The Australian Open 2022 draw will mark the culmination of what has undoubtedly been the most dramatic build-up to a grand slam tournament in recent memory. The first grand slam of the year has returned to late January, and organizers are looking for a much more usual appearance.
The Australian Open 2022 Draw date was intended to be the beginning of the end of the misery, as the more hopeful among us would have hoped.
With the pandemic’s second anniversary approaching, tennis’ first grand slam of the year might have served as a beacon of optimism, free of limitations, testing, and vaccination discussion, heralding the start of a new era.
Novak Djokovic’s detention at the Australian border and subsequent legal squabble with multiple government agencies threw the world No. 1’s presence in Melbourne into doubt and sparked a global debate about mandatory vaccines that was, at best, uninspiring for those attempting to run a mid-pandemic tennis tournament.
Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley’s comment the day before Djokovic’s visa hearing that he “would like to see” the defending champion participate in his event was the understatement of the century. With Roger Federer and Serena Williams out due to injury, the absence of Djokovic would leave the grand slam short on star power.
There would also be history at risk; the Serb has won nine times in Melbourne and would make history if he made it ten, pushing him to 21 grand slams and clear atop the men’s all-time chart, surpassing Federer and Rafael Nadal.
He knows he’ll receive the top seed. Due to his late arrival in Australia, the organizers are very likely to assign him the earliest available first-round match, with a night session on Tuesday, January 18th appearing likely.
The ideal final would pit Nadal against Djokovic, but it’s more probable that No 2 seed Daniil Medvedev repeats the US Open final from September, when the Russian won his maiden major slam trophy with a straight-sets win against the Serb, depriving him of a historic calendar-year Grand Slam.
Main draw
Date: Thursday 13 January
Time: TBC, usually confirmed the day before and conducted around 7pm local time (8am in the UK)
How to watch
Dates: Monday 17 January – Sunday 30 January
Timings: Day sessions from midnight UK time, night sessions start from 8am and run until around midday
TV: Eurosport 1 (Sky channel 410, BT 435, Virgin 521), Eurosport 2 (Sky 411, BT 436, Virgin 522)
Live stream: Online-only subscription sports package available for £6.99 per month
However, as long as players have been vaccinated — a subject of dispute – they will find life in Melbourne to be a bit more normal, albeit not altogether.
However, there will be certain changes on the court that players cannot ascribe to the epidemic. The women’s semi-finals (traditionally played on the afternoon of the second Thursday in the Australian open 2022 draw) will now both be part of the Thursday night session preceding Saturday’s final, in what can only be characterized as common sense.
The men’s semi-finals, which were previously scheduled for Thursday and Friday night sessions, will now take place on Friday, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, which, in addition to being fairer to the women’s game, will help to balance the amount of time the two finalists have to prepare for Sunday’s showdown.
Provisional tournament schedule and Australian open draw dates
| Monday 17 January | First-round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Tuesday 18 January | First-round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Wednesday 19 January | Second round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Thursday 20 January | Second round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Friday 21 January | Third round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Saturday 22 January | Third round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Sunday 23 January | Fourth round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Monday 24 January | Fourth round men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Tuesday 25 January | Quarter-finals men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Wednesday 26 January | Quarter-finals men’s and women’s singles, play starts at midnight; night session begins at 8am |
| Thursday 27 January | Both women’s singles semi-finals, consecutively, from 8.30am |
| Friday 28 January | First men’s singles semi-final at 1am, second men’s singles semi-final at 8.30am |
| Saturday 29 January | Women’s singles final at 8.30am followed by mixed doubles final |
| Sunday 30 January | Men’s doubles final at 4am, men’s singles final at 8.30am |
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