Grand Slam 2023 winners prediction ft. Novak Djokovic & Iga Swiatek

The 2022 tennis season was marred with controversy, from Novak Djokovic's Australian Open and US Open bans owing to him being unvaccinated to Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players during the Russia-Ukraine war.

However, the year also brought us some exciting tennis. The Grand Slam competitions in 2022 were memorable to say the least. While Iga Swiatek won two Majors and Ashleigh Barty retired after winning her first Australian Open, the Grand Slam field also saw the rise of two first-time champions in the form of Kazakh Elena Rybakina and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz.

On the heels of an eventful year, 2023 promises to be an even better season. Will there be more first-time Grand Slam winners in 2023 or will familiar faces rule? In this article, we try to predict next year's Grand Slam results.

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Australian Open

Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Ashleigh Barty

Men's singles winner in 2023: Novak Djokovic

Following his refusal to take a COVID-19 vaccination, Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia in January 2022, just before the Australian Open began. The deportation also carried a three-year visa ban. However, in November, the Australian government overturned the ban imposed on the former World No. 1.

That means Djokovic, who already has nine Australian Open titles under his belt, will return to Melbourne in search of a record tenth victory. He also has two Australian Open hat tricks, one from 2011 to 2013 and another from 2019 to 2021.

While Djokovic's arch-rival Rafael Nadal won the title this year, the scenario appears to be different now, as the Serb is the clear favorite entering Melbourne's hard courts in 2023, winning a Major and the ATP Finals in 2022 alongside other ATP titles.

Women's singles winner in 2023: Coco Gauff

It almost feels inevitable that Coco Gauff will one day become a Major champion ever since she first appeared on the scene in 2019 at the age of 15. The 18-year-old came very close to achieving that in 2022, reaching her maiden Major final at the French Open and climbing into the top 10 in the rankings. She also excelled at doubles and ascended to the World No. 1 throne. While she won a Major in doubles with her compatriot Jessica Pegula, she is yet to win a singles Grand Slam title.

However, with all of these accomplishments coming from a single season at the young age of 18, Gauff promises to appear more mature heading into the next one, and winning the Major in Melbourne would only be the beginning of what could be a fantastic career for her.

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French Open

Defending champions: Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek

Men's singles winner in 2023: Rafael Nadal

At this point, it is difficult to picture a French Open without Rafael Nadal taking home the title. No one in tennis history has a better record at a Grand Slam tournament than the Spaniard, who has won 14 titles at Roland-Garros, including five in the last six years.

With back-to-back injuries this season, where he won two Grand Slam titles, the Spaniard's road to 2023 will be tough. There are also younger players like Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and others who could pose a threat to his route. However, unless proven otherwise, Nadal remains the favorite.

Women's singles winner in 2023: Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek rose to fame after winning the 2020 French Open but kept a relatively low profile the following season. However, 2022 was definitely Swiatek's year as she added two more major titles to her total of three, topping the WTA rankings for the first time in April, and amassing a 37-match winning streak on her way to eight titles. She was also crowned the WTA Player of the Year.

Swiatek won at Roland-Garros last year, only dropping two sets during her 2022 clay season. Based on her record of success, it may not be everyone's cup of tea to prevent the World No. 1 from winning her fourth Major at the 2023 French Open.

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Wimbledon Championships

Defending champions: Novak Djokovic, Elena Rybakina

Men's singles winner in 2023: Novak Djokovic

If there is one surface that Novak Djokovic loves more than the hard courts in Melbourne, it has to be the grass courts at Wimbledon. The Serb has previously won seven Wimbledon titles, tying himself for second-most in the Open era with Pete Sampras (7) and one behind Roger Federer (8).

Even in a chaotic 2022, Djokovic's only Major this season came at Wimbledon, where he defeated another great grass-court player, Nick Kyrgios, in a four-set thriller. Djokovic is one of the best grass-court players in history, and his chances of winning the Wimbledon Championships in 2023 appear to be very high.

Women's singles winner in 2023: Ons Jabeur

A lot happened in 2022, and Ons Jabeur 's rise to world No. 2 may not have registered among other chaotic things, but she left a lasting impression that she is here to stay.

The Tunisian became the first African and Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, but her journey was cut short by Kazakh Elena Rybakina. Even after losing at Wimbledon, Jabeur's hunger for a major did not die as she reached the final at the US Open, where she was eliminated by Iga Swiatek.

In light of this, Jabeur hasn't been very fortunate in terms of Grand Slams, but with her variety-filled, grass-suited game, this year could bring the Minister of Happiness a Major title at Wimbledon.

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US Open

Defending champions: Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek

Men's singles winner in 2023: Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud is a player who would not be regarded as a candidate for ranking leader at the start of the 2022 season. Although the Norwegian was already ranked in the top ten at the time, there were severe doubts about his ability to play outside the clay courts.

However, it iw safe to say that Ruud alleviated that by reaching two Grand Slam finals, one at the French Open and one at the US Open, both of which he lost to Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively. He also reached the summit clash of the ATP Finals but was defeated by Novak Djokovic.

Given that, it may be hazardous to include the Norwegian on our list; however, he has proven to be a brilliant hard-court player, and if he can keep his calm on the big stages, he may win his first Major at the 2023 US Open.

Women's singles winner in 2023: Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic turned professional in 2012. Since then, the Swiss has climbed the success ladder with her all-court aggressive approach intact. The current World No. 12 has had constant growth in her game with each competition, and she has 6 titles to her name along with a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Despite her growing graph in recent years, questions regarding her Grand Slam performances remain. Has she ever won a Grand Slam? The answer is no. However, that might change in 2023, when she will take to the hard courts at Flushing Meadows to win her first Grand Slam title and become one of tennis' most decorated players.