Sofia Kenin is locked in, again

Sofia Kenin

Sofia Kenin is finally back, and she is playing substantially better, although she still has more work, during in the matches.

She almost beat the fine Czech player Barbora Krejcikova in the final at San Diego, but she did give up a few important errors. However, currently she is in Guadalajara, Mexico, and she has won twice, so she must be locked in. After she won the 2020 Australian Open, she began to slip, month after month, and eventually she was out of the top 100, losing all the time. She was frozen, and she swung way outside, almost into the fence. Yet currently, she is much more patient, not only can she crush the ball with her forehand, her backhand and first serve but will throw in an impressive drop shot.

On Monday, she will crack the top 50, or even higher, and then she could be much more consistent, and improve her return. But the 24-year-old can be fragile. She has to figure out how reshape her game.

Krejcikova had an excellent tournament and now she is ranked No. 10, again. She won 2021 Roland Garros. Can Krejcikova could grab another huge title? She can be balanced.

How about this? According  with CasinoAlpha, Coco Gauff “gained 195,480 Instagram followers and 110,200 followers on TikTok following her US Open finals win.” That is a huge amount

At the Davis Cup last week, the United States could not advanced, which was surprising. They lost against  Finland,  3-0, when Otto Virtanenbeat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(7), then  Emil Ruusuvuori beat Tommy Paul (USA) 7-6(1) 6-4, and Harri Heliovaara/Patrick Kaukovalta took down Austin Krajicek/Rajeev Ram (USA) 6-7(6) 7-6(5) [10-8]. How that happened, we have no idea. Yes, Finland is very good, but for the Americans, maybe it was just traveling right after the US Open. Maybe.

The now No. 1 Novak Djokovic has just pulled out of  Shanghai. It is hard to tell when he will play again — outside of the Laver Cup — maybe in Vienna or Basel? He will decide, one way or another. … American Sebastian Korda is in the tournament, called Huafa Properties Zhuhai, in China.

Korda said this about the No. 19 Ben Shelton, who reached the semis at the US Open against Djokovic: “I think Ben did a great job at the US Open. He just really showed the world what he’s capable of and what he can do in the near future. And he’s got a great game. (He is) powerful, entertaining (and he) loves to kind of interact with fans. I think it’s awesome. It definitely pushes all of us to do better. And obviously, it shows the way, that it is possible for someone like him, or of any age, to be out there performing like him.”

Taylor Fritz in Atlanta: ‘He needs to be stronger, more explosive’

Taylor Fritz
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

The American men are now playing the hellacious hard courts. The grass is finally finished, and while there are some other players who went back again on the clay, for the next three weeks, but many other people want to grab and go in the United States.

None of the guys have won Toronto or Montreal, or Cincinnati, or the U.S. Open. Yes, they have won some of the ATP 250s in the summer, but they could not win the ATP 1000s. Well good luck, once again.

Here they are, ready to hop again, such as Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda, the top 30 players. Fritz is playing in Atlanta this week, but they other players decided not to. However, the rising Christopher Eubanks is there, as he is ranked in the top 31. That is really good, considering that last year, he was out of the top 100. He has improved a lot.

Since Fritz reached the semis in Monte Carlo in early April, he lost against  Andrey Rublev on clay, and he didn’t win hardly at all after that. On the tough grass, at Wimbledon, he lost in the second round, darn  early. But while he was struggling, he knew that he needed to really train, very hard. His fine coach, Michael Russell, also played on the tour for many years. There were some tough moments, but he just kept going, and he added some new shots. Really, as Russell said, each week, you can be intense and drive, again. Here is what he said on ATPTour.com: “We’re looking to have a good hard-court season coming up. He trained really hard after Wimbledon, and I think that’s given him a lot of motivation,” Russell said.

“On the grass the margins are so fine; a few of the matches he lost were so close. It can come down to a couple of tie-breaks and a couple of shots. But in general, I feel that he’s been playing well and his fitness is getting better, which is the main thing. He needs to be stronger, more explosive.”

