Alexander Zverev left to say "I'm just not good enough" as Jannik Sinner retains Australian Open title

Joel Drucker—Andy Murray: Tremendous comeback story continues, and while it’s hard to see him reaching the finals for the sixth time, experience, fitness and sheer gratitude will help Murray’s cause.

Matt Fitzgerald—Tomas Machac: A Challenger title and three qualifying wins to start the year is a run of momentum that is too hard to ignore.

David Kane—Oscar Otte: The German reached the second week in New York after beating Lorenzo Sonego, and could play the Italian again in a section that could find itself suddenly "unoccupied."

Stephanie Livaudais—Maxime Cressy: How far Cressy can go depends on how much he has left in the tank. The rising American, who reached his first ATP final two weeks ago, gets John Isner first.

Ed McGrogan—Frances Tiafoe: In best-of-five-set play, the 37th-ranked American competes like a Top 20 foe. I wrote about that in detail, but if you want to see it in action, wait until he plays Stefanos Tsitsipas—who lost to Tiafoe in straights at Wimbledon—in the fourth round.

Jordaan Sanford—Frances Tiafoe: When he’s locked in, Tiafoe can beat just about anyone, and you don’t have to look far back to see that. He took out Tsitsipas, Schwartzman and Sinner respectively in Vienna just a few months ago.

Steve Tignor—Frances Tiafoe: He’s 0-2 so far in 2022, but Tiafoe has been to the quarterfinals in Melbourne, and he has begun to make himself into a second-week type of Slammer.

Advertising

“I was really impressed with how well he reads the game,” Rajeev Ram told TENNIS.com about Tiafoe. “We had some discussions based around scouting and game-plan strategy. He’s a very likeable, not-too-serious dude, but as soon as you start talking about work, if you will, he asks so many great questions.”

Women's Unseeded Sleeper

Joel Drucker—Shelby Rogers: Improving American just reached a career-high of No. 36 and her Aussie Open draws offers potential openings for a good run.

Matt Fitzgerald—Aliaksandra Sasnovich: The level she displayed in the opening week of 2022 has me curious to see what a first-time meeting with Maria Sakkari would look like if both win their openers.

David Kane—Clara Tauson: Could this be where the young Dane makes her major breakthrough? She's near Top 10 newbie Anett Kontaveit after ending 2021 with a second WTA title.

Stephanie Livaudais—Jaqueline Cristian: After making a splash at the end of last season, the 23-year-old Romanian enters her first Grand Slam main draw at a new career-high ranking and with nothing to lose.

Ed McGrogan—Amanda Anisimova: She's in an incredibly difficult section of the draw, with Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty surrounding her, but that means the gifted American—who just rolled to a season-opening title—will be able to play loose. AA, under no pressure? A+

Jordaan Sanford—Madison Keys: Consistency is key for the American, and this week she’s finding that perfect balance of aggressive yet calculated tennis. She dismissed one of the most consistent players in the game, Elina Svitolina, in her Adelaide opener. I forecast another opening-round upset, over Sofia Kenin.

Steve Tignor—Amanda Anisimova: Anisimova announced her arrival when she beat Aryna Sabalenka Down Under in 2017. It has been a bumpy road since, but a first-week title in 2022 may be a sign of better things to come.

Advertising

Men's Disappointment

Joel Drucker—Stefanos Tsitsipas: Tough to see the engaging Greek in prime shape amid recovery from surgery and remnants of the malaise that lingered over him in the last half of 2021.

Matt Fitzgerald—Hubert Hurkacz: Nothing to like about having returning semifinalist Karatsev and Nadal looming as potential back-to-back opponents before the quarterfinals.

David Kane—Matteo Berrettini: Though he played Medvedev tough at ATP Cup, the Italian looked off-kilter for much of the week and opens against in-form American Brandon Nakashima.

Stephanie Livaudais—Andrey Rublev: He ended last season exhausted and emotionally drained, with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis derailing his 2022 preparations. Rublev will finally start his season with Medvedev looming in the quarterfinals.

Ed McGrogan—Aslan Karatsev: This is where it all began for the once-unknown Karatsev last year; now he's seeded 18th. But facing Jaume Munar, and then possibly Mackie McDonald and Hubert Hurkacz, is not a simple path to the round of 16.

Jordaan Sanford—Denis Shapovalov: The Canadian has yet to jump out the gate here, never reaching the round of 16 in Oz, perhaps his winning ATP Cup momentum can change all that.

Steve Tignor—Andrey Rublev: The Russian is the fifth seed, but he looked over-played by the end of 2021, and now he comes to Australia after an off-season bout with COVID-19.

