First round
Nadal over Draper in 4, Nakashima over McDonald in 4
Munar over Svrcina in 4, Ymer over Nishioka in 5
Khachanov over Zapata Miralles in 3, Kubler over Baez in 3
Shang over Otte in 5, Tiafoe over Altmaier in 3
Hurkacz over Martinez in 3, Borges over Sonego in 4
Escobedo over Daniel in 5, Shapovalov over Lajovic in 3
Korda over Garin in 3, Rinderknech over Watanuki in 3
Millman over Huesler in 5, Medvedev over Giron in 3
Tsitsipas over Halys in 3, Hijikata over Hanfmann in 5
Griekspoor over Kotov in 3, Van de Zandschulp over Ivashka in 4
Musetti over Harris in 3, Fucsovics over Coria in 3
Barrere over Etcheverry in 5, Sinner over Edmund in 3
Norrie over Van Assche in 3, Monteiro over Lestienne in 5
Eubanks over Kwon in 4, Leheckha over Coric in 4
Cerundolo over Pella in 4, Wu over Moutet in 4
Wawrinka over Molcan in 4, Auger-Aliassime over Pospisil in 3
Rublev over Thiem in 3, Ruusuvuori over Purcell in 5
Galan over Chardy in 4, Evans over Bagnis in 3
Kudla over Safiullin in 5, Gasquet over Humbert in 4
Ramos-Vinolas over Cressy in 5, Rune over Krajinovic in 3
Carreno Busta over Cachin in 3, Bonzi over Bellucci in 3
Isner over Mannarino in 4, De Minaur over Hsu in 3
Djere over Bergs in 4, Dimitrov over Karatsev in 4
Couacaud over Dellien in 3, Djokovic over Carballes Baena in 3
Fritz over Basilashvili in 3, Tseng over Popyrin in 5
Shelton over Zhang in 3, Kecmanovic over Jarry in 3
Krutykh over Schwartzman in 4, Wolf over Thompson in 5
Goffin over Lokoli in 3, Zverev over Varillas in 3
Berrettini over Murray in 5, Kokkinakis over Fognini in 4
Vukic over Holt in 5, Bautista Agut over Sousa in 3
Davidovich Fokina over Bublik in 5, Paul over Struff in 3
Brooksby over O’Connell in 3, Ruud over Machac in 3
Second round
Nadal over Nakashima in 4
Ymer over Munar in 4
Khachanov over Kubler in 5
Tiafoe over Shang in 3
Hurkacz over Borges in 3
Shapovalov over Escobedo in 3
Korda over Rinderknech in 4
Medvedev over Millman in 3
Tsitsipas over Hijikata in 3
Griekspoor over Van de Zandschulp in 5
Fucsovics over Musetti in 5
Sinner over Barrere in 3
Norrie over Monteiro in 3
Lehecka over Eubanks in 3
Wu over Cerundolo in 4
Auger-Aliassime over Wawrinka in 3
Rublev over Ruusuvuori in 3
Evans over Galan over in 4
Kudla over Gasquet in 4
Rune over Ramos-Vinolas in 4
Bonzi over Carreno Busta in 5
De Minaur over Isner in 4
Djere over Dimitrov in 5
Djokovic over Couacaud in 3
Fritz over Tseng in 3
Kecmanovic over Shelton in 4
Wolf over Krutykh in 3
Goffin over Zverev in 5
Kokkinakis over Berrettini in 5
Bautista Agut over Vukic in 3
Paul over Davidovich Fokina in 5
Brooksby over Ruud in 4
Third round
Nadal over Ymer in 3
Tiafoe over Khachanov in 5
Shapovalov over Hurkacz in 4
Medvedev over Korda in 4
Tsitsipas over Griekspoor in 3
Sinner over Fucsovics in 3
Norrie over Lehecka in 4
Auger-Aliassime over Wu in 4
Rublev over Evans in 4
Rune over Kudla in 3
De Minaur over Bonzi in 3
Djokovic over Djere in 3
Fritz over Kecmanovic in 4
Goffin over Wolf in 4
Bautista Agut over Kokkinakis in 4
Paul over Brooksby in 5
Fourth round
Nadal over Tiafoe in 4
Medvedev over Shapovalov in 4
Tsitsipas over Sinner in 3
Auger-Aliassime over Norrie in 4
Rune over Rublev in 5
Djokovic over De Minaur in 3
Fritz over Goffin in 4
Bautista Agut over Paul in 5
Quarterfinals
Medvedev over Nadal in 4
Tsitsipas over Auger-Aliassime in 4
Djokovic over Rune in 4
Fritz over Bautista Agut in 4
Semifinals
Medvedev over Tsitsipas in 4
Fritz over Djokovic in 5
Final
Medvedev over Fritz in 4
Kyrgios over djokovic in 5 that too with a bum ankle ? Not happening
I got Nole winning #10
Is this seriously such a pro Nadal website? Djokovic not even winning his quarter? Come on bro. If Kyrgios does what you say he does, I’ll be the first one to say I’m wrong.
