CHENNAI: Despite entering the Australian Open field as No 7 seed, Novak Djokovic’s lowest since 2018, former Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza believes that one cannot count the experienced player out yet. “Novak, the way that he had played at the Australian Open, he brings something special over there and having won that so many times, you can’t ever put him away,” Mirza told reporters ahead of the start of the competition in Melbourne.
“It’s probably the last two couple of years that we’re going to watch him play,” Mirza, who would resume her duties as a commentator at the Australian Open, said. “I think to be very honest, on the contrary, it’s going to be a problem for the title contenders. Nobody wants to see Djokovic in the quarterfinal. They would rather play him in the final. So, I think he’s going in with a great situation where the pressure is off to him right now,” she added speaking about the 10-time champion of the hard court in Melbourne.
Speaking about the women’s draw where defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has received the number one seed, Mirza believes the Belarusian star would go into the tournament as a title contender. Coming off of a win at the Brisbane International tournament, Sabalenka could add another title to her name Down Under. “I don’t know about dominate, but I think that she goes in as a favourite. I mean, I think that the court suits her. It’s playing fast. It’s hot in Australia. She likes the conditions there. She’s won there before. So I don’t know about dominate, but I definitely think she’s going as a pretty strong favourite,” Mirza mentions.
From the Indian point of view, the fans will not see the different pair in men’s doubles as Rohan Bopanna is pairing up with Nicolas Barrientos. After winning the title with Matthew Ebden in 2024, the 44-year-old will be in the hunt for another top finish alongside a Colombian doubles expert. Speaking about Bopanna, her long-time friend and mixed doubles partner, Mirza credited him for his drive. “I think, what he is doing and achieving at this age is truly incredible. He was a little bit of a late bloomer, so to say, but he’s been persistent with his game and, made it to number one in the world at the age of 44,” she added.
“It’s such a pleasure to see because not only is he a compatriot and somebody that I played with, but he’s one of my best friends. So it’s so nice to see that. He’s so committed to what he’s doing and he really does enjoy himself and he talks about the joy that he finds in playing tennis today. So I do think that those are probably the secrets. Just really trying to find joy in the smaller things as well and not just about winning, but about competing at the highest level at this age as well.” In the men’s singles draw, India have a representation in Sumit Nagal, but Mirza believes there is still hope for more if given more attention. “We finally have Sumit who’s become a regular at the Grand Slam, which is great in singles. I think we have to start at ground level.”
Australian Open starts on 12th January live on Sony Sports Network