At least Fritz won the 2022 Indian Wells, an ATP Masters 1000, but again, in 2023 in the summer, he didn’t win enough with some key matches. At the U.S. Open, another American in the first round, against the new, young  player, Brandon Holt. One was happy, and the other was sad.

Fritz will face against Wu Yibing on Thursday. Also, in Atlanta, J.J. Wolf will face against Maxime Cressy. That could be a very close match, a wild, three-set encounter.

The picks at Wimbledon: Wednesday, July 5

Sebastian Korda
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Barbora Krejcikova over Heather Watson

Over the past 13 years, the Britain has put together some nice wins. Watson can really hustle, and she can also play hour after hour, but the reason why is she has yet to reach the top 35. Maybe  because her heavy strokes isn’t hard enough.

Krejcikova looks pretty darn good, and while she can play up and down, when she is concerning, she can pulp the ball. She is awesome at the net, and she can also return, pretty deep. However, from the backcourt, she can hit it too short. In a sense, though, she is pretty confident, when she won 2021 Roland Garros.

Yes, that is on clay, but on the grass, Krejcikova will be slightly confident, and she will win it in two secure sets.

Donna Vekic over Shuai Zhang
The Chinese Zhang has lost eight matches in a row, which is surprising, given that last year, she beat some very good players, but she is slipping, big time.

Vekic plays a lot, week after week, and this year, she moved forward. She can miss some odd-shots, but she can also roar with her backhand. She looked very good in Berlin, so perhaps at the Slams, she will continue to rise. At least in the first round, she will win it in two easy sets.

Sebastian Korda over Jiri Vesely

It seems like Korda is playing much better than he did it three months ago, as he was hurt, so he had to stop. However, at Queen’s, he finally looked very good, reaching the semis. He can be strong, and nail his forehand and his backhand. He is not perfect, yet, but he is getting better, year after year. The older Czech Vesely has had some terrific matches, but he is aging, and while the 6-foot-6 player has hit a number of aces, but in the backcourt, he can fall down. Korda will win it in four hard sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Andy Murray over Ryan Peniston

Matt’s picks from Wimbledon

1 out of 1, 100% correct

Novak Djokovic: the Wimbledon favorite

Novak Djokovic
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

When Wimbledon starts, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be the favorites, but it is possible that the American men Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda can go deep into the second week.
 
The former champ John McEnroe said, “I think Taylor is a confident kid. He’s worked really hard on his movement and fitness, which is the reason to me he’s in the top 10,” McEnroe said. “He hits a great ball. I don’t think he’s actually that comfortable on grass. I think Tiafoe is a better volleyer and more skilled at net, athletically better. That would help him on the grass. Taylor hits a better ball and is a bigger guy. His serve is probably a little bit more dependable.”

Neither of them have reached very far at Wimbledon, although they are pretty young. They have to be more consistent and attack pretty early. In order to win point after point, they can construct their strokes. And, of course, they have to be totally locked in, all the time.

“Both of them would be in the quarters of Alcaraz or Djokovic, which would make it more difficult. I think at this time those two and maybe [Sebastian] Korda are the guys. Tommy Paul looks like he’s fallen off at the moment a little bit,” McEnroe said. “Hopefully he’ll get it back. I think there’s going to be guys soon, Americans, that are going to make the breakthrough within a year or two hopefully. I think that’s going to be big.”

Yes it will, as the U.S. men have not won a Grand Slam since 2003 at the US Open with Andy Roddick won it. It might be 20-years-ago in September that they cannot win another Slam again. But before that, in England, you can actually play longer in the rallies. They don’t have to slide all the time, and they can actually return, more. In the 1990s, there were some really quick rallies, and with millions of aces.

“The people that can add that adaptability and finish points at net successfully, like an Alcaraz, for example, who is a really good volleyer, Novak learned it, so did Rafa [Nadal],” McEnroe said. “I believe that’s why Tiafoe has a shot because he’s skilled at net. That will help you get over the hump at Wimbledon. Yes, it’s more homogenized. Yes, it’s more like hard courts. The bounce is higher, but there’s still a nuance that only a few get it.


