By Tony Fairbairn
- Novak Djokovic [1] v Dino Prizmic [Q]
- Magda Linette [20] v Caroline Wozniacki [WC]
- Frances Tiafoe [17] v Borna Coric
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Novak Djokovic will begin his Australian Open title defence against last year’s Roland Garros juniors champion Dino Prizmic on day one of the first Grand Slam of the season.
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Novak Djokovic [1] v Dino Prizmic [Q] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Novak Djokovic [1] v Dino Prizmic [Q] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $120,000 |
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Novak Djokovic is the world’s best player and is firm favourite to win an eleventh Australian Open title in two weeks’ time. The Serb continues to chase down history and the higher the stakes, the better Djokovic’s quality gets as he continues to cement his legacy as the greatest of all time. However as Djokovic found out at the United Cup, the rest of the field won’t give up without a fight and the world number one will hope that plenty was learned from his defeat to Alex De Minaur in Perth as he looks to extend his Grand Slam tally.
The first obstacle for Djokovic will be last year’s junior winner at Roland Garros in the form of Dino Prizmic. The Croatian has qualified for his first Grand Slam main draw and will be looking to produce shockwaves in the tennis world. Prizmic produces similar qualities to what Djokovic was like at 18 as a mix of aggression and all-court athleticism has seen him rise to inside the world’s top 200. Now the Croatian will look to gain valuable experience ahead of his rise to the top of the men’s game.
Djokovic will look to produce a high level on serve throughout the match and will aim to test Prizmic’s physicality and nerves. Meanwhile the Croatian will look to play with freedom and stun Djokovic early with power and aggression on return as he looks to limit the amount of time Djokovic has on the ball. This will be a good early test for Djokovic but one he should prevail in even if he does lose the opening set.
Prediction: Djokovic in four sets.
Magda Linette [20] v Caroline Wozniacki [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Magda Linette [20] v Caroline Wozniacki [WC] | H2H: Wozniacki leads 2-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $120,000 |
| Third on Margaret Court Arena (Not before 08:00 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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Magda Linette returns to the place where she reached her first Grand Slam semi-final last year as the Pole produced a new-found aggression to reach the last four in 2023. A year later and Linette is desperate for form having failed to capitalise on her achievement in Australia last year. Not even being a finalist in Guangzhou last year could spark any improvement in performance. Now Linette will be hoping the memories of last year will help rejuvenate her game or she could face a plummet down the rankings.
A tricky first round match awaits Linette in the form of former champion Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane returned to Grand Slam tennis in New York last year as she reached the second week before losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff as she showed the world that a three year absence from the game didn’t affect her performance levels. Now Wozniacki returns to the venue of her first and only Grand Slam title as she looks to show that she can challenge for more glory and push the very best players in the world to their limit.
Linette will look to execute first strike tennis and dictate play with her forehand as well as looking for a high first serve percentage. Meanwhile Wozniacki will look to produce attacking returns into court as well as extending the rallies, testing Linette’s confidence from the baseline. This has all the makings of a Wozniacki victory as Linette has left it too little too late to find any last minute form to recreate what she produced last year.
Prediction: Wozniacki in straight sets.
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Frances Tiafoe [17] v Borna Coric H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Frances Tiafoe [17] v Borna Coric | H2H: Coric leads 1-0 |
| Australian Open 2024 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $120,000 |
| Fourth on Margaret Court Arena (Not before 09:30 GMT) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime
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The expectation placed on Frances Tiafoe’s shoulder proved too much as he failed to live up to the hype last season. However the American is still maturing physically and mentally with the former US Open semi-finalist hoping a new season will bring new success as well as a new mindset. Having done well in Melbourne in the past, Tiafoe will look to show now is his time to take Grand Slam glory and push the world’s best to their limits.
Tiafoe’s resurgence will be tested against Borna Coric who has struggled with injuries which has halted the Croatian’s momentum. That being said, Coric knows that when he is on his game he can beat any player in the world and has a strong mentality to match his power game. Now Coric will look turn potential into reality as he looks for a big win to boost his 2024 charge.
Tiafoe will look to dictate play from his serve as he looks to use his forehand to consistently outlast Coric. Meanwhile the Croatian will use his defensive skills to counter-attack Tiafoe’s qualities and frustrate the American. This is one of many high-quality opening rounds and should go all the way with both players bringing their best tennis. In the end Coric’s defensive intuition will outsmart Tiafoe’s all-court athleticism.
Prediction: Coric in five sets.
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