Some high-brow and high-class sport awaits this week: Formula 1 and Tennis!

Formula 1 Australian GP

After 3 years of anticipation, we can finally welcome back the Australian GP to the Formula 1 calendar in Melbourne! Albert Park will play host to the 3rd race of a 2022 season that has already been packed with drama!

We expect even more fireworks will fly in Melbourne, not least because, after a 3-year absence, a lot has changed with Albert Park. Since the last Grand Prix here in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic was even imaginable, the track has seen some rather interesting modifications that could guarantee us more exciting racing. A few of the turns have been widened, and the biggest alteration has been the removal of the chicane at Turn 9 and Turn 10, meaning there is a much longer high-speed straight run before the following turn. These changes have been implemented to allow for greater overtaking opportunities, which in turn, should guarantee a far more thrilling race!

These changes will be new to every driver, but who can find an advantage? The immediate favourites, of course, will be the winning drivers from the first two GPs of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia: Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen. The winner of the Drivers’ Championship last season, Verstappen, will come into this race highly motivated following a sensational victory in Jeddah, which saw the Dutch driver overtake Leclerc late on into the race. That dramatic finale prevented Leclerc from winning back-to-back Grand Prix races, having already finished 1st in Bahrain, but nevertheless the Monaco-born Ferrari driver has had a sensational start to the season. As he has finished 1st and 2nd in the two races, Leclerc sits top of the championship on 45 points, and he will be desperate to extend his lead further at the top of the table.

The neck-and-neck rivalry between these two drivers is equally reflected in both Constructor teams, Ferrari and Red Bull. As mentioned, Leclerc (Ferrari) and Verstappen (Red Bull) have one win each to their name, but throughout both races there have been clear indications that these two teams could develop a competitive rivalry all the way until November. It’s not just between these two, either, as Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) only add to this exciting new battle between these two teams. Sainz is currently 2nd in the leader board having finished 2nd and 3rd in the two races so far, whereas Pérez has a pole to his name from the Saudi Grand Prix, eventually finishing 4th.

Elsewhere on the grid, we simply cannot ignore Daniel Ricciardo’s long-awaited return to his home Grand Prix. The Australian has never finished on the podium at Albert Park (he has 2x 4th finishes to his name) but following a 3-year wait to return to racing in Australia, he will be desperate to finish in the Top 3 in front of his home crowd. The race ‘down under’ will also welcome back Sebastian Vettel, who was absent in the last 2 races due to a positive COVID test. The 4-time World Champion will return to an Australian Grand Prix that he has won on 3 occasions (2011, 2017, 2018) and, now with Aston Martin, Vettel will hope to finish 1st here once again in order to kickstart his 2022 season.

2022 Monte-Carlo Masters – ATP Masters 1000

Off the track and onto the court. The Monte-Carlo Masters heralds the start of the clay season, and we can certainly expect a fantastic tournament in an equally fantastic location!

One of the most important talking points is the fact that Rafael Nadal, the ‘King of Clay’, is injured and will not be appearing in Monaco. Having recently won the Australian Open, it is a frustrating blow for the Spaniard, even more so given that the Monte-Carlo Masters is a tournament that he usually shines in: he has been crowned champion here a remarkable 11 times, which included a staggering 8-year run of consecutive victories. He may have only reached the quarterfinals last year here, but nevertheless, it is one player less for the other competitors to worry about.

It’s not just him, as the World Number 2 Daniil Medvedev will also be absent due to injury. With Nadal and Medvedev out of the way, who could be one of the favourites? The immediate one to consider is Stefanos Tsitsipas, as the Greek star was the one who won in Monte-Carlo last year. He will enter as 3rd seed here, slightly ahead of 5th seed Andrey Rublev, who finished as runner-up here last year. The Russian, an Olympic gold medallist in the mixed doubles, will be desperate to go one better this time.

Of course, on paper, the main favourite will be Novak Djokovic. The World Number 1 won the Monte-Carlo Masters in both 2013 and 2015, but the main concern for the Serbian is that he has only appeared in one tournament so far this season (in Dubai). Therefore, could he be rather rusty? Someone who will want to take advantage of that will be Alexander Zverev. The German giant must be careful however, after receiving a warning and a fine following his outburst on the court in Mexico in February. He risks further punishment and disqualification if the behaviour continues.

What about some of the underdogs? Look no further than Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard, at just 18 years old, won the most recent Miami Open on this ATP Tour, and there is certainly the possibility that this dark horse could win back-to-back tournaments here. What’s more, Alcaraz has an exciting future ahead on clay courts, especially since he broke the record at the French Open last year for the youngest player to reach the Third Round since 1992. His victory at the Miami Open was at the expense of Norwegian Casper Ruud, who finished runner-up, and he will be extremely eager to get hold of a trophy in Monte-Carlo. Ruud himself is extremely talented on clay, so perhaps he can make the most of playing on his favoured surface?

It is certain to be a thrilling contest, don’t miss it!