The Australian Open is held annually over the last fortnight of January at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The excitement is about to start as all the big players are getting ready to perform on the big stage.
Australia Open 2022 is the 108th draw for the international tennis tournament. The championship will be held in the Australian city of Melbourne again, in the territory of the SC Melbourne Park. The main stars of modern tennis – Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal and many more will be there.
Players to watch out for in the Australian Open
1. Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal intends to make his Tour comeback in December and plans to play at the 2022 Australian Open. The 20-time major champion has not played since a defeat to Lloyd Harris at the Citi Open in August.
Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics after losing to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals, also pulled out of the US Open due to a recurring foot injury.
He has spent time training in Mallorca this month following treatment in Barcelona.
Rafa speaking at a sponsored event in Paris said he hopes to play at the World Tennis Championship n December before a possible tilt at the first grand slam of next year, an event he has won just once back in 2009. “My plan is to play Abu Dhabi in December and then in a tournament before Australia and then the Australian Open. That’s my goal,” Nadal said. “We’re working hard to make it happen.
The Spaniard said, “The injury in my foot still needs to get a little better, but I’m already training almost an hour and a half a day so that’s positive. Some days are better than others, but I’m starting to have a lot more positive days than negative ones.”
2. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic was named in the Serbian team for the ATP Cup in January in Sydney, although he is yet to commit to the Australian Open following the organizers’ mandate for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Djokovic is still uncertain whether he will take part in 2022 Australian Open but will soon make a decision. He has repeatedly declined to reveal whether he has been vaccinated against COVID-19, with his father Srdjan telling Serbia’s Prva television last week that the world’s top-ranked player would probably pull out of the tournament.
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✅ US Open F
✅ #NittoATPFinals SFThe end of another remarkable ATP Tour season for @DjokerNole. #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/X6HHTG4WHY
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 20, 2021
“I know what you want to ask but I am not going to give you an answer tonight,” Djokovic told a virtual news conference after a question about when he might be expected on the court again.
All the players participating at the Australian Open must be vaccinated for January’s Grand Slam, tournament chief Craig Tiley confirmed. This confusion piled more pressure on Novak Djokovic, who has refused to reveal if he has been jabbed.
The Victoria state government made clear last month there would be no concessions for unvaccinated players.
3. Dominic Thiem
The world No. 12, Dominic Thiem is set to return at the 2022 Australian Open.
The former World No. 3 has been recovering from a right wrist injury that he sustained at the Mallorca Championships in June. Thiem revealed that he would not require surgery on his wrist, which prevented him from defending his US Open title in September.
Set to play the Australian Open, Dominic Thiem is already warming up for 2022
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— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) December 8, 2021
“I am very happy to announce that my recovery is going well. The MRI I did today showed that my wrist injury has improved significantly. A couple of weeks ago I started playing with softballs and was able to switch to normal tennis balls during yesterday’s practice session,” Thiem wrote on Twitter.
“I’ll be returning to competition in December and will be playing the MWTC 2021 in Abu Dhabi – with the objective to return to the tour for the 2022 Australian Open,” the Austrian announced.
4. Daniil Medvedev
How can we forget about him? He is the man who has the capability to challenge any top player in the world. The world number 2 player recently won the US Open and is well on course to achieve greatness. The Russian player also laid his hands on the prestigious Davis Cup.
Throwback to this wholesome and priceless moment between Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev from the Australian Open 2021 trophy ceremony.
Always brings a smile to my face. pic.twitter.com/IOPsGoobaS
— Srihari (@srihariravi12) September 11, 2021
Also, the Russian is all set to lead the Russian squad in the upcoming ATP that is scheduled to take place on Australian grounds. Also, he is one of the top contenders to lay his hands on the upcoming Australian Open. Should he win, he will have a golden chance to overtake Novak Djokovic and claim the top spot in ATP rankings.