The mega tournament in the world of tennis is underway in Australia. The first and the second rounds have already been played. However, this year brings in many new changes. Fans are excited because the matches will be played for the first time in the post-Covid era. This also means that the champion of the slam Novak Djokovic is back at the tournament.
The Serbian thirty five year old player is the hot favorite to win the current season. So if any of you are interested in betting on sports like tennis tournaments, you can go to PowerPlay live.
Novak Djokovic
The Serbian is the undisputed king when it comes to playing on hard court surfaces. He is the one who is returning to the tournament after quite a gap. Political controversies had led to the deportation of the star player because of his stance against Covid vaccinations. This year the player is back with a lot of fire and fury. He is chasing the record of Nadal, who has already won twenty two major slams.
The Serbian has already won twenty one major tournaments himself and most of his ardent supporters to win his twenty second in the country down under. There is also the eternal debate of the greatest of all times that the fans want to be settled for once and all.
So there is no question that Novak is the best contender to win this season of the tournament, given that he was in good shape till the end of December 2022. The Serbian also holds a record of winning nine editions of the slam in Australia. He currently holds the record for the most number of wins in the men’s single category, but his fans want him to win his tenth trophy.
Most people think that the Serbian will increase his tally as most of his main competitors are already out of the tournament. Nadal was his greatest threat, but he was out of the tournament after he was beaten in the second round.
Alcaraz, the young emerging star of Spain, could be a potential challenge, but he has pulled out because of an injury. And Kyrgios, another promising talent from Australia, had also withdrawn from the games right before the games began.
But the moot question is who can stop the thirty five year old player from getting his tenth trophy in Australia. So in this article, there is a list of things that can potentially stop one of the greatest players in the history of the game.
Who Can Stop Novak?
Danil Medvedev
The Russian is pumped up to win this season of the tournament in Australia. If he wins, he will add to his tally, as he currently has won only one major slam. He is in great form, and he, too, has missed out on the previous year of the tournament.
The player was unfortunately caught in political trouble as his home country was involved in the war, and he was banned from many tournaments. But this year, he is competing and determined to prove himself.
He has played two matches in the tournament and has not lost a single set in either of the games. Most of Novak’s fans will remember that the young Russian had defeated him in a final a few years back. And history might be repeated again.
Andy Murry
The player from Britain is an experienced player, and he seems to be in good form. The distinct advantage that he has is his experience and his mental strength. He was unfortunately down with a severe injury to his hip, but now he seems to have recovered quite a bit.
He was not the hot favorite until he played magically. He made fans go crazy as he defeated players who were in great form and several years younger than him. The best part was that he came back into the game when he was down by two sets. He played for a record time at the age of thirty five. He played for almost five hours and forty five minutes, and most people were in awe of him.
The Muscle Injury
Most sports experts believe that no player at the moment has the ability to deter Novak, but only his muscle injury can. The player injured his hamstring muscle in the previous month, and the injury has been causing quite a lot of trouble. The player has been seen struggling against opponents who are ranked much lower than him.
He was seen practicing in a bandage, and there were a lot of speculations where people thought that he, too, might withdraw from the tournament. He has injured his hamstring muscle. It is a significant muscle that connects two major joints of the body, the hip, with the knee. In case there is a major tear, then a person is unable to move around, let alone play a match of tennis.
So if the muscle strain becomes worse and becomes a full-fledged tear, then chances are then the hot favorite may be defeated in Australia this year.
Many of his fans also want him to withdraw from the competition before it is too late. His fans want him to play for a long time, so they do not want him to be severely injured.
However, the player himself is quite determined, and he sounded pretty confident in the post-match interview with the press.
Conclusion
Big players get injured all the time; they also lose in the most unpredictable manner. However, most fans do not expect any more major upsets in Australia this year.
Seasoned players know how to handle their injuries, and they have teams who work hard to make them perform the way they do. Now it is only a matter of time before people get to know who will take the trophy home at the end of January this year.
