US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz will miss the Australian Open due to injury

But Australian government policy has changed and now allows unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country, even without an exemption. Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open singles champion, returned to Australia this year and has so far received a warm welcome on his way to the semi-finals of the Adelaide Championship this week.

Although Alcaraz finished the season ranked No. 1 and became the youngest man, Djokovic finished 2022 with a bang, winning the ATP Finals for the sixth time. It was a triumphant conclusion to his strangest and most tumultuous season, in which his lack of vaccination prevented him from competing in two majors (Australian Open and US Open) and four Masters 1000 events in North America. He also did not receive ranking points for winning Wimbledon because the tours decided to remove ranking points from the tournament due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players.

Despite this major mathematical flaw, Djokovic is still ranked No. 5 and was a heavy favorite to win the Australian Open even before Alcarazs pulled out. But the Spaniards’ absence eliminates the tantalizing prospect of a generational duel between the reigning No. 1 and the longest-reigning No. 1.

Djokovic, a resilient 35-year-old Serbian, has held the top spot for a men’s record 373 weeks and has a chance to reclaim the spot by winning a 10th Australian Open title.

Alcaraz, who reached the third round in Melbourne last year, will have to watch from a distance this time around and steel himself for the long haul in a grinding, global, increasingly physical sport that has gotten tougher with the short off-season.

He had 2022 to savour: scoring five singles and providing an excess of social media clip footage on air, all action with style and flair for a sudden and spectacular change of pace: often a thunderous palm slap followed by a deft drop shot. . He was also athletic and gave opponents points and the benefit of the doubt on several occasions.

But his grueling run clearly took a mental and physical toll. After winning the US Open, he won just six of his next 10 singles matches, failing to reach another final. He also lost both matches at the Abu Dhabi exhibition in straight sets to Andrei Rublev and Ruudi.

His staying power, as opposed to his bright talent, is a question mark for now.