With her out-of-nowhere win at the US Open, Emma Raducanu became one of the biggest names in tennis. But she's still young, relatively untested, and a faces a difficult first-rounder against Sloane Stephens.

Advertising

Women's Disappointment

Joel Drucker—Aryna Sabalenka: Two first round losses at tune-up events do little to inspire the confidence required for Sabalenka’s power-heavy game to be clicking on all cylinders.

Matt Fitzgerald—Anett Kontaveit: Siniakova to start, Tauson possibly in round two, and then Collins, Konjuh or Rogers after that? Me no likey for the reigning WTA co-match wins leader.

David Kane—Maria Sakkari: A consummate athlete, Sakkari stretched both her Adelaide encounters to three sets but only won one, and may find herself outfoxed by Aussie-phile Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.

Stephanie Livaudais—Aryna Sabalenka: The Belarussian’s start to the season has been anything but ideal, with Sabalenka serving up a worrying 40 double faults across two first-round losses.

Ed McGrogan—Barbora Krejcikova: Hard to pick against the red-hot Czech, but there are some early-round landmines nearby, and the possibility of facing Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round. Also pertinent: will the fourth seed in singles play doubles in the notorious Aussie heat?

Jordaan Sanford—Elina Svitolina: She finished last year with an opening-round loss, and has started 2022 on the same foot. She’s 0-2 to begin the season and things will only get tougher for the 15th-seeded Ukrainian.

Steve Tignor—Emma Raducanu: It’s not fair to expect another deep Slam run from the 19-year-old, especially when her first-round opponent is a major champ herself, Sloane Stephens.

Men's Champion

Joel Drucker—Alexander Zverev: Last year came the building blocks—title runs at the Olympics and a second at the ATP Finals. Now is the time for the major triumph Zverev has long sought.

Matt Fitzgerald—Roberto Bautista Agut: RBA = Really Big Australia in 2022? Call me crazy (I am), but it’s time his January career consistency is rewarded with a major payoff and Spanish dark horses have served me well before.

David Kane—Daniil Medvedev: Provided he can finally beat nemesis Ugo Humbert in the third round, the Russian is all-but-unbeatable on hard courts, and looked stronger with each ATP Cup clash last week.

Stephanie Livaudais—Daniil Medvedev: While Djokovic remains in limbo, Medvedev has been laser focused and fine-tuning his game. Last year’s finalist looks primed to go even further in Melbourne.

Ed McGrogan—Novak Djokovic: Typically in sports, there's an understandable letdown after coming so close to achievement but falling painfully short. Yet, given the circumstances, Djokovic could actually be more motivated to win than ever—assuming he plays.

Jordaan Sanford—Daniil Medvedev: It will be tough for anyone to break down the Russian’s baseline brick wall. Having claimed the last major of 2021, and reached the final Down Under last year, he will bring both the energy and confidence it takes to win it all.

Steve Tignor—Daniil Medvedev: With Djokovic’s status unclear, Medvedev becomes the favorite. He may have a draining early test from Nick Kyrgios, but otherwise the Russian, runner-up last year, looks set to take the final step.

Advertising

Ash Barty clearly has the game to win it all; will the pressure of playing at home be too much to overcome?

Women's Champion

Joel Drucker—Ashleigh Barty: After so many months away from home in ’21, Barty is surely eager to make the big splash on native grounds. It also helps to have a great set of skills.

Matt Fitzgerald—Simona Halep: The 2018 runner-up's path back to the final has the potential to be a nightmarish, but there was a lot to like about her opening-week title run after a challenging 2021 marred by injuries.

David Kane—Ashleigh Barty: She's in a brutal section, with defending champ Naomi Osaka near. But other high seeds include an injured Ons Jabeur and a flagging Maria Sakkari. Should the Aussie make the quarters, she should make history.

Stephanie Livaudais—Garbine Muguruza: Opportunity abounds for Muguruza, who reached the 2020 final. She’s got the experience to navigate a section headlined by Anett Kontaveit and Emma Raducanu, and win her third Grand Slam.

Ed McGrogan—Iga Swiatek: The 2020 French Open champion should come into the tournament with ample confidence, given her play in Adelaide, but she'll also be under the radar. I feel confident in her reaching the semis; it'll come down to how she handles what's next.

Jordaan Sanford—Ashleigh Barty: I don’t see the Barty train stopping any time soon. While playing in front of her home crowd comes with its pressures, she didn’t seem too overwhelmed by it in Adelaide, where she beat two Grand Slam champs en route to the title.

Steve Tignor—Naomi Osaka: When she’s on, she’s borderline-unbeatable—and she tends to be on in Oz, where she’s a two-time champion. But she’ll have to be revved up early: A fourth-round fight with Barty looms.

Advertising