For someone who has such high accolades on predictions, there’s a difference between going out on a limb and making a wacky prediction. No one is stopping the Novak revenge tour.
Fritz, Ruud, Berrettini, Zverev lead a weird quarter. Should be a good one.
It’s very very unlikely that NK beats Novak in 5 unless Novak is injured!
Also Ricky has NK beating Rublev in 5 in the previous round which makes it just about impossible.
Y would NK have to go 5 to beat Rublev anyway if he is going to beat Novak in 5? The thought of NK doing this back to back is implausible in the extreme.
Berretini might go further than people think. He played well apparently to beat Ruud. He could beat Fritz. Ricky has been high as a kite on Fritz for ages now ignoring his capacity for abject losses. Ie first round of the USO. Lost to Draper on grass.
I am very sceptical also about Med winning it. Med hasn’t won a big tournament since 2021 and lost all his WTF matches. He doesn’t have the mental strength he once had and people have worked out how to play him.
Actually if Rafa does get to the quarters then he could beat Med. If he does.
.
Oh and obviously Novak is the big fave to win.
Ricky not the only one picking NK to beat Djo. I think NK will find it tough to get to the qtrs so let’s see how the draw plays out.
Not to mess up this thread, but here is a link to a video I did on Djokovic ahead of the AO 23 talking about his form, recent improvements, potential areas that can be exploited by his opponents, mental aspect and prospects at this AO.
Will prob be doing one on Rafa today.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TIg5HlRCFTQ&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
@Ricky, am I breaking any rules here and should I post this on some other dedicated page? No intention to spam here. Apologies if I am!
VR what are your picks ..where do you see rafa going till?
Saw ur video…good one…Novak almost has no weaknesses as per u..the only person who can beat Novak here is Novak then.
I just watched the video. Great analysis vr!
For me the biggest worry in relation to Rafa is the divergence on serve. Novak has improved his serve this last year so it’s very difficult to win points against him in first serve while Rafa’s serve is a mess. Lots of people have commented on how he has changed the ball toss to protect the abs and how this is not helping him. I don’t understand service actions but his serve can work e.g. against Ruud at wtf when he hit tons of aces. I really really don’t like watching Rafa when he is struggling on serve because it affects his whole game and his confidence evaporates.
@Sanju, thanks for watching and your kind feedback. Great feeling to get feedback from the people I have discussed tennis with the most in my life haha. Regarding your point on Novak not having a weakness, yeah I did say I agree with that on a high level but delving deeper into it, there are areas that can be exploited and have been exploited by some players. It’s just that doing that over 5 sets in AO is very tough. I have also put emphasis on the ’emotional baggage’ he brings here so who knows how that plays on his mind. I have a very interesting video coming up on why Wawrinka has had so much success against him but not against Fedal – will be released after the AO and there I talk in-depth about some limitations in Novak’s game and how Stan has exploited them.
