World’s Best Players To Contest Australian Open 2021

Australian Open Press Launch, December 26, 2020

Australia’s world No.1 Ash Barty and eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic (SRB) will lead the fields at what guarantees to be a historic Australian Open at Melbourne Park from 8-21 February 2021.

“We’re trying ahead to welcoming the world’s greatest gamers to Melbourne and what guarantees to be a spectacular Australian Open following a 12 months of disruption on a scale none of us has ever skilled earlier than,” Australian Open Match Director Craig Tiley stated.

“Though the AO will look a bit completely different to earlier years, the security of everyone seems to be our high precedence. We now have the chance to stage a really secure, and pleased Slam, and provides the gamers the expertise of competing in entrance of crowds once more, one thing they’ve missed for many of this 12 months.

“There are such a lot of nice storylines for AO 2021. Serena is gunning for her eighth AO title whereas Novak, who usually appears invincible at Melbourne Park, goes for a file ninth title. Our personal world No.1 Ash Barty will return to Grand Slam competitors, as will Roger Federer as he comes again from harm. And there’s a brand new crop of rising stars coming as much as problem all of them.

“It’s going to be an important few weeks of tennis right here in Melbourne.”

Becoming a member of world No.1 and defending champ Djokovic is world No.2 Rafael Nadal (ESP), [3] Dominic Thiem (AUT), [4] Daniil Medvedev (RUS), [5] Roger Federer (SUI), [6] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE), [7] Alexander Zverev (GER), [8] Andrey Rublev (RUS), [9] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) and [10] Matteo Berrettini (ITA), making up an entertaining top-10 mixture of Grand Slam champions and the following technology of younger weapons knocking on the door.

Serena Williams’ motivation is unquestioned as she units herself as much as equal Margaret Court docket’s file of 24 Grand Slam singles titles by profitable an eighth Australian Open crown.

Additionally in competition on the ladies’s facet are world No.2 Simona Halep (ROU), 2020 US Open champion [3] Naomi Osaka (JPN), defending champion [4] Sofia Kenin (USA), [5] Elina Svitolina (UKR), [6] Karolina Pliskova (CZE), [7] Bianca Andreescu (CAN), [8] Petra Kvitova (CZE), [9] Kiki Bertens (NED) and [10] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR).

Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka (BLR) returns, having missed the match in 2020, alongside 19-year-old Iga Swiatek (POL), the most recent Grand Slam ladies’s champion who received Roland Garros in October.

A complete of 104 gamers obtain direct entry into the boys’s and girls’s singles most important draw and an additional eight are awarded wildcards, whereas 16 locations will probably be decided on the qualifying rounds from 10-13 January 2021 in Dubai and Doha respectively.

Up to now 17 years, the all-time Grand Slam main trio of Djokovic (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020), Federer (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018) and Nadal (2009) have received the Norman Brookes Problem Cup 15 instances between them.

There have been eight completely different ladies’s champions since 2011 – Kenin (2020), Osaka (2019), Caroline Wozniacki (2018), Serena Williams (2017, 2015), Angelique Kerber (2016), Li Na (2014), Azarenka (2013, 2012) and Kim Clijsters (2011). 

4 different ladies be part of the sphere on protected rankings with [47] Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ), AO 2009 semifinalist and world No.78 Vera Zvonareva (RUS), [85] Katie Boulter (GBR) and [101] Mona Barthel (GER) all set to play in Melbourne.

World No.71 Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) and [83] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) be part of the boys’s area on protected rankings.

13 Australians have direct entry into their house Grand Slam, with high ranked Barty joined by [68] Ajla Tomljanovic and wildcards [129] Astra Sharma, [130] Maddison Inglis, [140] Lizette Cabrera and [450] Daria Gavrilova on the ladies’s facet.

World No.23 Alex de Minaur leads the Australian males’s contingent with [38] John Millman, [45] Nick Kyrgios, [51] Jordan Thompson, [103] James Duckworth and wildcards [120] Christopher O’Connell and [124] Marc Polmans within the males’s draw.

*Rankings as of 21 December 2020