“Look at [Casper] Ruud, for example. He’s regarding this as he’s showing up, hoping for the best. He could be out in the first round or two. [Stefanos] Tsitsipas doesn’t seem to be comfortable at all, can’t figure out how to play on the grass. There’s an opening. There’s many guys that don’t even understand it, or girls for that matter. That’s why it’s pretty narrowed down who can actually win it. That’s why Novak can afford not to play any tournament because he’s so confident, he understands what it takes, he doesn’t feel the need to play any warmup matches and he still wins it almost every year.”

Yes, he is the now 23-Grand-Slam champion. Djokovic really thinks that he can win another major once again. However, he can lose here and there, so at Wimbledon, he can become lost during a match, and he will fall down. Or maybe Alcaraz will rise, now.

As he said: “Novak is the main favorite to win Wimbledon, but I will try to play at this level to have chances to beat him or make the final. I saw a statistic that Novak has won more matches at Wimbledon than the other top 20 players (combined),” the Spaniard Alcaraz said. “What can you say about that you know? Novak is the main favorite to win Wimbledon. That’s obvious. But I will try to play at this level, to have chances to beat him or make the final at Wimbledon.”

On the grass: Will Carlos Alcaraz rise again?

Carlos Alcaraz
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz can be totally be on fire. He is a huge hitter, as is with some strong forehands,  and his phenomenal backhand. However, the very young player can be nervous, once and a while, and he knows that when he has to face against Novak Djokovic, he has to really concentrate. Unfortunately, in the semis at Roland Garros, he stopped thinking, in the third and the fourth set. He began to get hurt, and he lost,  6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, and he was quickly gone. Also, his brain was collapsing.

“The tension of the match. I started match really nervous,” he said. “The tension of  the first set, the second set, it was really intense two sets.  Really good rallies, tough rallies, dropshots, sprints, rallies. It’s a combination of a lot of things. And I started to cramp, in my arm. At the beginning of the third set I started to cramp every part of my body, not only the legs. The arms, as well. It was really tough for me to move at the third set, and in the fourth set let’s say I had a little chance, but it was really tough.”

Alcaraz  did win the 2022 U.S Open and in May, he won Barcelona and Madrid. It looked like he had a good shot, in Paris, but he fell down. Just like the other Spaniard, Rafa Nadal, when he was 20-years-old, he began rise, fast, winning RG in his first Grand Slam title. However, his forehand was amazing, but his backhand was too short, and his serve was pretty good, but not great. Of course, he worked and he worked all the time, changing his tactics, and adding to it. Now, he has won 22 Grand Slams, at RG, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. The now 37-year-old figured it out, but it took him more many year. 

The same thing goes with the No. 1 Djokovic, who won his first Slam at the Aussie Open, and while he was running so fast, and his backhand incredible, his forehand was good, but not great, and his second serve and at the net needed to grow, more. Alcaraz also needs to be more consistent.

“Is not easy to play against Novak. Of course a legend of our sport. If someone says that he get into the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies,” Alcaraz said. “ Yeah, next time that I’m gonna face Novak, I hope to be different, but the nerves will be there.”
 
NOTES
The teenager Ben Shelton  lost against Lorenzo Musetti  6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The Italian can look terrific, but there are times when he forgets what to do. But this week, he will try to push even harder.  Shelton is ranked No. 34, so he does have a small shot to be seated at Wimbledon, but he may not, as a few people can get injured and they pull out before, but you never know.

Sebastian Korda beat  Frances Tiafoe, who just won  an event, but he looked tired. He has looked very good on the hardcourts, but before last week, he was struggling. This time, he was much more CONSISTENT.

The Floridian Korda has improved over the past few years, but he is still young, so he 22-year-old can miss it a lot. Yes he really goes, but also, he can mix it up. At the Cinch Championships in London, we will see how well he is playing against Cameron Norrie, a very competitor. They are very close…
Taylor Fritz  looks very decent, but on the grass, he needs to really lock it in, like he did in 2022. Last year, he won Eastbourne, and then at Wimbledon, in the quarters, he was right there, but Nadal edged him 7-6(4) in the fifth set. He has to be thinking about it a lot, but he has another chance over the next month… 

Where is Reilly Opelka? He is still injured but he hopes to resume in August as he is recovering from a wrist injury. Very good luck, but on the court, it will take a long time  to be 100 percent again.