@Amy, thank you so much for watching 🙂 I couldn’t do the Rafa profile due to time constraint and my colleague Faizan has done it (will be uploading that shortly on QualityShotTennis I guess).
I have done Novak and Medvedev (link below in case you are interested).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXSJ0aasqbA&t=243s
Thank you *high five *
Who else has picked kyrgios to beat Novak…I did not read that anywhere
Sanju, you are right that almost all experts have picked Novak. Let’s see where things stand after week 1 and we will see from there.
I don’t think Med will win esp if he plays Nadal.He hasnt looked great for a while. The section with Ruud, Berrettini etc is the hardest to pick. Agree about Berrettini if he gets past RBA . Im not sold on Ruud this time or Zverev but any of those player could win the quarter. Djoko to win the whole thingm
Agree about Med. He is coming in low on confidence and really needs to work his way to winning ways here.
Forgot to mention Fritz he can blow hot and cold.
I don’t think Med will win esp if he plays Nadal.He hasnt looked great for a while. The section with Ruud, Berrettini etc is the hardest to pick. Agree about Berrettini if he gets past RBA and Im not sold on Ruud this time or Zverev but any of those player could win the quarter. Djoko to win the whole thingm
Hi!Posting here as I know you do women’s slam challenge. Just checked and 2 lucky losers in there in place of AT and I think PBG. Had both going deep so had to change quick! Got Iga winning, against Ons again, but not sure of ONS getting that far, especially as she might face big hitters.
Hope Elizabeth reads this.
Not sure anyone noticed, but I only scored 7 points in the Hobart WTA bracket 😧
Margot, I miss the WTA page. I read tennis-x today and liked what Sean wrote on the WTA pages there. I was tempted to post my WTA picks, but the audience I want is over here.
As of last night, I picked Belinda Bencic to win, and she has Tursunov as her coach right now. Belinda is serious about snagging a GS, but Pegula, Ons, Sabalenka, Garcia, Kasatkina, and a number of others, including Iga, are there too.
If I don’t go in and change things around now my attention will go, and time runs out fast when the action is in Australia!
Oh, PBG and AT are out; thanks for the tip!
I’ve got Bencic going out to Ons, but not at all certain about that. Also Goff going deep. In fact I had Sabalenka going really deep, but she’s awful hot and cold and not sure she’ll last until Bencic.
Didn’t notice your score at Hobart, was too shocked at mine!
Ricky could just put up a thread for Women’s slams?
here you go: https://tenngrand.com/australian-open-womens-draw-swiatek-a-heavy-favorite-but-contenders-abound/
Thanks Ricky!!
Elizabeth you can use the thread as a substitute for the wta page.
Great suggestion by Margot..!😀
Thank you
Im trying to decide between Sabalenka and Bencic going far and I cant separate them. Ons is injured ? I didnt back her for that reason.
https://mobile.twitter.com/josemorgado/status/1614171778875523072
Rafa unhappy with the balls..no spin..have they changed the balls this year ?
Anyone knows or read how the courts are playing ? Fast or medium ?
Fritz is not making the final.
if anyone wants to join an Aussie Open pool:
group link – http://www.tennisdrawchallenge.com/group/view/1289/atl-aussie-open-2023-pool
password: wildcats
Aussie Open bracket – http://www.tennisdrawchallenge.com/bracket/edit/2023-australian-open
Vr, when you finish your profile of Rafa can you post it here please? I enjoyed the one you did of Novak which both myself and sanju commented on above.
Thanks!!!
amy,
What about our non-tennis forum? Did we set that up?
NNY, how are you doing? Long time
VR,
Hi! Yes it’s been a while. I dud watch your video! Now I can hear your thoughts at length. Great to see you and loved your analysis!
I don’t know what to make of Rafa’s struggles. The serve is nit guided and he just does not have any confidence. I wasn’t watching tennis for a while. But I always come back for the slams!
Great to have you here again!
😀
Stupid autocorrect!
The serve is not good!
