Rafael Nadal confirmed as top seed for Australian Open 2023
Rafael Nadal is set to be the top seed at the 2023 Australian Open, which gets underway in Melbourne on January 16.
The 36-year-old is the defending champion, having won his second title at Melbourne Park last year after beating Daniil Medvedev from two sets down in the final. That made Nadal the first male player to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles, breaking a tie with the now-retired Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal was initially supposed to be the second seed at this year's Australian Open. However, with World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz withdrawing because of a freak injury in training, the legendary left-hander will be the top seed Down Under.
This also means that nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, ranked fifth in the world, will be the fourth seed. The Serb cannot meet Nadal before the last four now.
Official: Rafael Nadal will be the top seed at the #AusOpen.
Casper Ruud will be the second seed and Stefanos Tsitsipas, whose Greece team lost in the United Cup semifinals to Italy, will be seeded third. Tsitsipas did win his match against Matteo Berrettini but Lucia Bronzetti's win over Valentini Grammatikopoulou confirmed Italy's berth in the final.
Top 4 seeds for the Men's Singles draw set:
1. Rafael Nadal
2. Casper Ruud
3. Stefanos Tsitsipas
4. Novak Djokovic
Stefanos avoids Novak before the final.
Rafael Nadal, on his part, will need to regroup quickly after starting the year with two losses for the first time in his illustrious career. The 36-year-old went down to Cameron Norrie of Great Britain and Alex de Minaur of Australia as Team Spain were eliminated in the United Cup before the semifinals.
"The X-factor is Nadal’s body" - Paul McNamee on Rafael Nadal ahead of 2023 Australian Open
Considering Rafael Nadal's less than ideal start to the 2023 season, former doubles World No. 1 Paul McNamee recently expressed doubts over the Spaniard's chances at the upcoming Australian Open.
Since suffering an abdominal tear at Wimbledon 2022, Nadal has struggled for fluency and consistency, going 6-5 in 11 matches played. That run includes a fourth-round appearance at the US Open, opening-round exits in Cincinnati and Paris, a group-stage exit at the ATP Finals in Turin, and two defeats at the United Cup.
In his column for The Age, McNamee suggested that Nadal might not be in peak physical condition.
"The X-factor is Nadal’s body. There is speculation his abdominal injury is affecting his ball toss but, for me, more concerning is his own recent admission: 'I need to get a little faster physically'," McNamee wrote.
Following his defeat to de Minaur, Rafael Nadal admitted that he needs more court time to rediscover his mojo.
"I need hours on the track. I need battles like this. I haven't played many official matches in the last six months, almost seven," the Spaniard said.
Interestingly, Rafael Nadal is not in contention to return to World No. 1 even if he wins the Australian Open. That's because he trails Carlos Alcaraz by over 800 points, with the younger Spaniard set to drop only 90 points because of his non-participation.