We are set for another exciting year in Tennis in 2023. This year provided shocks, surprises and breathtaking moments and even some tearjerkers. Tennis icon Roger Federer announced his retirement from the sport in September after the Laver Cup in London, putting an end to one of the greatest careers in sports history. Elsewhere, Caroline Garcia shocked world No. 1 Iga Swiatek on her home soil when she beat her 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 in the Warsaw quarterfinals. Swiatek entered the Warsaw quarterfinals with an 18-0 record on clay in 2022 but was handed her first clay loss of the season by Garcia.
We are sure to see even more incredible moments in 2023 and the calendar is shaping up to provide them as such. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest dates on the calendar.
Australian Open – Jan 2023
The first Grand Slam tournament of the year is of course the Australian Open. The hard surface tournament begins on 16 January 2023 and culminates on the 29th of the same month. The big story over the last few months was whether world No. 1 Novak Djokovic would be able to travel to the Open after missing this year’s tournament when he was deported over his vaccine status. He confirmed in November however that he has received his visa and will be able to travel to Melbourne and Djokovic is the betting favorite to win the Australian Open. The Women’s tournament will of course be taking place at the same time. Iga Swiatek, world No. 1, is the favourite to take home the first women’s grand slam of the year.
Davis Cup Qualifiers – Feb 2023
Following the Aussie Open, the men will begin the qualifying rounds for the Davis Cup. The premier international tennis tournament, the “World Cup of Tennis” sees 48 countries compete in 24 ties. The 12 Davis Cup by Rakuten Qualifiers will be played on a home-and-away basis on either Friday 3 – Saturday 4 February, or Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 February.
Dubai Tennis Championships – Feb 2023
This hard surface tournament now carries a little extra weight for the WTA with it being a WTA 1000 event in 2023. It alternates yearly between a WTA 1000 level tournament and a WTA 500 level tournament. Jelena Ostapenko provided an upset in last year’s final when she beat world No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova.
Indian Wells Masters/BNP Paribas Open – Mar 2023
Often referred to as the “fifth Grand Slam”, the Indian Wells Masters is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments. Taylor Fritz won last year’s tournament, becoming the first American male to do so since Andre Agassi in 2001. Swiatek will aim for back-to-back wins after she beat Maria Sakkari in straight sets in last year’s WTA final.
French Open – May 2023
The next grand-slam tournament on the 2023 calendar comes in the spring when the French Open gets underway on 28 May. The premier clay court championship in tennis and the only Grand Slam tournament currently held on this surface, Spanish ace Rafael Nadal has dominated the Roland-Garros for over a decade. The current champion has won 10 of the last 13 French Open tournaments. This has of course earned Nadal the honorific nickname of “The King of Clay”.
Wimbledon – July 2023
The biggest tournament in tennis begins in the summer over in England. The oldest and most prestigious major in the world (and the only major still played on grass) is truly where all the magic happens. Last year’s WTA tournament provided some major shocks, like when Swiatek’s 37-match win streak was ended in the third round by Alize Cornet. Elena Rybakina won the tournament and became the first ever Kazakhstani to do so with her maiden singles major. It was of course Djokovic who won the men’s final, beating Nick Kyrgios in a thrilling encounter.
U.S. Open – Aug 2023
The final Grand Slam of the year takes place between August and September. World No.1 Djokovic was unable to travel to the tournament in 2023 for the same reasons he could not play in Australia and it is yet to be seen whether he will play this year. Swiatek will enter this tournament as favourite, not far in front of Ons Jabeur, with the two developing a great competitive rivalry in the last couple of years.
ATP/WTA Finals – Oct/Nov 2023
The most significant event in the men’s and women’s calendar following the majors starts in October for the WTA and November for the ATP. The round-robin style tournament is one of the most unique and exciting formats in tennis and is always a thrilling way to end the tennis calendar.
