Adelaide, Jan 1 (IANS): Top seed Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are among four 2022 ATP Finals participants in the loaded men's singles draw for Adelaide International 1, which begins on Sunday, here.
Back in action Down Under for the first time since he won the 2021 Australian Open, the World No. 5 leads the field in Adelaide, where he won his third ATP Tour title in 2007.
The Serbian finished the 2022 season by winning a record-tying sixth ATP Finals crown, and lifted the title in four of his past five ATP Tour tournaments dating back to Wimbledon.
Djokovic has a big opportunity to rise up the ATP Rankings in the coming months, having played just one tour-level event in the first quarter of 2022. He enters this season with 4,820 ATP Rankings points, exactly 2,000 points shy of World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
After reaching the pinnacle of the ATP Rankings in February 2022, Medvedev finished the season with two tour-level titles -- but it was not enough to maintain his position as World No. 1, which he lost after failing to defend his US Open title.
Entering this season as World No. 7, Medvedev is making his Adelaide debut. He will look to get off to a strong start this year after finishing 2022 on a four-match losing streak -- though that run came after he lifted the title in Vienna and included three Top 10 defeats in Turin, all in third-set tie-breaks.
The likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev and alternate Holger Rune complete Adelaide's list of players who were involved at the 2022 ATP Finals. Auger-Aliassime followed up his Turin debut by helping lead Canada to the Davis Cup title in November as he finished the season with 60 match wins.
Rublev reached the Turin semi-finals for the first time in his third try while Rune completed a stunning rise into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings by beating five straight Top 10 opponents to win the Paris Masters title in his last action of 2022.
Rune, the 19-year-old Dane, will be motivated to climb back into that prestigious group after ending the season at World No. 11.
Former Next Gen Champs Sinner, Nakashima Feature: 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champ Jannik Sinner and 2022 winner Brandon Nakashima are also in the Adelaide field, with both making their tournament debuts.
The 21-year-old Sinner, who enters the season as World No. 15, will seek to improve upon his career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 9, first achieved in 2021. The Italian is seeking his second tour-level title in Australia after his Melbourne 1 triumph in 2021.
Two men at opposite ends of their careers will nonetheless have similar goals for this season, as both enter inside the Top 50. Murray is eager to take advantage of his clean bill of health and brings an improved fitness level into 2023, while Draper will bid to crack the Top 40 of the ATP Rankings for the first time. The 21-year-old is currently one spot off his career-high of No. 41.