February 3, 2025

Open Court

MORE TENNIS THAN YOU'LL EVER NEED

Djokovic in the mix – at least for now – as AO draws revealed

MELBOURNE, Australia – The uncertainty continues ahout the fate of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, and the length of his embattled stay in Australia.

But in the end, with no resolution on the government side yet, the Australian Open officials had a draw to make on Thursday.

The original 3 p.m. start was delayed an hour and 15 minutes, literally as the journalists on site were gathered out the door waiting to get into the main interview room.

And then, of course, the women’s draw happened first.

And then some promotional videos.

Emcee Todd Woodbridge checks his notes while promotional videos are run between the women’s and men’s singles draws Thursday at the Australian Open.

And finally, after the unseeded players were randomly inserted into the men’s draw electronically, the moment everyone had been waiting for: the name appearing in the top slot in the draw.

It was Novak Djokovic, the No. 1 seed, who is vying for his 10th Australian Open and his 21st career Grand Slam title overall.

(What, you thought there would be a big reveal? In the end, no drama).

How long he’ll stay in the draw, and what will happen as the Australian immigration minister Alex Hawke continued to ponder the world No. 1’s fate Thursday night, are unanswered questions.

Serb vs Serb in Round 1 – maybe

Djokovic, who appeared to cut short a planned two-hour practice on Rod Laver Arena with Argentine Federico Coria Thursday – is due to play countryman Miomir Kecmanovic.

If he doesn’t end up making the date in the end, the repercussions are already going to be felt among some of his fellow competitors.

ranking
Kecmanovic is due to play countryman Novak Djokovic in the first round. Probably thrilled to bits at the moment.

Alexander Bublik, who would have been the No. 32 seed had Djokovic not been in the draw, dodged some trouble as an unseeded player. He’ll meet a qualifier in the first round, and then could play Gaël Monfils.

It could have been worse; he could have run into Daniil Medvedev or Rafael Nadal or any top seed in the first round.

FAA feels Trickle-Down Effect

For Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, who would have been seeded No. 8 without Djokovic, being the No. 9 seed also didn’t turn out too badly.

In the top eight, he would be slotted to face a player seeded No. 25-32 in the third round (if what’s down on paper holds up in real life).

In this scenario, slotted to play a seed between No. 17 and No. 24, he ended up with the lowest possible outcome, at No. 24. Of course, No. 24 is Brit Dan Evans, a tough customer.

The 25-32 seed brackets includes Ugo Humbert, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov, Carlos Alcaraz, Lloyd Harris and Karen Khachanov. Not a gimme in sight.

And if No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev moves to Djokovic’s spot at the top of the draw following a withdrawal, that would take him out of Auger-Aliassime’s section as a potential fourth-round opponent (replaced by Monfils).

So in the end, maybe it worked out okay.

Andrey Rublev, the No. 5 seed, would find himself at the top of the men’s singles draw of Novak Djokovic ends up out.

Withdrawal Consequences Depend on Timing

Depending on when – and of course, IF– Djokovic is out, the seeds would be rejigged and No. 5 seed Rublev would be moved to the top spot in the draw.

No. 17 Monfils would be moved into Rublev’s spot.

Bublik, as the No. 33 seed, would move into Monfils’s spot. And a lucky loser (or perhaps a qualifier) would go into Bublik’s spot.

AND … as long as we’re looking ahead, if Djokovic ends up out and another top-eight seed also withdraws more than 48 hours before the start of the event on Monday, this could happen.

As unlikely as that scenario is, it’s certainly a pretty crucial thing to leave … up to the tournament’s discretion.

Meanwhile, the tennis world awaits the next news on Djokovic.

Maybe there won’t be any. Maybe the practicing isn’t for naught.

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