By Chris Oddo | Wednesday January 17
Today's preview of Day 4 of the Australian Open will be prefaced with a few burning questions.
See the Full Day 4 Australian Open Order Of Play Here
Djokovic to be Tested?
In heat north of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Novak Djokovic will meet Gael Monfils in his second match of the season. We know that Djokovic is 14-0 against Monfils, and he’ll likely emerge as the eventual winner, but how will his revamped serve hold up against a world-class returner like Monfils, and how will he function in the oppressive heat?
Getting the victory is obviously important but Djokovic, if he is to have any chance of making a deep run, must keep this match as drama-free as possible. The Serb doesn’t have a great draw in Melbourne, and if he’s forced to battle for four-plus hours to reach the third round, it won’t bode well for his chances going forward. There’s a potential fourth-rounder with Alexander Zverev waiting, and after that it could be Dominic Thiem in the quarters, so Djokovic needs to manage his minutes so that he can approach those week two matches in top form.
Keep in mind, of course, that Monfils is capable of pulling an upset here. If there was ever a time where Djokovic was ripe, it is now, when he is playing his second match of the season after a six-month layoff. And let’s not forget that Monfils has taken Djokovic to a deciding set in six of his fourteen losses to the Serb—it’s not as if he can’t push him.
Sharapova’s rough road begins
Is Maria Sharapova a contender for this title? Hmm… let’s wait and see. If the Russian can get through today’s battle with the No.14-seeded Latvian she’ll likely face Angelique Kerber in the third round. If she gets through that without too much stress, then we’ll start thinking about a Sharapova title run. Until the Russian, who was in good form in her first-round victory over Tatjana Maria, proves that she can win tough matches against top players, we’re not sure she’s ready to be a true threat to win the title.
Also of note is the fact that this is a brutal draw for Sharapova. If she does emerge and reach the second week she’ll likely face Garbiñe Muguruza in the round of 16. That’s a lot of Grade A competition to have before the quarterfinals of a major. We say it every Slam and we’ll say it again this year: Draws matter and often play an integral role in who the eventual winner of a major is. Sharapova has a lot to overcome with this draw, which will likely be her last as an unseeded player for the foreseeable future.
Is Halep fit?
Truth is we don’t know what kind of shape Simona Halep is going to be in when she faces Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in second-round action on Thursday night in Melbourne. She badly rolled her left ankle during her first-round win over Destanee Aiava on Day 2, and she looked compromised for much of the final set of her straight sets victory.
Halep demonstrated her warrior mentality in that victory but it remains to be seen if this injury will drag her down against Bouchard. Bouchard notched the biggest win of her career at Wimbledon in 2014 when Halep was struggling with the left ankle that she twisted in the fourth game. Will history repeat itself again on Thursday? If so it could be the type of win that finally gets Bouchard pointed in the right direction. She snapped a six-match tour-level losing streak in the first round, and certainly needs any ranking points she can get, as she’s fallen out of the Top 100 for the first time since 2013.
It will be very interesting to see what type of form Halep is in and how this heavily anticipated match plays out.