Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz Headline Australian Open Entry List

A full complement of the ATP Tour's best players are set to compete at the first Grand Slam of 2023, as confirmed by the Australian Open entry list released Thursday by Tennis Australia.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal will bid for his third Australian Open crown after his historic 2022 triumph, when he battled from two sets down in the final to defeat Daniil Medvedev and win a record-breaking 21st major singles title. The Spaniard enters the 2023 season with a record 22 Slam trophies, with Novak Djokovic right behind him on 21.

Djokovic will seek to extend his record of nine AO titles and draw level with Nadal in the overall major count as he returns to the competition for the first time since he beat Medvedev in the 2021 final.

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Carlos Alcaraz will play a Grand Slam as the World No. 1 for the first time as he seeks to win back-to-back majors following his US Open triumph in September. By winning his first Slam trophy in New York, Alcaraz secured his debut atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, becoming the youngest man to achieve that feat since the first edition of the rankings in 1973. The Spaniard maintained that position to earn year-end No. 1 honours and has an opportunity to extend his lead atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by improving on his third-round result one year ago in Melbourne.

Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas round out the Top 5 on the entry list, with the Greek Tsitsipas eager to improve on his three semi-finals showings at the event, including in each of the past two years.

2022 Nitto ATP Finals competitors Felix Auger-Aliassime, Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz are also among the direct entrants, with Hubert Hurkacz rounding out the Top 10. Other notable names include Holger Rune, who briefly entered the Top 10 in November, and Alexander Zverev, who has not played a tour-level match since his ankle injury during the Roland Garros semi-finals.

The 2023 Australian Open will take place at Melbourne Park from 16-29 January.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/sYrJ5Ww