Australian Open 2023: Complete Predictions for Men's and Women's Draw
Novak Djokovic has dominated the Australian Open for more than a decade. He won the major tournament nine times from 2008-21, and he had been on a roll at the event from 2019-21, capturing the men's singles title each year during that span.
Djokovic's streak ended in 2022, though. In fact, the Serb didn't even participate in the tournament, as his COVID-19 vaccination status prevented him from competing. This year, the 35-year-old is back at Melbourne Park, and he may even win another championship.
The 2023 Australian Open gets underway Monday, with a host of top men's and women's tennis players beginning to compete for a Grand Slam title. Rafael Nadal will be looking to win the men's singles championship for a second straight year, as he won the tournament for the second time in 2022 (his first came in 2009).
There won't be a repeat winner in the women's singles tournament, as 2022 champion Ashleigh Barty has since retired. Naomi Osaka, who won the tournament in both 2019 and 2021, also won't be competing as she recently announced she is pregnant.
Here's everything you need to know about this year's Australian Open, followed by predictions for both the men's and women's singles tournaments.
2023 Australian Open Info
1 of 3
Dates: Jan. 16-29
Site: Melbourne Park
TV: ESPN and ESPN2
Live Stream: ESPN+ and ESPN app
Men's Predictions
2 of 3
Novak Djokovic's nine Australian Open titles are three more than any other men's singles player in the event's history. Now, he's set to begin a quest for a 10th championship.
However, Djokovic isn't the top seed in the men's draw. He's the No. 4 seed, below Rafael Nadal (No. 1), Casper Ruud (No. 2) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 3). Those three men are the most likely to prevent Djokovic from emerging victorious in his return to the Australian Open.
Other top contenders include No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 7 Daniil Medvedev, No. 19 Nick Kyrgios and more.
But whenever Djokovic is in the Australian Open field, he's going to be the favorite. And he's likely to have a deep run through the tournament, perhaps even ending up on top yet again.
Djokovic has gotten off to a strong start in 2023, as he won the Adelaide International 1 earlier this month. That run included a victory over Medvedev in the semifinals.
The top challenger standing in Djokovic's way could be Kyrgios. The 27-year-old Australian will have the support of the home crowd, and it seems probable he'll face Djokovic in the quarterfinals. If that's the case, Kyrgios could pull off an upset, considering he's 2-1 in his career against Djokovic, with both victories coming on hard courts.
However, Djokovic beat Kyrgios in the only previous meeting between the two at a Grand Slam event (the 2022 Wimbledon final). And Djokovic always takes his game to another level on the biggest stages.
Expect Djokovic to get past Kyrgios and reach the final. But who will he meet there?
Nadal always has a chance to get to the end of a major tournament, but the 36-year-old Spaniard has lost his past two matches and will face some tough competition at the Australian Open. The prediction here is that Nadal will lose in the quarterfinals to Medvedev, who will reach the final of this tournament for the second consecutive year.
But Medvedev will be no match for Djokovic, who will reclaim his spot atop the podium by winning yet another Australian Open title. It's just too hard to pick against him at this event.
Prediction: Djokovic over Medvedev in final
Women's Predictions
3 of 3
Iga Świątek had quite a successful year in 2022. The 21-year-old from Poland won the second and third Grand Slam titles of her career, as she was victorious at both the French Open and the U.S. Open.
However, Świątek has never won the Australian Open. That could change soon, as she enters this year's tournament as the No. 1 seed and a favorite to win the event.
Last year, Świątek reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, marking her best showing in four appearances at the tournament. But she couldn't get past Danielle Collins, who knocked off Świątek by winning in two straight sets.
Collins, who is the No. 13 seed this year, could again be among the top contenders in the women's singles tournament at Melbourne Park. No. 2 Ons Jabeur, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Carolina Garcia, No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 7 Coco Gauff will also be players to watch.
Świątek should make it to the final out of the top half of the draw. She's poised to carry over her momentum from last year, when she proved she's capable of beating the other top-ranked women on big stages.
As for the bottom half of the bracket, Sabalenka appears most likely to make a deep run through the tournament. The 24-year-old from Belarus just won the Adelaide International 1 earlier this month (without even losing a set), and she should carry over that momentum to the Australian Open, where she's never made it past the fourth round in five appearances.
A matchup between Świątek and Sabalenka would be exciting, as each of their past two meetings has gone a full three sets. That includes when Świątek defeated Sabalenka in the semifinals at last year's U.S. Open.
Also, Świątek and Sabalenka have split their four head-to-head matchups that have taken place on hard courts.
While either Świątek or Sabalenka could win the Australian Open for the first time, the former is more likely to do so. Świątek should live up to the billing as the top seed by having an impressive run through the tournament, capping it off with a victory over Sabalenka to take the title.
Prediction: Świątek over Sabalenka in final
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
