Predictions for 2023 season

It's that time of year again to make forecasts for 2023. This will be the first "normal" year since 2020 due to Covid, Djoko bans, "pointless" Wimbledon etc.

I'm tipping Djoko for the AO and, probably, Wimbledon, while Rafa, if fit, should triumph at RG again. As ever, and has been said by others, the USO is the unpredictable one. Considering how the Big 3 have dominated the other three Slams, New York throws up some interesting stats.

Since 2009 there have been NINE different winners of the USO. There have been five different champions in the last five years. Equally surprisingly, no one has been able to retain their title since Federer back in 2008.

Given that Djoko is likely to feature in 2023 and the fact that likely contenders Medvedev and Alcaraz have already won it, the US title may not necessarily go to a new champion next year. Still difficult to forecast who will win, though.

I'm expecting Novak to regain the number one position some time in the first half of the year. Alcaraz could find it difficult to have another good year in 2023. Rafa never looked back after his teenaged Slam but Sampras struggled at Slams for a while after taking New York at 19. So it may be tricky for Alcaraz.

It's surely asking too much to expect Swiatek to repeat her stellar year in 2023. She may well stay top, though. I expect her main challenge to come from the likes of Jabeur and Gauff. We await to see what happens with the suspended Halep.

Of the Britons, Jack Draper is poised to go high up the rankings. This could be Murray's final year. In some ways 2022 was both encouraging and at the same time disheartening for the Scot. However, if he feels he's still competitive and he's still enjoying it, he may soldier on.

Given a decent fitness regime, Emma Raducanu could do well. It was always going to be very difficult for her in 2022 and she's probably relieved the year is over.

Well I got Djoko winning the AO right, although I wasn't exactly going out on a limb with that particular prediction.

Wonder if anyone might want to forecast RG this year. Normally, you would have to go for Rafa. But he's going to miss the next few weeks thru injury and this could be the year when it's wiser to look beyond the Spaniard in Paris.

I tipped Novak for Wimbledon 2023 even before his dominant display in Melbourne. He is even more of a favourite at SW19 now.

I was just reading that yesterday and your 2023 predictions look solid so far.

Henman Bill wrote:I was just reading that yesterday and your 2023 predictions look solid so far.

Of the Slams, it's really only the USO that's hard to forecast at the moment, particularly as Djoko is unlikely to be playing in it.

I'm willing to predict that Novak will end up as the year-end number one, especially if points are awarded for Wimbledon.