Novak Djokovic of Serbia claimed the men’s singles title at the Australian Open (AO) 2023 defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece by 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7-5) during the finals held at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the women’s singles title at AO 2023, her first major singles title, by defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan by 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.
- Australian Open 2023, 111th edition of the Australian Open, the 55th in the Open Era, and the first major/Grand Slam of the year 2023 was held from January 16-29, 2023.
- The tournament is managed by Tennis Australia (formerly known as the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia), the Governing Body for Tennis in Australia.
Prize Money:
The Australian Open total prize money for 2023 increased by 3.38% year on year to a tournament record AUD 76.5 million. This represented a 155% increase in prize money over the last ten years.
Trophies:
i.The Women’s Singles Winner is presented with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
It is named after the late Daphne Akhurst (1903 – 1933), a five times singles champion
- It was first awarded to Joan Hartigan at the Australian Championships in 1934.
ii.The Men’s Singles Winner is presented with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. It is named after the late Sir Norman Brookes (1877-1968), a former Australian tennis champion.
- It was first awarded to Fred Perry at the Australian Championships in 1934.
Highlights of 2023 Australian Open:
Men’s Singles:
This marks Novak Djokovic’s 10th Australian Open title and 22nd major title(Grand Slam) overall. With this, he tied with Rafael Nadal’s (Spain) all-time record total of men’s singles titles (22).
- Novak Djokovic has won the most men’s singles titles at the Australian Open with 10. He also has two hat-tricks of Australian Open titles, between 2011-2013 and between 2019-2021.
- With this win, Novak Djokovic reclaimed the top spot in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings.
Key Points:
i.It was his 66th ‘Big Title’ which encompasses trophies at Grand Slam championships, the Nitto ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and Olympic singles gold medals.
ii.He also became the third-oldest man (Aged 35) in the Open Era to win the Australian Open, after Ken Rosewall of Australia and Roger Federer of Switzerland, who both accomplished the feat aged 36.
Women’s Singles:
Aryna Sabalenka(24 years old) who won the women’s singles title at AO 2023 has climbed to second in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranking.
- she advanced three places to reach her highest ranking since August 2021
Note: Poland’s Iga Swiatek tops the women’s singles rankings.
Men’s Doubles:
Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler of Australia defeated the pair of Hugo Nys of Monaco and Jan Zieliński of Poland by 6–4, 7–6.
- This marks the first Grand Slam title for both Hijikata and Kubler.
- They also became the 3rd Australian team to win a men’s doubles title in the last five Grand Slams.
Women’s Doubles:
Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková of Czechia defeated the pair of Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan in the final with 6–4, 6–3.
- This marks the seventh Grand Slam doubles title by Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková.
- They won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open doubles titles in 2022.
For the Japanese pair, Aoyama and Shibahara, this marks their 10th final together and first Grand Slam tournament.
Mixed Doubles:
Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos of Brazil defeated the pair of India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna with 7–6(7–2), 6–2.
Table showing the 2023 Australian Open Winners:
| Category | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s Singles | Novak Djokovic of Serbia | Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece |
| Women’s Singles
| Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus | Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan |
| Men’s Doubles
| Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler of Australia | Hugo Nys of Monaco and Jan Zieliński of Poland |
| Women’s Doubles
| Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková of Czechia | Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of Japan |
| Mixed Doubles
| Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos of Brazil | Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna of India |
About Australian Open:
Initiated in 1905, the Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park. It is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, the other being, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
- It has been played on hard surfaces since 1988.
- It was a grass court event from 1905–1987.
Records in Australian Open:
In Men:
- Most singles titles- Novak Djokovic (10)
- Most doubles titles- Australia’s Adrian Quist (10)
In Women:
- Most singles titles- Australia’s Margaret Court (11)
- Most doubles titles- Australia’s Thelma Coyne Long (12)
Recent Related News:
i.On 20th November 2022, World Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway defeated Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour (MCCT) finals 2022 held at the SHACK15 venue in San Francisco, United States of America (USA).
ii.Viktor Axelsen of Denmark won the Men’s Singles title defeating Anthony Sinisuka Ginting of Indonesia at the HSBC Badminton World Federation(BWF) World Tour Finals 2022 held at Nimibutr Arena in Bangkok, Thailand from December 7-11, 2022.
About Australia:
Prime Minister– Anthony Albanese
Capital– Canberra
Currency– Australian Dollar
