“2024 is going to be stacked with great storylines.”
Former world no. 1, US Open and Davis Cup champion Andy Roddick shares his thoughts on Nadal, Osaka, Emma, Novak, Iga, Rybakina. This feature is sponsored by Betway
RAFA’S ULTIMATE GOAL HASN’T CHANGED
Rafa looked great before he tweaked that muscle in his hip. He seemed to be in full flight and the tennis was there, so the question is about his ability to get through seven best-of-five matches over 14 days.
He was pretty clear about it not being the same injury that kept him out before, so hopefully this is a minor setback. I think the Australian Open was always more of a hurdle in the way of getting to the French Open, which is probably the one that he hopes and thinks he can still do some damage at.
I’ll be curious to see if he adds any hardcourt events along the way, or just circles that beginning of April and Monte Carlo as the lift-off point. For him to have a proper build through to Roland Garros and see if he can play it healthy one more time and make a run – I think that’s the best we can hope for right now.
As an athlete, you just want to have a semblance of control over the way that you decide to finish, and I hope that Rafa gets that.
RETURN OF OSAKA AND RADUCANU
If I’m Osaka, I got what I needed out of Brisbane. To win a match and play a tough three-setter, now you can let the body reset a little bit. I love everything that I’m seeing and hearing out of the Osaka camp, especially her saying that she’s going to play a very full schedule, as that’s the only way to get that match rhythm back where it doesn’t feel like a new experience.
Tennis would sure be a lot more fun if she was making deep runs at Slams again.
I feel like we’re always guessing what’s going on with Emma, so I will just base my opinion on the facts of what I saw last week.
She looked very good in the first round and even better against Elina Svitolina. The first couple sets of that match were extremely high quality. I was really encouraged by the level that I saw. She was playing on the front foot a lot more than what we had last seen, she was competing well and, most importantly, she seemed healthy and recovered.
She got great news that there were enough pull-outs in the main draw for the Australian Open that she now has this week to prep, though I did think it might be a good thing for her to have to go to through qualifying as it’s important to get those matches in and she has a pretty good record at Slams where she’s had to earn her spot.
WHO CAN CHALLENGE NOVAK?
Novak Djokovic is a clear favourite in the men’s and I’m not going to pick against him, but Carlos Alcaraz can certainly give people problems on this surface.
People overlook the fact that he hasn’t seen this venue in over two years, and a lot has happened for him during that time. Back then, he went into the off-season with his body looking like a kid’s and came back looking like a man. Him choosing not to play a warm-up event was a little surprising, but I expect him to show up fully fit and ready to go.
We also tend to take Alexander Zverev for granted while gravitating towards new and shiny things. He’s a guy who, coming off a broken ankle last year, looked understandably horrendous in Australia, but somehow snuck into the World Tour Finals and made the semis of a Slam again. He has beaten all the top guys.
USUAL SUSPECTS IN THE WOMEN’S
On the women’s side, all the usual suspects seem to have gotten out of the gates pretty well with Coco Gauff defending her Auckland Classic title, Elena Rybakina looking scarily dominant in the Brisbane final against Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek running the table at the United Cup.
Generally speaking, I have a hard time betting against Swiatek because, match-up to match-up, she gives the most problems to the other top players. The one outlier in that entire conversation is Rybakina’s serve – there’s not much you can do about it on the receiving end if she’s hitting her spots.
She is maybe less consistent than the others, but her ceiling might be as high as anyone when she’s playing well, and the statement she made last week was a big one, so keep an eye on her.
Andy Roddick · AO · Betway · Emma Raducanu · Naomi Osaka · Novak Djokovic · Rafael Nadal
catherine · January 11, 2024 at 10:55 am
Nice to be back on TP after a break and to read some good news about Emma R.
Looking forward to the coming season.
Scoop Malinowski · January 11, 2024 at 12:09 pm
Hi Catherine, Welcome back you were missed, several readers asked me what happened to you, now we have the answer. Yes Raducanu is off to a much needed good start in 24. I saw some of the Svitolina match and was very impressed by both. Svitolina inflicted her A plus game on Emma who handled it very well. Svitlolina is high on my list of best WTA players to never win a major. I’m sure Svitolina was extra motivated to beat Emma.
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2024 at 9:20 am
16 yr old Brenda Fruhvirtova qualified with a 62 64 win vs Siya Wei, the Czech teen is now coached by Nico Massu, who is no longer with Thiem. Christopher Eubanks has switched from Asics attire to J Lindbergh, which also dress Petra Martic. One former ATP player texted me last night, “Godsick must be pushing Tennis Channel because Shelton matches are always on live.” Shelton lost in the semis 75 76 to Taro Daniel in Auckland. Omar Jasika qualified for AO main draw for the first time since 2017, he beat Shelbayh. Sumit Nagal has qualified for AO main draw, good effort after some injury troubles. The only female American to qualify was Katie Volynets, Hailey Baptiste lost today 64 64. Only male AO qualifier was Alex Kovacevic.
catherine · January 12, 2024 at 11:11 am
Scoop – thanks for the kind words.
I think Emma isn’t likely to have a conventional career or even a very long one but very few players have summed up the ineffable sense of achievement the way she has:
“That moment on the court, when I was celebrating [the US Open win], I would literally trade any struggle in the world for this moment. Anything can come my way, I will take it, for what I have right now because this is the best thing in the world. I promised myself that, on the court that day.
“Since then I’ve had a lot of setbacks, one after the other. I am resilient, my tolerance is high, but it’s not easy. And sometimes I think to myself ‘I wish I’d never won the US Open, I wish that didn’t happen’. Then I am like, ‘remember that feeling, remember that promise’, because it was completely pure.”
Scoop Malinowski · January 12, 2024 at 11:33 am
Nobody can ever take that away from her but they will try to do the next best thing, which is to beat her and take a small bite out of her and her US Open trophy. It will never be easy for Emma ever again, as a prime target, she will need to fight for everything and every win.