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It has been over half a century since a British player managed to win the Australian Open. The last to do so was Virginia Wade way back in 1972. In more recent times Andy Murray has carried the flag for Britain. He reached the final 5 times between 2010 and 2016 but ended up losing all of those finals.
No other British player had come even close to triumphing in this tournament in the past 50 years. It seems 2023 will continue this trend with not many expecting to see a British player still in contention come week 2 of the tournament.
In any case, the UK will have a total of six representatives in the main singles draw, for men and women combined. So, unless we see another addition through qualifiers, the UK players that will compete at Australian Open 2023 are Andy Murray, Dan Evans, Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie, Kyle Edmund, and Harriet Dart. Emma Raducanu won’t play because of injury.
So, let’s take a closer look at each of the six British tennis players at AO 2023 and their chances to go all the way.
Cameron Norrie
The quick-footed left-hander born in South Africa is the highest-ranked British tennis player at #14. He had his best professional year in 2022. He won 2 of his 4 ATP titles last year (Delray Beach Open and Lyon). Also reached his first ever Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon where eventually the future champion Novak Djokovic stopped him. In mid-September, Norrie achieved his highest career ranking of #8.
However, his Australian Open record is dismal. In the 3 of his 4 appearances he was eliminated in the opening round. Only back in 2021 he reached round 3 where he lost to Nadal.
Norrie has powerful ground strokes and is known as very good counter-puncher. This and the high ranking that promise easier draw in the first few rounds should see him go past the opening game only for the second time. With a bit of luck he could even hope for his best ever Australian Open run, but his title-chances remain slim.
For now, Norrie’s campaign is off to a decent start. The South Africa-born Brit took down youngster Luca Van Assche in straight sets.
Norrie navigated well through a rather slow start, with Van Assche managing to break the Brit’s serve twice and force a tie break. But the #11 seed found his stride after that, cruising past the 18-year old Frenchman to reach round 2.
The 27-year old Brit went up against another Frenchman, Constatin Letienne, in round 2. Surprisingly, Letienne made Norrie’s life as difficult as possible during the match. The 30-year old Frenchman’s feisty defensive tennis took Norrie to the brink multiple times. Despite hitting an impressive 17 aces, the Brit often found himself having to fight back from a break point. Norrie ultimately triumphed in four sets, advancing to take on Jiri Lehecka.
Norrie was upset by the Czech in a back and forth third round matchup. After a long first set, the Brit saw Lehecka tie the score in the second. Norrie then went up a set again in the third, but dropped the fourth set 1-6 despite momentarily climbing back from an early break. Struggling with an apparent left knee injury, Norrie then had trouble to keep up with Lehecka in the fifth and decisive set. The Czech moved the Brit around the court and took advantage of Norrie’s errors to wrap things up and complete the upset.
At least it wasn’t all bad news for Norrie, as the 27-year old Brit was able to match his career best result in Melbourne. Following the first round exit a year ago, he will also gain some points in the ranking.
Norrie to Win Odds: 65/1 (+6.500) @ William Hill
Daniel Evans
The number 2 ranked British player, currently at #27, is now 32-years-old. Throughout his entire career he has failed to suggest he could win a Grand Slam. Evans reached his highest ever ranking of #22 back in 2021 and he has won only 1 single’s title so far. Evans has never made it past week one of a Grand Slam.
That said his best ever Grand Slam appearance was exactly at the Australian Open where he reached round 4 back in 2017. He also made it up to round 3 twice, including in 2022. Still nothing in his play suggests he could be a serious contender.
Evans doesn’t have the firepower of most top players and despite his very good defensive strokes and solid skills at the net he has struggled to compete against heavy hitters throughout his entire career Evans also will be involved in the doubles where he has much higher ambitions to go deep in the tournament.
Showcasing his usual grit and never-say-die style, Evans grinded past the first round with a 3-1 victory over Facundo Bagnis. The #25 seed used his strong baseline defense and made the most out of Bagnis’ unforced errors.
In round 2, things went a lot smoother for the Birmingham native. Evans controlled the actions against Jeremy Chardy, both on his service games and especially on the Frenchman’s serve. The Brit was absolutely lethal with his first serve, while Chardy struggled to connect his. Evans wrapped up the encounter in straight sets, but then took on a much steeper challenge in Andrey Rublev.
An unforced error by Evans on the first set point of the match ended up setting the tone for the remainder of the encounter. After conceding the only break in the opening set, Evans day went off the rails. Rublev’s strong forehand won over Evans’ backhand slice, and the Russian took control of the actions from the second set onwards. The #5 seed wrapped things up in straight sets, eliminating the Brit. But with no points to defend in Melbourne, the overall result was still positive for the 32-year old.
