TIM HENMAN PREVIEWS THE 2023 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Are you looking forward to seeing Novak Djokovic back this year?
I'm very happy to see Novak back in Australia. You know what happened last year was not a good story for anybody. It wasn't good for Novak. For the Australian Open. It wasn't good for our sport. Him competing in the Australian Open is very, very good news. We always want to see the best players playing against each other. To see Novak come straight back to Adelaide and win the tournament last week, I think it shows you know how well he's playing. I think you also need to reflect how well he played at the end of last year. He won in Paris, he won the Tour finals I was there and he was playing fantastically well.

He is seeded number four, which is a bit strange. I don't think he's the fourth best player in the world, I think he is the favourite. With his record in Australia, having won so many times, he's going to be very difficult to beat.

Do you see anyone who can stop Novak?
In this sport you don't know what's going to happen. That's why they go out there and play. But when he's playing this type of tennis, when he's fit, he's healthy and he's focused - his record speaks for itself. There's no doubt that he's the favourite.

Novak is playing for his tenth title in Melbourne and 22nd Grand Slam. Will that affect him and is he the GOAT?
The GOAT race, for me, is a numbers game. I’ve said it for four or five years but I think Novak will end up with the most Grand Slams in the men's game. He's the one that is fit and healthy and playing the best tennis but he has to go out and prove it. I'm working on the Australian Open with Eurosport and I'm so excited because I think there's just going to be so many great story lines in the next two weeks.

What do you think the crowd reaction will be in Melbourne to Novak?
You never know. You never know. But my advice would be to him, you can't control it. When you can't control something, don't worry about it and concentrate on the things that you can control and that's preparation and performance. But yes, it will be interesting, it's another interesting storyline. It was bad 12 months ago and was no fun for anyone - I'm sure the worst was for Novak so it'll be interesting to see what happens 12 months later.

What do you expect from Rafa Nadal at the Australian Open?
He's not playing his best tennis right now. I was on the court with Cameron Norrie in the British team for the United Cup – Norrie played very well. I'm excited to see Jack Draper play Nadal in the first round, I think that could be a tough match for Nadal. Jack has played very well in Adelaide this week. It's another interesting element of the tournament in Melbourne.

What can we expect from some of the younger players, even though there will be no Carlos Alcaraz?
It’s a great opportunity for them all. Holger Rune played very well at the end of last year and has played well in Australia. Casper Ruud had an amazing year last year, and I think there'll be extra pressure and expectation. I mentioned Jack Draper. Taylor Fritz I thought was very impressive at the United Cup. He played very well. There’s so many storylines. 

What is your take on Alexander Zverev at the moment?
I mean he's had a very, very good career. He's won big titles, He won the Tour finals. He's been in the final of the US Open. But I think it's fair to say that there's more to come. I think a lot of that is dictated by his attitude and his second serve, but for me they are linked. He's coming back from a horrible injury - that's a very hard thing. The first few months will probably be difficult for him to regain his fitness but if he's healthy he is too good not to get back towards the top of the game.

How would you assess Andy Murray – is this going to be one of his last tournaments?
No one knows. What I would say about Murray is a couple of things. When he was well and he was number one in 2017 - he then had hip issues, he missed three or four years. So he might be 35 years of age, but to me, he's closer to 31. When I look at his game, I have been very pleased to see his movement get better. But I've been surprised that his tennis has not been so good. For me, I think that's what motivates him.

At the end of last year he finished inside the top 50. He started the year 120. He finished inside the top 50. But for me, he didn't play very well. So if he can play well, and obviously he needs to stay healthy with without any injuries - but if he can play well, I think he gets back inside the top 32. He is then seeded at Grand Slams and then I think there's a chance he can get into the second week of a Grand Slam - and I think that's what motivates him. He wants to he wants to play well in the big event. My last piece of advice to him is that a professional tennis player is the best job in the world. If you have the chance to do it and you want to do it, you should keep doing it.

Is now a good moment to be a young male professional tennis player?
I think I think there's opportunities out there for them. When you look at the last 15 years, you have Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray. Stan Wawrinka did very well to win three Grand Slams. You had Cilic, Del Potro. But now, I think Djokovic is still the favourite in the men's – however, I think there are there going to be more opportunities for the younger players who are coming up. So it’s a very, very exciting time in the sport.

Do you think Iga Swiatek is the favourite for the women’s title in Melbourne?
I think Iga is one of the favourites. I've just been the Great Britain captain at United Cup and we came up against the Americans and Jessica Pegula played some phenomenal tennis. So I think Iga is definitely one of the favourites, she's, she's a long way in front in the rankings as well as world number one. But in these types of conditions, it's a little bit quicker, I think the courts are a little bit faster, the ball is staying a little bit lower which does maybe help Iga. But having said that, it was impossible not to be very, very impressed with the way that Pegula played in Sydney. There are other dangerous players, I think Coco Gauff is going to have a big, big year. It's going to be fascinating to watch

There were some tears at the end of her last match with Jessica Pegula – should we be worried about Iga’s mental state?
No, I don't think so. Nobody likes to see a competitor crying after a match. But for me, it just shows how much she cares, it shows her hunger and desire and her will to win. Also when you're playing for your country that's different as well. I enjoy seeing the passion of the players so I don't worry - as long as she's 100% fit and healthy. I think that's the main thing going into a Grand Slam.

How would you assess where Emma Raducanu’s game is at the moment? 
Well she still needs that stability within her game. First and foremost, that is physically so that she can build up her endurance and her robustness so that she can practice for longer periods and then she can play more tournaments, and then from there she can compete more and have more matches and learn more. She’s still very, very inexperienced, she's had this incredible high of coming from nowhere to win the US Open, but she still doesn't really have the tour experience, she doesn't have a lot of matches, and when she's trying to play, she's had some frustrating injuries.

So she needs to build that physical endurance and if she does that she's going to have a lot of great results because she's, she's a very good tennis player, she has a great attitude, she works hard. She's a very good athlete. So she just needs a little bit more consistency to those elements of professional game.

Tim Henman is an expert for Warner Bros. Discovery Sport's coverage of the Australian Open in Europe. Coverage starts on discovery+, Eurosport and Eurosport App from Monday 16 January.