Melbourne Park will be buzzing in about three weeks. Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open last year, will be the cynosure of the 2023 championship. Carlos Alcaraz, all of 19 and ranked No.1, will look to pick up from where he left off at the US Open in September.
In an exclusive chat with TOI, Australian tennis great Todd Woodbridge highlighted the attitude of the younger generation of players in the men's game, while applauding Iga Swiatek's brilliance.
Excerpts:
Is Novak Djokovic the man to beat in the Australian Open in January?
Time away (from the Tour) makes you realize how much you love the game and how much you still want to achieve. He is so close to becoming the record holder of major winners. He is chasing Rafa (Nadal) because of the start Rafa had by winning the Australian Open and the French Open in 2022. In the past few months, from what I have seen Novak play, he is sharp, focused and fit as I have ever seen him. That he did not play the AO this year gives him a point to prove. He is the man to beat, and it is going to be difficult for the rest of the field.
Carlos Alcaraz has been brilliant on hard courts…
He is the modern player, who has pulled together the three great attributes of the top three.
He has ability to come forward and use the net like Roger Federer, he has got Nadal's tenacity and the all-court game and movement of Novak. He has pulled every best part of their games and molded it into his. Having already won his first major and still being 19-20, he is the target now. He must keep on improving and learn how to deal with the pressure of being a favorite at majors. This is the first opportunity to see how he handles that pressure. He will want to have a long career and we should not overanalyze what might happen if he does not win the Australian Open. I think it is part of the learning curve.
Do you think Alcaraz will hold on to the year-end number one ranking for another season?
The rankings this year are skewed because Wimbledon results were not included, that is obviously because of circumstances. Hopefully we are now back to a point where we can have a world number one across all the tournaments. In terms of Alcaraz getting it for the second time, it will be about how he handles pressure and stress. I expect him to do better at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, that gives him all the areas for ranking improvements. He has room to extend his ranking points and that is exciting to watch.
Many young players had a breakthrough season in 2022...
What is interesting is that this has changed. It is only in the last 12 months that we have seen a generation of younger players getting on the Tour early and have an input in pressurizing the top players. It seemed difficult earlier (the last 15-years). We are seeing a change in the mentality of young players, they are not overawed or scared of the top guys. They have great respect for them, but they feel they can compete with them. The younger guys are having a greater impact.
Would you have liked to see a Barty-Swiatek rivalry?
I would love to see (Ashleigh) Barty come back from retirement, I also love that contrast (in their games). Barty's sliced backhand, tactical awareness and the ability to move forward and change play was brilliant. Swiatek resembles Steffi Graff. She has amazing athleticism, a big powerful game that can take matches away from opponents very quickly. What I have loved about Swiatek is in the last ten years, with the exception of Serena (Williams), a lot of the women have got the number one position and have not enjoyed being in that space. They have struggled with pressure. She got the number one position because of Barty's retirement and has just run with that. She is for me that player who will still dominate in 2023 because of her attitude and the style with which she plays.
Where do you see doubles going in tennis?
Doubles today is probably in a similar place to when I played. It is important that the Tours keep promoting it. For doubles to be successful, you must choose a partner (from your own country). India had Mahesh (Bhupathi) and Leander (Paes), Australia had the Woodies (Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde). When you have a national combination, the whole country can get behind it, it fills the profile. Hopefully the Tours can encourage players to do that. Post us (Woodies), we had the Bryans (Bob and Mike Bryan) who drove it. That is important, but doubles will never go away.
Sony Sports Network is the official broadcaster of the Australian Open, starting 16th January 2023
