Australian Open: Ghosts, serious outsiders, young hopefuls… They could create a surprise in Melbourne

Thanasi Kokkinakis

He probably won't win at home, but he could liven up the fortnight while the whimsical Nick Kyrgios seems to be in trouble at the start of the year. In Search of Lost Time. Kokkinakis, 25, has had a career so far marred by multiple injuries of all kinds, sometimes quite serious, to the point of staying away from the courts for an entire season. If it has never done better than 69th place in the world in 2015, the Australian giant has the potential to do much better. He proved in Adelaide last week that he was finally on the right foot by reaching the last four (beaten by Monfils), after notably taking out Frances Tiafoé. And this week, he is playing the final in Adelaide 2 against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.

Rafael Nadal, his theoretical opponent, in the 2nd round is warned.

To discover

• Australian Open: men's schedule and results

• Australian Open: ladies schedule and results

Cameron Norrie Panoramic

Cameron Norrie

Seeded number 12, the Briton could find in the round of 16 the Italian Matteo Berrettini (n ° 7). Before that, the left-hander will have to wrestle with the American Sebastian Korda, from the first round. No small feat. Norrie, who ended 2022 at the foot of the top 10 (12th), after playing no less than six finals, tied with Djokovic, ahead of Ruud (5), Medvedev (5) and Tsitsipas (5), left shade by winning under the sun, the Indian Wells Masters 1000, last October, to everyone's surprise. The 26-year-old Briton, long a supporting role on the circuit, has a new status to assume and new territories to explore. The blocker-fighter, who has never passed the stage of the third round in Grand Slams (3rd round at the Australian Open,Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in 2021 and US Open 2020), has the means to do much better this year. Starting with this Australian Open.

Holger Rune

Rune, 18, won three Challengers (second division tournaments) in 2021, became the youngest quarter-finalist in an ATP tournament at Santagio since Borna Coric in 2014. He also qualified for the US Open, his first Grand Slam tournament, where he even took a set from a certain Novak Djokovic in the first round. He also stood out when he entered the stadium wearing… an Ikea bag

he told L'Equipe.

And its dazzling progress impresses observers. 473rd in the world at the end of 2020, he is nearing the top 100 a year later. Opposed, in the 1st round, to the South Korean Soon-woo Kwon, the Dane has a good opportunity to continue his dazzling progress.

Ons Jabeur

Believe” (“Believe it”) she posted on her Twitter account, after becoming, last October, the first player from an Arab country to climb into the Top 10 of the WTA rankings. Quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in 2020, she reached this same stage at Wimbledon last year. A successful 2021 season (48, for 19 defeats) with a title in Birmingham and finals in Charleston and Chicago. Charismatic and very spectacular, Ons Jabeur has a one-handed sliced ​​backhand that has been compared to that of Roger Federer. Just that. An elbow injury, however, forced him to retire in the quarter-finals in Sydney on Thursday, casting doubt on his ability to be 100%, on the occasion of the first Grand Slam of the season.

Paula Badosa

This clay-court specialist, quarter-finalist at the last Roland-Garros, is also at ease on other surfaces. In 2021, she was thus crowned in Indian Wells (WTA 1000) and was notably 8th runner-up at Wimbledon and semi-finalist at the Masters. At 24, the Spaniard, a native of New York, has entered the top 10 and currently ranks 8th in the world. Long compared to Maria Sharapova, Paula Badosa is starting to make a name for herself:

she said 5 years ago to As.

Victim of depression at 17, she thought about quitting tennis for a while.

It will take two years to get out.

And for a year and a half, she has been progressing at great speed, she who was in 70th place at the start of 2021. She started the year well with a final in Sydney against Krejcikova.

What hope to shine in Melbourne.

She has so far done no better than a second round in Melbourne in three appearances.

Clara Tauson Panoramic

Clara Tauson

Danish tennis is definitely lucky.

Besides Rune for boys, he has another nugget for girls in the person of Clara Tauson.

Behind Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old is the second youngest player in the top 100. After qualifying, she won the Lyon tournament without conceding a single set last March.

She also won the WTA 125 in Chicago and the WTA 250 in Luxembourg.

Not bad for a first year on the main circuit.

Good results that allowed her to make a big leap in the rankings from 152nd place at the end of 2020 to 44th at the end of 2021. She has a great opportunity to grow further in Melbourne, she who is playing her first Australian Open and has not for the time being not yet passed the 2nd round in a Major.