Many thanks for your kind words. Pleased to be able to share my thoughts in detail and getting comments from knowledgeable fans like yourself.
How do you feel now watching Rafa win his first match?
He won’t be easy to put away in my opinion.
U really think so VR ? His play was poor in second and third…way too many unforced errors..30 in these 2 sets..
What do u make of the serve n serve speeds ..average 183 n 150 first n second
Vr is always upbeat about Rafa when everyone else is worried! He was upbeat about Rafa after the horrendous match against fog at the USO!
hahaha, @ Amy, was that the USO 2015 one or USO 2022 one?
Okay, here’s my take on this. There’s no doubt that overall, Rafa’s level in this match is not going to get him deep in this tournament.
There were a lot of errors which were ugly to see and make you question his form / confidence level. One thing I would point out, though, is that his court positioning was very positive. When Rafa is really doubting himself, he starts to shuffle back on the backhand side to hit his drive and also buys more time on his forehand but I noticed he was determined to not lose court positioning and stayed closer to the baseline. He did strike some amazing forehands DTL on important points and was clear in terms of what he wants to do with it.
How bad was his execution and can he fix it? He doesn’t have a lot of time but have we not seen Rafa magically work his way to a great level so many times? Draper was a lefty and lefty’s DO NOT give Rafa the usual rhythm and even when Rafa is playing well, sometimes he doesn’t exude the same confidence against lefties. No excuses for the 24 forehand UE’s and 18 backhand UE’s but I am 100% sure he’ll keep improving. The next match is very important for him to build momentum against a righty. I do think we will see fewer errors and better performance overall.
Movement? yes, it was patchy. Rafa knows it and he has himself said he’s felt faster over the last week or so. It’s typical Rafa style; he gets his ‘explosive’ movement back through playing long rallies and winning matches. This long match against Draper is the kind of match he needs. Have we forgotten how destroyed Rafa looked against Shapo last year? How many of us here thought he’ll win the tile watching that match?
Serve? Yes, perhaps the biggest question mark. I think it lacked precision in the match but the speed was okay. I couldn’t see how many 2nd serves he hit over 100 mph but the overage of 93mph isn’t too bad. With the injury he had, I think the confidence he gets in his movements, the more freely his serve will flow. I honestly don’t know the level of discomfort he still has so I agree serve remains the biggest concern until we see him hit it well in a few matches.
I might be too upbeat but I find it a bit silly to be so pessimistic based on that performance against Draper. Rafa’s ability to work his way to form is one of this biggest attributes and I think he has the right attitude to do it again here.
So, when I say he won’t be easy to put away, I don’t mean his level is amazing already, I just think he’ll keep doing enough to beat his next two opponents and in the process build the confidence and momentum he needs to be formidable.
It’s a no brainer that it’s uncertain with Rafa right now so we’ll have to take it one match at a time. When he was fit last year, it was the first time I was seeing him hit his backhand DTL with precision (less central) and I am sure his qualities wont’ evaporate.
Come on, Rafa. Build that confidence and regain your level!
Nny, you can post on non tennis forum! I will open it for you and leave a blank post as a link.
Well, Ricky has the power to fix the problem of needing to repeat the link on both the non-forum and the page that is now the WTA page.
But I will do my best to keep both open, Amy 😀
Unfortunately I haven’t done Rafa’s and one of my colleagues from the same channel is doing it. I did it for Medvedev and shared the link above.
Will hopefully preview Rafa’s matches if he progresses. Regarding this one, I do think he’ll win it in 4 sets and prob drop the 2nd
I just had another look at Ricky ‘s pics. He has Brooksby beating Ruud. I don’t see that one happening.
Also Kokkinakis beating Berretini. It’s hard to know with Berretini but people say he has started this year playing well so I see him beating Kokkinakis. I know he lost to Fritz but they were tie break sets weren’t they? That means it could have gone the other way. In the past, Matteo has stepped up in slams defying form in run in tournaments although he still hasn’t t fixed his bh and dodgy return.
No one sees Zverev doing anything but maybe he surprises people?
