Prior to the start of the Australian Open, the UK’s Andy Murray won in straight sets against Viktor Durasovic in round one of the Sydney Tennis Classic tournament.
Murray had a wild card entry in the Australia Open, which was the first Grand Slam event of 2022.
The Impact of Omicron
Due to the prevalence of the Omicron variant of the virus in Melbourne, crowds for the Australian Open were capped at 50%, with tournament organizers pledging to honor tickets that had already been purchased.
They also advised that the wearing of face masks by members of the audience would be mandatory apart from when eating and drinking. The previous year, the 2021 Australian Open also saw audience numbers reduced due to the pandemic.
The Victorian Government further stated that the ventilation of all indoor areas of Melbourne Park would be improved, with several HEPA filters to be installed where necessary.
Emma Raducanu vs Sloane Stephens
For many competitive tennis players such as John Quarenghi, the prospect of watching a match between the current US Open champion (Emma Raducanu) and the US Open champion of 2017 (Sloane Stephens) was an exciting prospect.
The last time that Raducanu had played at the Australian Open was in 2019, where she participated as a junior and lost in the first round in straight sets; she returned in 2022 ranked as world number eighteen. Sloane Stephens competed with a ranking of sixty-eighth, but clearly had the athleticism and skill to be a formidable opponent.
Raducanu’s new coach, Torben Betz, from Germany, provided the player with support; he has previously worked with Angelique Kerber, a former Wimbledon champion.