The picks at Roland Garros: Sunday, May 28

John Isner
Tom Grason

Roland Garros has started already, in 15 days, with a lot of competitors, 256 men and women in the singles. That is a lot. It would be impossible to walk over at the event, sit down near the chair, and match for three games, and then, go to another one, and another, and another, and another… Possibly, in Paris, you could see 24 matches, but not much. Try it out. Or words…

Match predictions were written before start of play.

John Isner over Nuno Borges
The older American has gone deep on the hardcourts and the grass, too, but he has really beaten the excellent competiteors on clay. Yes, the tall man has 14,222 aces, the most ever, but he has yet to win a Grand Slam. His forehand is huge, but his backhand is marginal. Now, he has to turn it on, and he did reach into the fourth round three times, but he could not crack into the quarters. To do it again would be surprising, as he is 38-year- old, so pretty soon, he will retire.

Borges has had a mediocre year, even though the Portugal can be consistent, and with some solid spin, but he has yet to win a match at the French Open, ever, so Isner will grab it in five, long, sets.

Sebastian Korda over Mackenzie McDonald
This is a toss-up, as Korda is just returned, and McDonald has put together a few excellent matches at the beginning of the year. He is very consistent, he is quick, running around, and he can smack his backhand. But over the past two months, he did not win hardly at all.

Korda can hit both sides, with his heavy forehand. He can really run, and he can returns pretty decent. Korda can trip up, but he wants to go into the top 20 this year, so in the first round, he will win it in three, simple sets.

Camila Giorgi over Alize Cornet
Will this be the French woman retire next year? You never know, as last year, she thought that this will be the end, but she stayed on, and because of that, she is still pretty good. She is not great, though, but she still puts together some wonderful winners. On the hardcourts, she won some wonderful matches, but she travels all the time, so when she is confused, on court, she can lose pretty early.

The same goes with Giorgi, the Italian can split the ball, and she can play with some hard shots, but she can also hit into the middle, and not deep enough. However she has had a few tournaments this year, really trying how to figure it out and really go for it when the time is right there. It will be a very close match, but Giorgi will edge Cornet in a dramatic, three sets.

Jessica Pegula over Danielle Collins
She has certainly better over the past two years, and Pegula has decided to really meld it up, and attack if she feels that she can put it on the lines. She is a true submarine, and she can also rush into the net, and put it away. There are times when she back off, and that is why that she has not gone deep at Roland Garros. Maybe she is ready to do it right now.

Collins can looks be brave, and she can slam at it almost immediately. Her forehand is big, and her backhand is pretty solid, but she will miss a lot of errors. She has had a medicare year, and they last time that they met, in Miami, Pegula beat her in two, tough, sets.

Perhaps in the second week, the No. 2 Pegula will fine reach it into the semis at Roland Garros for for the first time. As she said, “That would be another amazing result for me, especially on clay, I think to go further, I think you have to get to those points first and you have to just keep playing your game every single match. And I think that that’s what helps build confidence and takes you through the later rounds.”

This is Pegula’s time to shine and she will win in two close sets.

The Picks in Rome: Friday, May 12

Grigor Dimitrov
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Stan Wawrinka over Grigor Dimitrov
Is the Swiss ready to fly, again? Wawrinka has not had a great year, but the brilliant backhand can begin to roll, even though he is 38-year-old. He can push himself, deep in the corners and put it away.

The Bulgarian Dimitrov can also throw so many interesting rallies, and the one-hander can really mix it up, as well he can flat in out. His serve is OK, and at the net, he is pretty good, but not spectacular.  Dimitrov has had some wonderful matches, at the Slams, but he will likely not come back into the top 5 again. I might be wrong, but in order to do it, then he has to beat the former Roland Garros champion, Wawrinka. He won’t on the clay right now, as the Swiss will win it in three massive sets.