On the subject of Ruud, everyone has him losing before the semis. Maybe. But Ruud has surprised people multiple times and is in a weak section of the draw yet again. It suits him that everyone thinks he will lose. Plus he beat Fritz at the wtf.
Amy, you are spot on. Ruud is hiding in plain sight.
I pick Griekspoor over Botic van de Schulp. Maybe Greikspoor over Tsitsipas, too. I’d like that as a surprise.
That entire section is designed for Fritz. But not today, I reckon.
I have a Rafole final. It’s uncomfortable picking anything else.
Well! I’ll guarantee one thing. No one else will have an AO prediction like this one! January fool? We’ll see.
So Amy prediction for rafa tomorrow?
So ramara…what are ur picks
It’s a fool’s game to make picks for Rafa atm sanju. So many ? about his serve and his confidence.
It’s very likely to be a rocky performance by Rafa who will be nervous and at the least donate the first set. I don’t think he can afford to donate the first 2 against someone as good as Draper and he might if very nervous.
God knows!
As I said before, if Rafa can get through the first 4 rounds he could get to the final but that’s a big if. We will know a lot more this time tomorrow about where he is at.
If his confidence really is shot along with his serve he will probably lose very early on so at least we can get it over and done with!
Looks like you predicting he will lose (:-
BTW does he still have that ab injury…it’s now 4 months…has it not healed?
No I am not predicting that at all sanju! If I absolutely had to pick because I had no choice I would pick him to win.
But I am not going to allow myself to be optimistic and then be disappointed and upset.
Absolutely everyone says this is a very tough opening match for him. In a few months both Draper and Nakashima will be seeded. They only aren’t because they are so young so he is effectively playing all seeded players! Draper is already #38.
That’s very tough.
Sorry dear, I don’t do predictions. If I did they would be worthless.
One really good thing is that Rafa has said he feels faster in the legs. That’s really fantastic news! I knew he hadn’t really lost speed overnight!
Why on earth did Zverev say rafa,was going to retire after RG this year?!
What a dumb thing to say!
I just looked at the espn picks. Out of 12, 11 have Novak winning. 1 has Med.
Not surprising as he is the overwhelming fave with a very good draw.
Where is vr’s Rafa profile?!!
I was going to post this.. it’s unamimous ..just cancel the tourney and give him the trophy
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.in/tennis/story/_/id/35448194/expert-picks-win-2023-australian-open-titles%3fplatform=amp
So Kyrgios ain’t beating djokovic anytime soon. 😂
After weeks of talking big NK has pulled out of AO. Not surprised. He’s got some nifty shots but he’s all talk. Never really learned how to actually compete. At heart he’s just a bully. I’m happy. If he made it to the qf I was going to be forced to root for Djoker again and I really, really hate that.
Rafa has won the first set and is playing very well. I saw no nerves today!
Ricky, go back and plug Djokovic or Rune in the semifinal. Kyrgios has an injury! That shouldn’t go against your picks because he had to withdraw.
Djokovic
Tsitsipas
Fritz
Medvedev/Nadal as the Final Four! Slight lean to Rafa due to mental toughness.
Rafa wins in 4 sets. Draper started cramping in the fourth set, so Rafa was able to close it out easily. Nothing like winning! Rafa passed the first test. He should be able to get through the next two rounds. If he meets Tiafoe that would be another tough one. Rafa needs wins. That will give him confidence. One match at a time.
It’s not a given tiafoe will get past kachanov..it could well be kachanov instead of tiafoe
Sanju,
That is true. Tiafoe had a battle in his first match. I am trying to focus on one match at a time. Rafa just needs to work out the kinks and get wins so he can try to play himself into this tournament.
Totally agree. That’s exactly what Rafa also seems to be focused on.
VR,
Did you see my reply to you on the other topic thread? I watched your video about Novak. I am getting g confused as to where I left my comments.
I want to know what is going on with Rafa’s serve? I expected the UE’s right now. But why has he been struggling with his serve?