Ten-time AO champion Novak Djokovic opens the Saturday night session when he meets Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in his 18th fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Victory over the world No.75 would avenge a defeat at Indian Wells last year and tie him with Roger Federer for the most wins of any player at the Australian Open in the Open era.
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A win for the fourth seed would also draw him level with Federer with a 102nd win at Melbourne Park – the most in the Open era – and make him the first player to notch 400 Grand Slam singles wins.
Even for a player with the 38-year-old’s depth of experience, there was always a need for coaching assistance.
“I think you always need at least a pair of eyes on the side of the court, if not two pairs, three pairs that know tennis, that have different expertise and they have different angles of seeing your game and seeing your opponent’s game,” he said.
“I obviously know the game of tennis very well. Very often, particularly in the competitive weeks when you are under stress, emotions are not as, I’d say, at bay as they normally are in a non-competitive week, then you have to handle much more than just your tennis and how you hit your forehand.”
A stable team has been key to two-time defending men’s champion Jannik Sinner at Melbourne Park the past two years, and the Italian even paid tribute to one of his coaches, Australian Darren Cahill, as “like a second father” on his run to the third round.
Cahill will be courtside again for the second seed’s first meeting with American Eliot Spizzirri on Saturday where his charge aims for a 19th Grand Slam fourth round.
Sinner trails only Djokovic’s 20 for the most second-week showings since the start of 2020. Should the 24-year-old snag a 17th straight Australian Open match win, he would become the youngest since Jim Courier in 1994 to do so.
In the opening match at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, reigning champion Madison Keys meets former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova for just the second time.
Should the ninth seed avenge her defeat to the Czech from the 2020 Brisbane final she would level Caroline Wozniacki’s 37 match wins at Melbourne Park, the equal second-most behind Venus Williams’ 54.
The 33-year-old Pliskova has made a welcome return following a year of missed majors due to injury and has not dropped a set, including over former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round.
AloJapan.com