Novak Djokovic over Tomas Martin Etcheverry
Two years ago, the Serbian won Rome, beating Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was playing great, when he was so steady, and he was almost perfect with his phenomenal backhand. He thinks a lot, on court, and he could miss once in a while, but he can recover.

Etcheverry is pretty young, and clearly, he is trying to improve his serves, at the net, and with more power. He did reach in the final in Houston and in Chile, this year, when he had some terrific matches. However, he has yet to beat the top 10 players, so the though that to stun Djokovic is a little bit crazy. The 21 Grand Slam winner Djokovic will win in two easy sets.

Sebastian Korda over Roman Safiullin
So many young people think that he or she believe that they are so good, on the court, and very soon, they will rise into the the top 20. Or the top 10. Or the famous No. 1. But the older they get, they realize that the other players are also very, very good, so that they will lose, which is difficult.

Korda knows all about when he started, and he would practice all the time. He knew that once he reached into the ATP Tour, he was ready to beat many players. He has done that, slowly. Unfortunately, Korda grew hurt after the 2023 Australian Open and he had to stop for a three months. He is in the top 30, and the 22-year-old can play extremely consistent, and he can also hit the ball on the lines. He grew up in Florida, so he does know what the hardcourts is, but in the clay, he still has to learn where to go. As we said about Safiullin two days ago, the Russian has had a decent year, and he did upset Marcos Giron in Rome. He must have bee thrilled when he made it to the second round, but Korda will pound him, and he will win it in three very long sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Marie Bouzkova over Caty McNally
Correct: Caroline Garcia over Ana Bogdan

Aryna Sabalenka over Sofia Kenin
Jessica Pegula over Taylor Townsend

Matt’s picks from Rome

3 out of 7, 42.8% correct

Sebastian Korda wins: ‘Having a new motto of, positive energy’

Sebastian Korda
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Sebastian Korda was cruising and looked like he was about to win. He was ahead in the fifth-set tiebreak versus Hubert Hurkacz and he was up 7-3. But then he began nervous, and he made four errors in a row. He could have lost it right there. But all of a sudden, he locked in again, and knew that he could slam the ball at the right time. He did, and he won it, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(7). He was finally overjoyed.

“Maybe nerves got a little bit to me,” Korda said. “He stopped missing a little bit more. Came closer to the line. And I made some easy mistakes, and he took advantage of that.”

But not for long. Over the past five years, the American could look pretty good, but then he collapsed a lot. His father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open, and he could run all day. Plus, he could move forward, even into the net. But Sebastian needs more time. His forehand and backhand are powerful, but his serve, his return and net game, aren’t quite good enough. But he worked hard, mentally, and now, he is much more mature.

“It was difficult but I’m very happy with the way I kind of just stayed down, kept going through it,” he said. “Throughout this whole year, I haven’t had one negative thought, whether it’s waiting for transportation to go to the courts, whether it’s eating lunch, whether it’s doing anything. That’s one of the biggest things is just having a new motto of, positive energy is more positive than negative energy. As soon as you get something negative, it can take you the opposite direction. Anything that happens, just thinking in the most positive possible way, just going forward.”

Now he is in the quarters at a Grand Slam for the first time. Obviously, he is confident. But in the second weeks of the Slams, you have to face the talented players. He realizes he would back off when the match is tight.

“I think I’ve had a tough match with Rafa [Nadal], serving for it a couple times. Match point with [Novak] Djokovic. I think that really helped me, especially in the last match with Medvedev, closing out that tiebreaker,” Korda said. “Then today as well. I think all those little moments that I’ve gone through, learning from them, staying patient, staying positive, going through the process I think have really helped me going forward.”

Korda will play Karen Khachanov, a player who showed a lot of potential a few years ago. The last time they played the Russian beat Korda 10-8 in the fifth set at Wimbledon. This will be a tossup.

How about Stefanos Tsitsipas, who advanced after he survived Jannik Sinner 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3. He could have lost, but he kept on trunking. He was composed.

It was a bit of a stunner when Jiri Lehecka upset Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets. Apparently, Lehecka is super steady, and he will snap the ball when he had to.

