This is the tour of the stars leading up to the Australian Open

Rafael Nadal and Paula Badosa They packed their bags and flew to Sydney, from Mallorca and Dubai, respectively, where they live and finished the preseason. The Spaniard, 36 years old and world no.

Also with the men’s and women’s teams together, although with an official character, with ATP and WTA points for the world ranking in dispute, Nadal and Badosa will be part of the numbers that will launch a new United Cup, which shares the Spanish formation with Pablo Carreño, Albert Ramos, David Vega, Nuria Parrizas and Jessica Bouzas. If the plan holds, the man from Manacor will face Cameron Norrie and Nick Kyrgios in the group stage and those from Begur, Harriet Dart and Ajla Tomljanovic. Only the first country in this group will advance, with a maximum of three more qualifiers to the title.

Nadal does not compete until the start of the Australian Open on January 16. He will defend the crown where he also clinched the Melbourne ATP 250 title last year. Badosa will continue to test herself, at the WTA 500 in Adelaide 2, on the very edge of the first Grand Slam of the year, the main goal of the current professional tennis heavyweights.

Alcaraz, another plan

Everyone has their own roadmap. Carlos Alcaraz returns to delay the trip to the antipodes to the maximum. He won’t get on the plane until Reyes is done. Directly to Melbourne, where it will begin to gain a serious rhythm of competition at the Kooyong exhibition, a classic of these dates that will return after cancellations due to the coronavirus.

The Murcian leads a cartel with Jannik Sinner, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe. His time in Abu Dhabi, in mid-December, was testimonial as he barely trained once he got over the stomach injury that kept him out of the ATP and Davis Cup Finals.

He will show the world number one at the Australian Open, where he made the third round in 2022, adding 90 to his 6,820 points. Only two thousand is more than the main threat at this point for number 1, considering that Nadal cannot add. Serbian has 4,820 Novak Djokovic, in a spirit of revenge after being deported from Australia in January, in a tug of war with the central government over non-vaccination against Covid. And in shape as he showed by winning the ATP Finals in Turin.

Balkan, in addition, can scratch 250 extra points before the Open because he signed up for the ATP tournament in Adelaide, from January 1 to 8. The draw will be competitive, with Felix Auger-Aliassime, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, among others, on the list of players.

In the official WTA Garbine Muguruza, 29 years old, does not appear in the headlines. Punished by rank (55th), waiting for invitations.

The road to the Open opens on Thursday 29th, in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth with the United Cup.

united cup

Brisbane, Perth, Sydney: December 29-January 8

Mainly male registrants
Rafael Nadal (Span/2)
Casper Ruud (Nor/3)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gre/4)
Taylor Fritz (USA/9)
Hubet Hurkacz (Pol/10)
Alexander Zverev (Germany/12)
Pablo Carreño (Span/13)
Cameron Norrie (GBR/14)
Matteo Berrettini (Ita/16)
Frances Tiafoe (USA/19)
Nick Kyrgios (Aus/22)
Top female registrants
Iga Swiatek (Pol/1)
Jessica Pegula (USA/3)
Caroline Garcia (Fra/4)
Maria Sakkari (Gre/6)
Madison Keys (USA/11)
Belinda Bencic (Sui/12)
Paula Badosa (Span/13)
Petra Kvitova (Che/16)

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Contests from January 1 to 8

ATP 250 ADELAIDE 1
Australia, January 1-8
Novak Djokovic (Srb/5)
Felix Auger-Aliassime (Can/6)
Daniil Medvedev (Russian/7)
Andrey Rublev (Russian/8)
Holger Rune (Din/11)
Jannik Sinner (Ita/15)
Dennis Shapovalov (Can/18)
Karen Khachanov (Russian/20)
Roberto Bautista (Span/21)
WTA 500 OF ADELAIDE 1
Australia, January 1-8
Ons Jabeur (Tun/2)
Aryna Sabalenka (Blr/5)
Daria Kasatkina (Russian/8)
Veronika Kudermetova (Russian/9)
Danielle Collins (USA/14)
Anett Kontaveit (Est/17)
AUCKLAND WTA 250
New Zealand, January 2-8
Coco Gauff (USA/7)
PUNE ATP 250
India, January 2-7
Marin Cilic (Cro/17)

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Tournaments 9 to 14 January

ATP 250 ADELAIDE 2
Australia, January 9-14
Andrey Rublev (Russian/8)
Pablo Carreño (Span/13)
Roberto Bautista (Span/21)
Nick Kyrgios (Aus/22)
AUCKLAND ATP 250
New Zealand, January 9-14
Casper Ruud (Nor/3)
Holger Rune (Din/11)
Cameron Norrie (GBR/14)
Diego Schwartzman (Arg/25)
WTA 250 FROM HOBART
Australia, January 9-14
Marie Bouzkova (Che/24)
WTA 500 OF ADELAIDE 2
Australia, January 9-14
Iga Swiatek (Pol/1)
Ons Jabeur (Tun/2)
Jessica Pegula (USA/3)
Caroline Garcia (Fra/4)
Daria Kasatkina (Russian/8)
Veronika Kudermetova (Russian/9)
Madison Keys (USA/11)
Belinda Bencic (Sui/12)
Paula Badosa (Span/13)

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yes classic

Melbourne, January 10-12

Carlos Alcaraz (Span/1)
Taylor Fritz (USA/9)
Jannik Sinner (Ita/15)
Marin Cilic (Cro/17)
Alex de Minaur (Aus/24)
Borna Coric (Cro/26)
Grigor Dimitrov (Bul/28)
Yoshito Nishioka (Japan/36)

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australia tomorrow

Melbourne: January 16-29

First Grand Slam tournament of the season