Photo : @ATPTour
This week on Match Point Canada, Ben and Mike put the Australian Open to bed with their men’s and women’s tournament recap. Tennis fans in North America can rejoice about reclaiming their sleep schedules after two incredible weeks of tennis that culminated with a first ever major title for Aryna Sabalenka and a remarkable 22nd for Novak Djokovic.
The episode begins with a deep-dive into the women’s final between Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina and what the result means for both talented players.
In terms of Canadian content, it was a tough draw for both Leylah Annie Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu, although Ben and Mike are both feeling pretty optimistic for their chances in 2023. It was also a rare Slam where doubles ace Gaby Dabrowski failed to make it to the second week in either women’s or mixed doubles, although the World No. 7 will no-doubt bounce back as the season progresses.
Things went more according to plan in the men’s draw and the hosts both marvel at the amazing achievement for Novak Djokovic. As guest Rennae Stubbs said on last week’s show, there was a “massive amount of vengeance in him” after the circumstances of a year ago. Djokovic only dropped one set the entire tournament and seemed to get stronger and stronger as he moved through the draw.
Djokovic now stands tied with Rafael Nadal for the all-time men’s Slam lead with 22 apiece. The scene is set for a dramatic Roland-Garros in May to see if one of them can pull-away from the other.
Check out that and much more on the newest episode of Match Point Canada, available on Megaphone, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify below. We hope you enjoy!
