Former number one Mats Wilander was a guest at the Dirijah Cup in Saudi Arabia.
American Taylor Fritz won the title at the exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia, and then VilandWilander talked about the favorites for the next Australian Open.
The Swede underlined once again that it was Novak Djokovic.
“I see Novak as the clear favorite, ahead of Medvedev, who is doing his best on hard surfaces, and Nadal, who is defending the trophy. The only thing that can hinder Novak is that he has this strong desire to prove himself to everyone because of everything that happened to him in Australia in January. That tournament is his second home,” Mats began.
Although Carlos Alcaraz is currently the best player in the world, he is not in the TOP 3 favorites for Melbourne.
“Imagine the pressure that 19-year-old boy is under, he managed to reach the first place in front of people who won more than 20 Grand Slams. He is a phenomenon who can have a problem proving himself, especially at the beginning of the season,” Wilander points out.
As for the ladies, the favorite is Iga Natalia Swiatek.
“After everything she showed in 2022, Swiatek is above all. I think the WTA Tour is paying the withdrawal guild to Ashleigh Barty. Ash had a beautiful game, with that classic backhand of the great champions. She was unique on the women’s scene. Iga is very strong, she’s good, she does everything right, but she can’t excite the way the Australian did.” – concluded Mats Wilander .
