What terrible weather this winter. Im totally fed up of the incessant wind and rain we have been experiencing. Luckily for tennis fans we can watch our favourite players prepare for the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne. All the top players are scattered throughout the world trying to tune up their games ahead of the Australian Open. There are events all over the globe this week, in this article we take a look at who is playing where.
Andy Murray fresh from helping Great Britain lift the Davis Cup title is pairing up with fellow Brit Heather Watson in the Hopman Cup. The Scot has previously played with Laura Robson several years ago and regards it as ideal preparation for the heat of Australian Open. Murray will hope that the return of Amelie Mauresmo following maternity leave can help him rediscover that positive attacking tennis which saw him lift two grand slam titles in 2013 and the Olympic gold in London in 2012.
In Qatar the ExxonMobil Open takes place in Doha and features Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych as the top seeds. Rafael Nadal has already shown somewhat of a return to form in the World Tennis Championships last week with victories over David Ferrer and Milos Raonic. Novak Djokovic must be the favourite to lift the title, the level of the Serbian’s tennis was off the scale in 2015 and even a resurgent Rafael Nadal would struggle with Djokvoic.
In Chennai India, two time slam winner and Australian Open winner Stanislas Wawrinka is the headline act but is accompanied by big South African Kevin Anderson, Benoit Paire and Roberto Bautista Agut. Shenzhen China and Auckland New Zealand host the other WTA events this week. Both feature top fields, with a sprinkling of big names. Canadian drama queen Genie Bouchard makes her long awaited return to a court, with Petra Kvitova and Radwanska leading the chrage. In Auckland, Wozniacki, Stephens and Ivanovic are in the mix with a smattering of lower ranked players filling out the draw.
Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova make their 2016 debuts at the Suncorp Open in Brisbane. Both the mens and ladies draws are full of top talent. Azarenka, Sharapova, Jankovic, Stosur and Muguruza all feature but expect a few shocks as early season some top players are not up to match speed. The mens draw is laiden with talent with Federer,Cilic, Raonic, Nishikori and Simon all featuring.Expect close matches from the off as players dust themselves down from a winter of training and get back into the grind of tour.
The early season always proves to through up a shock or two and with rumours of a few big names carrying injuries it proves all the more intriguing ahead of the Australian Open. You can hear all the latest news and results during the Aussie Open right here!
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