Evans to Win Odds: 199/1 (+19.900) @ William Hill
Jack Draper
The fast-rising young British star is yet to win a single’s ATP title but in 2022 he had his best ever year so far. He reached his highest ranking of #40 on New Year’s Day of 2023. Just 21-years-old Draper seems to have all the tools for a solid career, but his stamina is serious weakness. Back in 2022 Draper collapsed in the hear of Miami during a tough match and clearly he has problems dealing with hot, dry conditions. Draper plans to participate in the doubles tournament too. This will be further challenge to his fitness and stamina.
Turned professional only in 2021, Draper is about to make his Australian Open debut. This should pump him up enough to give his best. Still it’s hard to see him make much of an impact due to lack of experience.
Draper’s youthful energy and seemingly polished all-round game give him pretty decent record against top 10 opponents in his young career. He has 9 wins and 9 defeats in those matches. In 2022 he managed to beat all of Tsitsipas, Thiem, Simon, Monfiels, Fritz, and Auger-Aliassime. However, he has played only one 5-set match in his young career so far.
The draw did Draper no favors with a round 1 matchup against Rafael Nadal. But the young Brit did not feel intimidated: following a slow start, Draper took control of the match and comfortably won the second set.
The intensity of the match eventually took its toll on the 21-year old. Just as the upset started to look like a real possibility, Draper began dealing with cramps. He wasn’t able to keep up with the Spaniard legend and ultimately fell in four sets.
Draper to Win Odds: 99/1 (+9.900) @ William Hill
Kyle Edmund
Injured since early 2021 the South African-born Brit enters the competition as a protected ranking. After such a long period out the 2018 Australian Open semi-finalists (his title odds back in 2018 were 300/1) can hardly hope for much.
Apart from this one time Edmund has never made it past round 2 in any other of his other four Australian Open appearances. Also, considering his complete lack of competitive tennis and fitness issues, it would be hard to see him play more than two games in the single’s tournament this season.
Just as we predicted, Edmund’s journey in Melborune did not last very long. Drawn against Janik Sinner, the 28-year old was no match for the Italian star. Edmund fell in straight sets, managing only one break.
Edmund to Win Odds: 199/1 (+19.900) @ William Hill
Andy Murray
Veteran now at 35 and after several years of injury issues, Murray is no longer considered a Grand Slam contender. With his best years behind him the Scot plays with freedom and on a good day he knows he could beat anyone.
However, the chances his fitness could last 2 weeks of top-level tennis are close to zero these days. He never won more than 3 consecutive 3-set games in the same tournament in 2022. Murray’s big ambitions in this year’s tournament are in doubles, where he hopes to challenge even for the title.
In one of the biggest first round upsets, Murray recreated some of his old magic. The Scot took down the #13 seed, Matteo Berrettini, in a five-hour marathon. After going up two sets, Murray allowed Berrettini to come back and force a fifth set.
Despite his age, the former number 1 won the final set tiebreak and scored his first victory over a top 20 opponent in almost six years.
In round 2, Murray once again turned back the clock. In an even longer marathon, Murray capped off a brilliant comeback against Thanakis Kokkinakis after 5h45 of play. With the Aussie up 2 sets to 0 and serving for the match, Sir Andy started working off his magic. The former #1 broke Kokkinakis’ serve, won the tiebreak and proceeded to capture the final two sets.
Following a combined ten hours of play between the first two matches, Sir Andy moved on to face the #24 seed, Roberto Bautista Agut, in the third round. This time, however, Murray wasn’t able to turn back the clock again. The 10-plus hours on the court had clearly taken their toll, and the former number 1 fell in four sets. Despite the exit, Murray showed no signs of stopping, hinting at a possible return for 2024.
Murray to Win Odds: 99/1 (+9.900) @ William Hill
Harriet Dart
Raducanu’s injury means that Dart will be the only British woman in the main draw. Just entering the top 100 in the world last year and never being inside the top 80, Dart has minimal Grand Slam experience. She has made the main draw of Australian Open 3 times before – in 2020 reached round 2, on the other two occasions lost in round 1.
Dart lacks the firepower and solid base-line play most women in modern tennis have. This explains why from 46 attempts she has won just once against a Top-20 ranked player. She will be busy both in the doubles and the mixed doubles, with her chances to do well there much higher as she is accomplished doubles player.
Unsurprisingly, the 26-year old lost in the first round. Dart faced off against the #32 seed, Swiss Jil Teichmann. After putting up a fight in the first set, Dart wasn’t able to keep up and ultimately lost in straights.
Dart to Win Odds: 199/1 (+19.900) @ William Hill
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