Djokovic, who was deported last year, is back and has his sights set on tying Rafael Nadal for a men’s record 22 Grand Slam singles titles.
In Barty’s stead, Australians have Kyrgios to cheer — the country’s highest ranked player and most talented by any metric. Whether he can control his self-defeating antics long enough to reach the final — as he did at Wimbledon last year — is the question.
Then there is his repertoire of shots. “He doesn’t have the biggest serve, doesn’t necessarily hit the hardest,” Davenport added. “But he can play the shots wherever he wants, get to anything on the court, and get there and be on balance when he makes contact.” Two questions remain: Will Djokovic’s balky hamstring impede his progress? And how might he be affected by his relatively limited competition last season — barred not only from the Australian Open but also from the U.S. Open and the American hard-court circuit that preceded it?
He played in 12 tournaments in 2022, compared with the 26 apiece of world No. 3 Casper Ruud and No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas.At his age, and with more big-match experience than any rival on tour , it’s possible Djokovic will be well-served by playing a limited schedule last season.In view of veteran ESPN commentator and former Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe, the hamstring is the only relevant question.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s the clear favorite,” McEnroe said of Djokovic during a recent conference call. “Even if Alcaraz were in the tournament, he’d be the clear favorite, but the hamstring is certainly a bit of an issue.”
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