Jelena Ostapenko won 2018 Roland Garros and then she almost disappeared. She is a huge server, from both sides, and she goes for it immediately. But she can hit it way too long. Time and time again.

She just beat Coco Gauff and, as she said, she finally has became more thoughtful, on the court.

“My life changed a lot [after winning Roland Garros], so I needed a few years to really get used to what happened because I was really young,” Ostapenko said. “I was 19 and then turned 20. I always knew and believed in my game. If I play well, I can beat almost anyone. I was trying to work more on my consistency, especially in the preseason. Yeah, just to step on the court and play my game.”

In the quarters, Ostapenko will play Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina, who is 2-0 over the Latvian. Ostapenko is the favorite, but not by much.

Once again, Jessica Pegula won a fine match, advancing over Barbora Krejcikova. She made few errors, and she also nailed her forehand and backhand. She has a real chance to reach into the semis for the first time at the Slams.

“It feels like there’s still a long ways to go, to be honest,” Pegula said. “I look at the draw you have Rybakina who won Wimbledon last year, you have Vika [Azarenka] who does really well here, Caroline [Garcia] won the [ATP] championships. It doesn’t really feel like I’m the highest left, even though I guess that’s a cool stat.”

She will face against Azarenka, who won this tournament twice but that is a long time ago. They have met four times and have split. Azarenka is a huge hitter from both sides, but her serves can be spotty. Still, she is very confident.

“I’m so happy I was able to manage it. At the beginning of the year there were a couple of very close matches that didn’t turn my way, so I’m very happy that I took my chances,” Azarenka said.

2023 Australian Open favorites

The women

Jessica Pegula
Rick Limpert

With the women, clearly, the favorite is No. 1 Iga Swiatek. But, she has never won in Melbourne. She can be very aggressive on the hardcourts. Last year, Ash Barty won it and then retired. However, one of the Americans, Sofia Kenin, won it in 2020, but then she went straight downhill. Maybe she will get going again but she has to turn thing around quickly, because she has to face Vika Azarenka in the first round. Azarenka won it twice in 2012 and 2013. Now she is playing decently, but she is not great right now. Both of them are super fierce and then they can go for the lines. Sometimes they miss it, the other times they can control play in the backcourt. But, to win it, that would be very surprising.

Three American women should reach the second week or to get into the final: Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, and Danielle Collins. But 18-year-old Gauff, who reached into the final at Roland Garros, would have to beat Świątek in the quarters if they both advance to that round.

Keys is a former US Open finalists and Collins reached that level at the Australian Open. No one won, but at least they played were tough outs all the way to the finals. Maybe something occurred, either they were too nervous, or maybe they were not strategic.

Another veteran, Jessica Pegula, is ranked No. 3, which means that she has been much more assertive with her ground strokes. She won Guadalajara in the fall and that was her best tournament ever. However, she has yet to go deep at the Slams, so this will be a huge challenge for her to show she can dominate in a major.

There are others who can win a Slam for the first time: Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sakkari, Daria Kasatkina, Belinda Bencic and Amanda Anisimova. The big question is: Does anyone here have a real shot?

Stefanos Tsitsipas

The men

To win the Australian Open, you have to be super patient and also mash the ball. Novak Djokovic has won it eight times,and Rafa Nadal grabbed it twice. Serena Williams also won it many times, but she retired last year. Naomi Osaka, took it twice, but now she is not playing because she is pregnant.

There are some people who can win a major for the first time. How about the men? Yes, Djokovic and Nadal, who won it last year, are the favorites,. But, there are more than a few who can win it for the first time like Nick Kyrgios, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini and Americans Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda and Frances Tiafoe.

Here is what is odd: among active men only Djokovic, Nadal and Stan Wawrinka have won Aussie Open in the past 25 years. Repeat: no one managed to grind it and nail the shots. Plus, those three really understand what to do during the matches. Plus, their strokes, serves and returns are fantastic. Medvedev managed to reach the final against Nadal last year. He was so coherent all the time, but in the finalps fifth set, Nadal threw some astonishing shots and he beat him 7-5. The Russian can look so steady, but after that he was mentally down. If he rises again, then perhaps he can be much more solid.

