1 very soon.”

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Alcaraz is hoping to stop Djokovic in his tracks. Should he defend his title at Wimbledon, he would become the first player outside the Big Three to do so since Pete Sampras more than 20 years ago. He has won their only previous meeting on the grass but trails their head-to-head 3-2. 

“I’m sure he knows what he has to do to beat me,” said Alcaraz.

“But I’m ready to take that challenge and I’m ready to do it well.”

When the two players take to the court to play in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic will be 15 years and 348 days older than Alcaraz. Making it the largest age gap in a men’s Grand Slam final since the 1974 US Open. Whoever is victorious will receive £2,700,000 in prize money. 

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