Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek face stern however vastly completely different early assessments because the respective males’s and ladies’s prime seeds headline the day-one Australian Open motion in Melbourne.
Winless in two matches on the season-opening United Cup in Sydney, Nadal will not have the luxurious of easing into his Open title defence in opposition to rising British star Jack Draper.
Draper, at a career-high thirty eighth on this planet after a formidable begin to the summer season, is among the many most harmful unseeded gamers within the draw, because the likes of top-10 heavyweights Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime know too effectively after succumbing to the 21-year-old final season.
“Probably one of the toughest first rounds possible, being seeded. Young, powerful, growing very, very fast on the ranking, playing well,” Nadal mentioned of his challenger.
“A big challenge for me at the beginning to start the tournament. Let’s see. I’m here to just give myself a chance.
“I do know he is taking part in effectively. He has plenty of optimistic issues, and doubtless a terrific profession in entrance.
“I hope to be ready to fight for that first round and let’s see what can happen.”
A victor simply as soon as in his previous six matches, the nice Spaniard must emerge from a rut which will clarify why males’s tennis’s most prolific main winner stunned onlookers when he hurled his racquet, most un-Nadal like, into the court docket in frustration throughout follow on Friday.
“I don’t know if I had in the past those results,” mentioned the 22-time grand slam champion.
“(But) that’s part of our journey. You need to live with your personal momentum. My personal momentum is not bad, I tell you. I am good and happy. I’m practising well.
“Then I must win a few matches. If that may occur right here – I hope.”
Nadal’s vanquished 2022 final opponent Daniil Medvedev is another big name in action on Monday.
Runner-up also in 2021, to Novak Djokovic, Medvedev is somewhat flying under the radar entering his first-round meeting with American Marcos Garon after tumbling from world No.1 to eighth.
Seeded seventh, the Russian is projected to face Nadal in the quarter-finals.
Jason Kubler, John Millman and Rinky Hijikata are the only Australian men playing on Monday, with seeded big guns Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur starting on Tuesday.
Swiatek, the reigning French and US Open champion and bidding for the third leg of a career grand slam, launches her title quest against German Jule Niemeier.
The Polish world No.1 ousted the 68th-ranked Niemeier from the US Open in September in their only previous encounter.
But after withdrawing from the Adelaide International 2 with a shoulder problem, and being thumped by world No.3 Jessica Pegula in her most recent outing at the United Cup, Swiatek’s fitness will be under the microscope on Rod Laver Arena on Monday night.
Pegula, triumphant United Cup US teammate Madison Keys, last year’s Open runner-up Danielle Collins, fellow American seed Coco Gauff and Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also feature on day one.
Wildcards Olivia Gadecki, Storm Hunter and Talia Gibson will fly the Australian flag.
