Mixed doubles at the Australian Open: K (l) a dress rehearsal for the Olympics
If you look at the table in mixed doubles at the Australian Open 2021, only a few conclusions can be drawn about the pairings at the Olympics in Tokyo later in the year.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Feb 14, 2021, 01:16 pm
It has been more than a year since the double specialists were given the opportunity to also hunt for the title in a mixed competition. The competitions at the US Open and in Roland Garros fell victim to the external circumstances, the respective organizers did not want to overstrain their luck in the midst of the corona pandemic.
It's that time again in Melbourne, even if the greatest caution is required again at the Australian Open. With a view to the grid, only a few professionals have used one of the few opportunities to get in the mood for the battle for the medals in Tokyo with their potential partners with regard to the Olympic Games, which are to take place this summer.
Krawietz and Siegemund already retired
Strictly speaking, there are only a few couples that can be expected in this line-up at the Olympics: First, the German duo Laura Siegemund and Kevin Krawietz , both Grand Slam champions last year. Krawietz was able to defend his title at the French Open alongside Andreas Mies, Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva won doubles at the US Open. Krawietz / Siegemund have already failed in round one against the Japanese duo Ena Shibahara and Ben McLachlan. Two possible candidates for the home game in summer.
On the other hand, the Polish representation in the form of Lukasz Kubot and Iga Swiatek is allowed to continue . The two prevailed against Astra Sharma and John-Patrick Smith in the match tiebreaker, and may now face Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) and Nikola Mektic (Croatia), number one in Melbourne. But of course not eligible to play in Tokyo.
Nadal knows what he can do
Also interesting is the Kazakh match-up between Elena Rybakina and Alexander Bublik. It remains to be seen whether Bruno Soares and Laura Stefanie will really try their hand at Brazil together.
There are several reasons why intranational couples are no longer trying in Melbourne: Rafael Nadal is struggling with a back injury, a possible test run with Garbine Muguruza was probably never up for discussion. Roger Federer , who tends to want to play with Belinda Bencic in Tokyo, is not in Melbourne at all and only makes his comeback in Doha. Or you already know about your abilities (as with Nadal, who won gold with Marc Lopez in Rio de Janeiro in 2016) and forego a test run.
Here the tableau in mixed doubles
laver arena