Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
  • Home
  • Trending
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Feature
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • More..
    • Odisha Special
    • Editorial
    • Opinion
    • Careers
    • Sci-Tech
    • Timeout
    • Horoscope
    • Today’s Pic
  • Video
  • Epaper
  • News in Odia
No Result
View All Result
OrissaPOST - Odisha Latest news, English Daily -
No Result
View All Result

At Australian Open, some players say they ignore the bracket

AP
Updated: January 17th, 2023, 14:43 IST
in Sports
0
Caroline Garcia

Caroline Garcia. Image: WeAreTennisFR/Twitter

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on Linkedin

Melbourne: Awaiting a new topic during a pre-Australian Open news conference, Caroline Garcia; someone skilled and smart enough to reach the US Open semifinals and win the season-ending WTA Finals in 2022; was worried the next query could involve naming possible opponents.

“I don’t want to know the draw!” Garcia blurted out, raising her left hand as if to literally deflect the subject.

Also Read

Jasprit Bumrah - India

Bumrah is available for Edgbaston Test, final call yet to be taken: Shubman Gill

11 hours ago

MS Dhoni moves to trademark his iconic nickname ‘Captain Cool’

1 day ago

“I don’t know my draw!”

She is hardly the only athlete making that claim at Melbourne Park during the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, where the second round begins Wednesday.

Actually, it is a rather common refrain among tennis players as they move from stop to stop on the tour, even ones as successful as No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek.

They insist it is important to remain blissfully unaware of any potential path to a title and offer various reasons, ranging from superstition to an insistence on. Yes, you probably guessed it; that old cliche about “playing one match at a time.”

“I didn’t really see the draw,” three-time major champion Swiatek said last weekend before play began.

“I only know who I’m playing (in the) first round.”

They haven’t glanced at the bracket, they say.

They won’t, they say.

And they absolutely, positively, do not want anyone else, a coach, an agent, a physical therapist, a hitting partner, a friend or (heaven forbid!) a journalist; sneaking a peek and revealing what the draw sheet might hold in store.

It can’t be easy to avoid knowing more than that, given all of the attention on the tournament and the giant bracket posted on the side of Rod Laver Arena, where Swiatek won her first-round match Monday night.

As No. 5-seeded Aryna Sabalenka pointed out, social media makes keeping blinders on tough, too. Talk of a player’s path to a championship is constant.

“Someone is going to post a prediction (of) who I’m going to play, so, anyway, I would see that,” said Sabalenka, who takes on Shelby Rogers of the US Thursday.

“I’m not opening the draw and trying to see, OK, I’m going to face that, that, that. No, no, no, I’m not doing that. I’m just trying to take it one step at a time.”

There are 128 entrants in the women’s singles event at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments and another 128 in the men’s singles. It takes getting past seven rounds to earn the trophy.

So it seems as if it might be the sensible, even advisable; approach to be fully aware of what, of who could lie ahead.

Which is why some, such as Frances Tiafoe, the 24-year-old American seeded 16th, thinks it is nonsense for players to say they are not aware of what’s out there.

“Everyone who says they don’t (know), they’re lying, man,” said Tiafoe, a semifinalist at last year’s US Open.

“You know who’s around. You know what the potential matchups look like. But you can’t make those potential matchups unless you take care of the food that’s in front of you.”

No. 6 seed Felix-Auger Aliassime, for one, acknowledged as much.

“I don’t refuse to look; I look a little bit further down the draw,” Auger-Aliassime said.

“But it still doesn’t change that I’m totally focused and locked in on the first match I have to play. I’ve had great moments in Grand Slams, but also some very tough moments; losing earlier, like first or second round, so I’m always aware that you never can take anything for granted.”

Swiatek says she used to check out the draw but now she doesn’t.

Same for Alexei Popyrin, an Australian who is 113th in the ATP rankings.

“I used to look ahead. I used to look at every kind of step of the draw when the draw came out. I’ve kind of stopped that. I’m trying to take it one match at a time. Just focus on the match ahead, not look forward to the second or third round or fourth round,” Popyrin said.

“It’s not the best to look ahead when you haven’t even done the first step. For me, that was a learning process.”

Don’t look now, but Popyrin could meet No. 8 seed Taylor Fritz of the US in the second round if both won their opening matches.

AP

Tags: Aryna SabalenkaAustralian openCaroline GarciaFelix Auger-AliassimeFrances TiafoeGRAND SLAMIga SwiatekMelbourne ParkRod Laver ArenaTaylor FritzUS Open
ShareTweetSendShare
Suggest A Correction

Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox.

 

OrissaPOST epaper Sunday POST OrissaPOST epaper

Click Here: Plastic Free Odisha

#MyPaperBagChallenge

Surya Sidhant Rath

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Mandakini Dakua

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Subhajyoti Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Arya Ayushman

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Chinmay Kumar Routray

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Ramakanta Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Diptiranjan Biswal

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Anasuya Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Debasis Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Vandana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Aman Kumar Barisal

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Smitarani Sahoo

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Akshaya Kumar Dash

December 12, 2019
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Dibya Ranjan Das

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sibarama Khotei

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Adrita Bhattacharya

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Faiza Firdous

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Parbati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sisirkumar Maharana

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pratik Kumar

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Rajashree Pravati Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Amritansh Mishra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Subhajyoti Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Tabish Maaz

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Kamana Singh

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Priyabrata Mohanty

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Pratyasharani Ghibela

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Shreyanshu Bal

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Sipra Mishra

December 12, 2019
#MyPaperBagChallenge

Jhili Jena

December 12, 2019

Archives

Editorial

New Democratic Face

Zohran Mamdani
July 1, 2025

US President Donald Trump, who had comfortably defeated his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the recent presidential election and exuded...

Read more

Proof To Vote

Vote
June 30, 2025

Months ahead of the Assembly polls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 28 June launched a ‘special...

Read more

Genesis of Jana Sangh

AAKAR PATEL
June 29, 2025

We marked the 50th anniversary of the Emergency a few days ago. Another anniversary, this time the 75th, went relatively...

Read more

Double-engine PMO

June 28, 2025

Since February, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been operating for the first time with two full principal secretaries, P.K....

Read more
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
Developed By Ratna Technology

© 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

  • News in Odia
  • Orissa POST Epaper
  • Video
  • Home
  • Trending
  • Metro
  • State
  • Odisha Special
  • National
  • International
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Horoscope
  • Careers
  • Feature
  • Today’s Pic
  • Opinion
  • Sci-Tech
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs

© 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

    • News in Odia
    • Orissa POST Epaper
    • Video
    • Home
    • Trending
    • Metro
    • State
    • Odisha Special
    • National
    • International
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Editorial
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscope
    • Careers
    • Feature
    • Today’s Pic
    • Opinion
    • Sci-Tech
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs

    © 2024 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST