Graphic shows men’s seedings at the Australian Open 2019.
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TENNIS

Djokovic top men’s seed prior to Australian Open

By Chris Dinsdale

January 14, 2019 - January 27, 2019 - The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the season, takes place in Melbourne.

This year’s Australian Open is shaping up as a potential minefield for the top-ranked men with a host of big-name rivals lurking unseeded in the draw.

Injuries and or loss of form resulted in some dramatic ranking slumps in 2018, making for an extraordinary list of unseeded talent that could cause an early upset.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka and five-time runner up Andy Murray, together with former top 10 players Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and enigmatic Australian Nick Kyrgios, are among those who are not seeded for the year’s opening grand slam.

Any of them could be drawn to face the top three seeds, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as early as the first round, a nightmarish proposition for the tournament favourites.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 10/01/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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