Australian Open 2023: Dates, Venue, Top Seeds, Draw, Format Explainer, Defending Champions, and Prize Money
The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually in Melbourne Park in Melbourne over the last fortnight of January. The Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments held each year.
Twelve months on from Covid-19 drama and political controversy, all the focus should be firmly on the court as the Australian Open gets underway on Monday. A year after being controversially deported for not complying with the Covid-19 vaccination restrictions that were in place, Novak Djokovic makes his return to Melbourne Park looking to win a record 10th Australian Open title.
The Serb has been given two injury scares in the lead-up to the first major of the season, with hamstring tightness troubling him in Adelaide last week and a knee issue forcing him to abandon a practice match on Tuesday. Reigning champion Rafael Nadal has also endured a less than perfect preparation and lost twice in the United Cup, but has batted away injury concerns as he looks for a record 23rd Grand Slam title.
Home favourite Nick Kyrgios is also short of fitness after picking up an ankle injury in Dubai last month and the usual concerns surround his quests for a maiden Grand Slam crown, while world No1 Carlos Alcaraz, also pulled out of the tournament because of injury.
In the women’s tournament, world No1 Iga Swiatek is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Ashleigh Barty, who triumphed at Melbourne Park last year before retiring two months later. The Pole won the French Open and US Open last year, part of an astonishing run that saw her made nine finals and win eight tournaments. Here’s all you need to know ahead of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year –
Schedule
The first major of 2023 gets underway on Monday, January 16 at its traditional home in Melbourne Park and will end with the Men’s Singles final on January 29. The Women’s Singles final is scheduled for January 28 and the same goes for the Men’s and Women’s Doubles, which get underway on January 18. The Mixed Doubles, meanwhile, run from January 19 to January 29.
Venues
The Australian Open matches will be at Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, John Cain Arena, and outside courts at Melbourne Park.
Format
As is the case with all Grand Slams, the 2023 edition of the Wimbledon will see the knockout format wherein the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, whose winner becomes the tournament champion.
Top Seeds
Rafael Nadal is the defending men’s singles champion of the Australian Open 2023
Defending champion Rafael Nadal makes his return to the tournament as the top seed. The 22-time Grand Slam winner is the second-ranked player in Men’s Singles. After the withdrawal of World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal will be the top seed in this edition. He is aiming to lift his 23rd Grand Slam title.
He will however face a big challenge from Novak Djokovic. The nine-time champion is making his return after a ban last year. He will be the fourth seed and is eyeing his 10th title at the event. Meanwhile, Casper Ruud is slated to be the No.2 seed. Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the third seed. Both these players are eyeing their maiden Grand Slam title.
In the Women’s Singles, World No.1 Iga Swiatek will be the top seed. She will be entering the tournament as one of the favourites. She is aiming to lift her first title at the Australian Open. Other women players who could lift their maiden title include Ons Jabeur.
Meanwhile, USA’s Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff also will be the title contenders. 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu faces a fitness battle after being forced to retire at ASB Classic. The draws for the main round will be unveiled on Thursday, 12th January 2023.
Draw
Top seed and defending champion Nadal has received a tough draw with his first-round opponent being Great Britain’s Jack Draper. Nadal could face USA’s Frances Tiafoe in the fourth round, having lost to the 24-year-old at the same stage in last year’s US Open. His potential quarterfinal opponent could be Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a repeat of last year’s final. Djokovic will be up against Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain in the first round.
Top seed and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek faces a tricky first-round opponent in Germany’s Jule Niemeier, 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finals. Three-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek could face seventh-seeded American Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals in a potential rematch of the 2022 French Open final.
Name of the trophies
The men’s singles championship trophy is called the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, named after Australian tennis great Sir Norman Everard Brookes. He won three Grand Slam titles in his career: Wimbledon in 1907 and 1914 and the 1911 Australasian Championships. He was also a part of the nation’s Davis Cup team that emerged victorious on six occasions. Post-retirement, Brookes went on to become the president of the LTAA.
The women’s singles championship trophy is called the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, named after the winner in 1925-26 and 1928-30. Akhurst was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame on Australia Day (26 January) in 2006. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.
Defending Champions
Rafael Nadal captured a record 21st Grand Slam singles crown after coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an epic final at the Rod Laver Arena in men’s singles. A day earlier, Ash Barty beat Danielle Collins in straight sets to end Australia’s 44-year wait for a singles champion in Melbourne.
Prize Money
The prize pool for this year’s tournament is a record-high $ 76.5 million, a 3.4 per cent increase from last year. Singles champions will make $ 2.97 million each, while the winning teams in the men’s and women’s doubles will land $695,000. Reaching the second round in the singles tournaments returns just north of $106,000.