The Top 5 most accomplished men going for their first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open
From major finalists to ATP Finals champions and former No. 2s, these five seem to be next in line for Grand Slam glory.
Six of the 128 players in the men’s draw at the Australian Open have won Grand Slam titles before: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev.
Which of the other 122 men in the draw are the best yet to win one?
We can’t objectively say who’s “better” than anyone else, but by looking at previous Grand Slam results, rankings and success at other ATP events, we’ve come up with our Top 5 most accomplished players trying to win their first Grand Slam title in Melbourne this year.
In no particular order…
Nick Kyrgios
Not only does the Australian draw some of the biggest crowds on tour, he also has one of the most impressive resumes on tour, including reaching his first major final at Wimbledon last year and seven career ATP titles, including four ATP 500s. His career-high is No. 13, but he probably would have been in the Top 10 had there been ranking points at Wimbledon last year—and ranking has hardly ever mattered to the 27-year-old, who’s had 27 career wins over Top 10 players (and is one of only two men ever, alongside Lleyton Hewitt, to win their first tour-level meeting against each member of the Big 3).
Grigor Dimitrov
He may not have been to a major final, but the Bulgarian has been to three major semifinals (2014 Wimbledon, 2017 Australian Open and 2019 US Open) and won the biggest tournament there is outside of the Slams—the ATP Finals—in 2017. He’s also won every other level of ATP event there is (one Masters 1000, one ATP 500 and five ATP 250s). He’s currently ranked No. 29, but he’s been as high as No. 3, and was still inside the Top 20 as recently as the US Open fortnight last summer.
Casper Ruud
The Norwegian would have made this list just based on his results in 2022 alone—last year he reached two Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and the US Open and was even a win away from reaching No. 1—had he beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the final in Flushing Meadows, he would have risen to the top spot. Instead, he reached a career-high No. 2, and made another huge final at the ATP Finals at the end of the year. The 24-year-old has already piled up nine career ATP titles, too.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
He may not have won a major yet, but the Greek has done just about everything else—he’s won the ATP Finals, two Masters 1000 titles (both in Monte Carlo) and he’s been to a major final before, leading Djokovic by two sets in the 2021 Roland Garros final before falling in five. He’s been to another four Grand Slam semifinals, too, including three at the Australian Open in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The former No. 3 plays some of his best tennis in Melbourne—could this be his year?
Alexander Zverev
The German has the most complete resume of anyone on this list: he’s been to a Grand Slam final (leading Thiem by two sets in the 2020 US Open final before falling in five); he’s a two-time ATP Finals champion in 2018 and 2021; he’s won five Masters 1000 titles; he’s been ranked as high as No. 2; and he’s even an Olympic champion, capturing the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
One big indication that the 25-year-old is destined for a Grand Slam title: every other man who’s won the ATP Finals more than once has captured at least two Grand Slam titles in their career.
It could be too early for it right now, though, as Zverev only just returned to tour-level competition at the start of 2023 after having missed the entire second half of 2022 with a right ankle injury...
Honorable Mention!
Matteo Berrettini barely missed out on this list—the Italian, a former No. 6, is a one-time major finalist (2021 Wimbledon) and two-time semifinalist (2019 US Open and 2022 Australian Open) with seven career ATP titles, the biggest of which are two ATP 500 crowns.