It’s hotting up down under! Updates, analysis and storylines from the Australian Open

As we approach the business end of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the stakes could not be higher. The first week provided plenty of talking points, huge upsets, unlikely young players breaking through and the predictable steady progress of seasoned champions. 

Let’s take a deep dive into the main talking points so far and preview the final stages of this thrilling tournament.

Murray the story of the first week
 

Where better to start than with British living legend and two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray? At nearly 36 years old, as the only player in the draw competing with a metal hip and having almost retired at this very event four years ago after a catalogue of injuries, Murray continues to defy the odds, producing back-to-back five-set wins, including over ‘the Hammer’ Matteo Berrettini. 

Five times a runner up at this event, Murray has given British fans a reminder of the glory days from a decade ago when he lifted the first of his two Wimbledon titles. Yet this time around, bruised by too many hours on the court (his second-round match finished shortly after 4am), the former world number one succumbed in the third round looking positively punch-drunk. Nevertheless, the signs are positive and experts are tipping him for a successful grass-court season. Can he return to the top of the sport?
 

Top seeds tumbling out

Meanwhile, the early rounds produced more than a few surprises, with a number of highly ranked players suffering premature and unexpected tournament exits. Overwhelming favourite and World No. 1 ranked player on the women’s side, Iga Swiatek, was dumped out before the QF stage, while both first and second seed on the men’s side, including defending champion Rafael Nadal, didn’t even make it past the second round. 

Jabeur’s early loss meant the top two seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws were eliminated before the quarter-finals, the first time this has happened since 1968. It is a clear demonstration of how evenly matched both fields are, while Nadal’s limp, injury-conditioned loss provides further signs that the era of The Big Three has run its course. With fresh faces breaking through, and his body consistently letting him down, is this the end of the road for the Spaniard? 

Perhaps few would be surprised should he decide to hang up his racket at the close of the season, that said it would leave a cavernous hole to fill at the summit of the men’s game. 

The early exits of pre-tournament favourites have blown both draws wide open, particularly the women’s side, and continues the topsy-turvy trend of recent years, with top female players either absent (Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep) or taking early retirement (Ashleigh Barty), and young upcomers unable to produce consistently enough to dominate. Swiatek’s loss at the hands of big-serving Elena Rybakina, last year’s Wimbledon champion, must surely put the Kazakh as one of the favourites. At the time of writing, Rybakina is due to face previous champion Victoria Azarenka in the semi-finals and must surely be fancying her chances. Coming into the tournament, she was still somewhat of a dark horse despite being the reigning Wimbledon champion.

Breakthrough moment for young starts

The tournament has also seen breakthrough moments for some underdogs, with first time QF appearances for 21-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka and 22-year-old Seb Korda (son of former champion Petr); perhaps this early season success will prove a turning point in their careers. Meanwhile, American Ben Shelton, on his first trip outside the United States, who this time last year was ranked outside the top 500, has pulled off an incredible performance, reaching the QF stage. Can the left-hander be the first male American to win a Slam since Andy Roddick way back in 2003? 

The main questions from the men’s side as we approach the semi-final and final stage relate to the form and fitness of nine-time champion Novak Djokovic. The Serb, unable to compete in last year’s tournament, hasn’t lost in Melbourne since 2018, a run stretching back to 25 matches, though has raised concerns in the early rounds of nursing a hamstring injury. 

World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas, the highest seed remaining in the draw, is in red-hot form and looks to be the main contender to break Djokovic’s stranglehold on the event. The Greek player has come close to winning a Slam before – he reached the final in last year’s French Open – can he get over the line this time around? First, he will have to navigate a tricky opponent in Russian Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals. 

While doubts have been raised over the veracity of Djokovic’s fitness concerns, hampered or not, the Serb remains the player to beat, as he proved at this tournament two years ago when he played through injury on his way to the title. A tenth title would see him draw level with Nadal on 22 Grand Slams in the race to become the most celebrated male player of all time. Incentive enough, I would imagine.

As for the women’s draw, Azarenka is the only previous champion remaining. While the Belarusian certainly brings the experience, she will not have an easy task against the field. She will have to contend with hungry competitors eyeing their maiden Grand Slam title such as former world No. 1 Karolína Plíšková and fellow Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Can Azarenka add a third AO crown ten years on from her previous success or will Rybakina have the last word? Stay tuned for the latest developments in this exhilarating tournament!