British Tennis Players Head Down Under

Lyrics of Bec Nicole
It’s that time of year again for tennis fans, as the Australian Open 2023 kicks off with the main draw scheduled for January 16 with qualifying already underway. There are a number of British players who will take part in the Open, but only a few hope to make it to the final.
This includes one of Britain’s most famous players, Andy Murray. The 35-year-old Scot hasn’t won a major title since 2016 but insists he’s still capable as he prepares for the world-famous tournament staged in the scorching summer of Australia. This will be Murray’s 16th Australian Open and he has a lot to do after being knocked out of the Open in the second round last year, which the player said he didn’t find particularly motivating.
On the women’s side of the tournament, the name on everyone’s lips is Emma Raducanu, the Canadian-born British player who rocked the boat in 2021, when she unexpectedly won the US Open. Now the tennis world is waiting to see if she can claim another major title after a disappointing home result at Wimbledon
last year, where the player went out in the second round. Raducanu fans will have their fingers crossed though as she rolled her ankle during the ASB Classic in Auckland last Thursday the 5th and left the pitch in tears hopefully it won’t be another plagued year injuries for the 20-year-old. like in 2022, because she has not yet confirmed if she is still fit to participate in the next Open.
Fellow Brighton Sonay Kartal also prepared for the Aus Open, the little-known player competed at Wimbledon last year on a wild card and has been carving it out on the court ever since. Although Kartal sadly lost their qualifying match to take part in the main draw on January 9. She was playing against American Elizabeth Mandlik. Mandlik beat her in the first set, and although Kartal fought back and won the second, it wasn’t enough as the Yank got her again in the third.
With the event not even officially underway, there’s already plenty to follow, as Raducanu keeps his mouth shut and rests his ankles turns to other young British girls like Katie Swan and Yuriko Miyazaki at the approaching their first-round qualifying. Meanwhile, many are convinced that Murray’s golden age of Grand Slam victories is long behind him despite his enthusiasm for the tournament. Another Briton to watch in the tournament is Cameron Norrie, who is currently ranked number 12 in the world and aspires to reach number 1 and go even further in the Grand Slam draw than he has done before. . All in all, it’s going to be exciting to see how our UK players, many of them up-and-coming young talents, perform at the first Grand Slam of the year.
Image credits: Getty Images