The Aussie Kyrgios is one of the hardest hitter on court. He can slug his forehand, he can clip his first serve and he really likes to be creative during the points. 

There are some who have a real chance to control matches and go deep at the Slams, such as the basher Andrey Rublev, the thoughtful Casper Ruud, the hustling Felix Auger-Aliassime and the Mr. Variety Matteo Berrettini. Now there are three American men who are seeded and can go deep too: Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Sebastian Korda. Fritz won Indian Wells last year, upsetting Nadal. At the ATP Finals, he looked very good, but it will be different at the Slams. Tiafoe reached the 2022 US Open semis and he was spinning around, and he hit some unreal shots. So if he can go into the semis, then perhaps he can take the gloves off. Korda’s dad, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open. So, if Sebastian can lock in early, then without a doubt, he can reach into the second week — or further.

Three players have outside chances to the final at Melbourne, such as Andy Murray, Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem. They have all won a Slam — not on the Australian Open — but they have took it on the hardcourt. It is possible that they can win more than a few matches, but to win it all, that would be almost shocking.

Coco Gauff wins, preps for Australian Open

Coco Gauff
Mal Taam/MaltPhoto

The 18-year-old Coco Gauff had a stellar week in Adelaide, winning the tournament and easily beating Rebeka Masarova 6-1, 6-1 in the final.

When she gets going, Gauff can be forceful and reactive. She can move forward when she is feeling good. Last week, she rarely went backwards. She has yet to win a huge tournament, but she has now won three small events in Linz, Parma and now the 2023 Auckland.

Next week, she will still be ranked No. 7. When she arrives at the Australian Open, she will be thinking that she can take a huge shot of winning a Slam. She is not quite there yet. If she keeps her focus in the first week, then should could power through to a title. However, at the AO last year, she lost to Carolina Garcia, the current No. 4. If they match up again, then Gauff is going to have to play almost 100 percent to win it, as the Frenchwoman can be spectacular.

Speaking of another American, Sebastian Korda was so close of beating Novak Djokovic, but he came short, losing when the Serb 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 6-4. That was a marathon, yet Djokovic kept changing, hitting his astounding backhand, solid volleys and big spin in his forehand.

Korda played a wonderful week, not because he lost, but he was very patient and mixed it up a lot. He also knew that to win the match, he had to try seriously hard, and many times over the past few years, he would slide into mediocracy. He was so-so last summer, but in the fall, he began to rise. For the first time, at the Australian Open, he will be seeded.

Djokovic is clearly on fire again. He has now won 92 career titles, which is a huge amount. He has won the Australian Open eight times, and in Melbourne, he is favored again. But he is not a huge favorite, just by a slight edge, Last year he arrive in but then was asked to leave Australia because he hadn’t taken the COVID-19 vaccine. When he is on the court, in a match, there will some fans who will boo him. That is a fact.

American men and the women won the United Cup with Jessica Pegula, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Madison Keys. Clearly, they played very consistently and made sure they dominated. All of them were having a great time.

None of them have reached the final at the AO, and of course, they really like the hardcourts. So they have a realistic shot to beat down the excellent players. Pegula has never gone deep at the Slams. Tiafoe reached the US Open semis when he played terrific last year, but, in the fifth set against Carlos Alcaraz, the Spaniard rose way high. Tiafoe will have another chance to prove himself. He actually lost to his friend Fritz and the San Diego resident won 2022 Indian Wells, the best he had ever played. He has yet to win a Slam, a big test.

Keys has put in a few wild and fun matches at Melbourne, and she went into the semis twice. She can mash the ball, but when she cannot run that fast, then she can lose when she is mentally down. Keys looked very good until the semis, and then the former No.1 Ashel Barty crushed her.

Aryna Sabalenka just won an event, beating newcomer Linda Noskova. The former No. 2 Sabalenka can rock and roll, but she can throw in a lot of double faults. If she can hit a lot of first serves then sure, she has a chance to win it all.

There has to be at least 10 women who can grab the Aussie title, given that Barty retired.