Getty
PARIS, FRANCE May 29. Serena Williams of the United States leaves trying as Rafael Nadal of Spain arrives for his training session on Court Philippe-Chatrier in preparation for the 2021 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on May 29th 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Getty
PARIS, FRANCE May 29. Serena Williams of the United States leaves trying as Rafael Nadal of Spain arrives for his training session on Court Philippe-Chatrier in preparation for the 2021 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on May 29th 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Whenever the new season begins, players are excited to get themselves underway to compete at the Australian Open 2022. It is the first opportunity for players to have a shot at Grand Slam glory.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
As the Australian Open 2022 has reached the business end, there has been an interesting statistic that has popped up. Interestingly, all the players from both categories, men’s singles, and women’s singles have reached a semifinal of a Grand Slam at least once prior.
When was the last time this happened?
The last time such a similar situation took place was during the French Open 2013. At that time, Novak Djokovic was up against Rafael Nadal and in the other half, it was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga versus David Ferrer. In the women’s section, it was Serena Williams against Sara Errani and in the other half, it was Maria Sharapova against Victoria Azarenka.
Currently, at the Australian Open 2022, we have Nadal taking on Matteo Berrettini in the upper half, and in the bottom half, Tsitsipas awaits the winner of the match between Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger Aliassime. In the women’s section, we have Ash Barty taking on Madison Keys and in the other half, we have Danielle Collins taking on Iga Swiatek.
#AusOpen 2022: For the first time since Roland Garros 2013, there will be zero new Grand Slam singles semifinalists in a Slam.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 26, 2022
Those semis:
Men's:
Djokovic-Nadal
Ferrer-Tsonga
Women's:
S. Williams-Errani
Sharapova-Azarenka
Notably, during the French Open 2013, Rafa had won the tournament in the men’s section and Serena had won the women’s event.
Things are heating up at Australian Open 2022
Players usually bring their best tennis on the courts as the competition gets tougher. The quality of players facing each other is hence at a top-level in Australian Open, which is testing everyone with heat. In the men’s draw, Nadal is running strong as the Grand Slam favorite.
Getty
PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 29: Winners of the 2020 French Open seven months ago, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Iga Swiatek of Poland practice together for 20 minutes on Court 5 ahead of the French Open 2021, Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland-Garros stadium on May 29, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by John Berry/Getty Images)
Medvedev won the US Open last season and is hence a notable challenger. However, the other names also have a chance to open their account for Grand Slam glory. In the women’s half, we have Barty and Swiatek who have won Majors in the past.
The semifinals of the women’s draw will be held on Thursday and the men’s on Friday. We wish all players the best of luck for the upcoming matches.
WATCH THIS STORY: Hilarious Meaning of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams on Urban Dictionary!
