Who will win the 2023 Australian Open title

On his path to winning the Australian Open for the tenth time, is Novak Djokovic unbeatable? Can Iga Swiatek solidify her position as the world's best? And Rafael Nadal, what about him? Can he recapture the magic of last year?

As the first Grand Slam of the year begins on Monday, our experts strive to provide answers to these queries and provide their own forecasts.

Who, and why, will win the women's singles championship?

James Blake: This year's winner will be Jessica Pegula. She consistently produces great work and the finest attitude. She has already shown this year that she is capable of performing at the highest level. She has always seen herself as a work in progress, and it appears to be working.with striking outcomes. I believe that she will eventually claim a Grand Slam championship. 

Cliff Drysdale: The best option is Swiatek. Her benefits are evident, but one drawback is that she lacks a strong serve, forcing her to earn victories the hard way. On a good day, power hitters might cause problems.

Swiatek is the favourite and the one to beat," said Mary Joe Fernandez. She has achieved a great deal in the last 12 months, including two of the Grand Slams. She glides quite well and strikes a hard, hefty ball. It will take a heavy blow to make her angry.For obvious reasons, Swiatek is the clear favourite in the women's singles, according to Jason Goodall. Since Ashleigh Barty retired 11 months ago, she is the only player to regularly perform at the highest level.But as Pegula shown at the United Cup, Swiatek can be overcome. Even if the game strategy must be aggressive and the execution nearly flawless, it is possible, as Pegula demonstrated, especially on a hard court.

I'm betting everything on Pegula, said Patrick McEnroe. She seemed fantastic in Australia and is willing to do it for Damar Hamlin and the Bills Mafia (but mostly for herself). Pegula is the daughter of Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Bills.

Coco Gauff, said Chris McKendry. I predicted that Gauff would win Australia when she won the Auckland crown a week ago, and Mary Joe Fernandez agreed. Mary Joe, being smart, decided against agreeing or disagreeing. I was a little early, now that I understand the appeal! Having lost to Katerina Siniakova at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at the end of last year, Gauff will be put to the test right away.But I'm going to remain with Gauff. I think she has a great opportunity if she can consistently serve effectively and get more points at the net as she did in Auckland. She'll also need to control her emotions as the final weekend of a Slam tournament approaches.

Tamara Shriver It's hard to predict a winner except Swiatek. She made the semifinals the previous year. But ever then, she has shown the way by buckling under the strain of becoming number one and supporting it with vigour. She has the squad and the attention to detail to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the third leg.

Rennae Stubbs: More difficult here than with the men since this surface isn't as accommodating as Swiatek's was in 2022. Having said that, I think she is the only player in the draw that has a good understanding of the situation and the seven matches. So even though I'm not really sure, I'm going with Swiatek.

"I believe Swiatek is the favourite to win," said Caroline Wozniacki. She will enter any slam this year as the favourite because she won two majors last year. Belinda Bencic is my outside option because I believe that her game benefits from these quicker surfaces. She'll feel confident since she's had several successful victories in Adelaide.

Swiatek, says Bill Connelly. I won't give this one too much thought. If it's "Swiatek vs. the field," the field still has the upper hand because it's still challenging to win seven matches in a row, and she still has to worry about opponents like Bianca Andreescu in the third round, Danielle Collins or Elena Rybakina in the fourth round, and so on. If you see Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka as her two greatest rivals, as do bookies, To win the competition, Swiatek could need to defeat both of them. She's the finest player in the world, but it's not an easy route.

Hamilton, Tom We are all living in Iga Swiatek's universe. Sabalenka will certainly advance in this tournament, but Swiatek will undoubtedly win her first Melbourne Slam. Swiatek is the dominant power in the sport, and her 2022 season was impressive, capped by two grand slam victories. Although I predict Swiatek to triumph, it would be amazing to see Ons Jabeur, who will face Swiatek in the US Open final, finally capitalise on a Slam final opportunity. Jabeur attempted two shots in 2022 and failed on both, so her turn will undoubtedly come sooner rather than later.

Aishwarya Kumar: Jabeur and I are going. She had a remarkable year, reaching the Wimbledon and US Open finals and became the first Muslim and Arab player to accomplish it. She achieved a career-high season-ending ranking of No. 2 in the world. She will undoubtedly face Swiatek as her strongest competitor, although Jabeur will return with a point to make after losing to Swiatek in a Grand Slam final (US Open). She may very likely win the Australian Open this year and become the first woman to win a Grand Slam.

Swiatek, says D'Arcy Maine. The French Open and US Open crowns, four 1000-level medals, a 37-match winning run, and finishing the year at No. 1 with more than twice as many points as anybody else made her 2022 season one to remember. She helped the Polish team advance to the United Cup semifinals by displaying dominance in her first three matches of the year. Yes, there was the overwhelming loss to Pegula, but she could be even more motivated going into the tournament after such a setback. It appears like Swiatek will win his maiden Australian Open championship soon.

Michaels, Jake Swiatek is hard to ignore, but if I must, I'm wondering if Collins may top himself this year. The American lost against Barty, the current world champion, in the 2022 Melbourne Park race. Collins only managed to win four more Grand Slam matches for the year, failing to maintain the momentum throughout the season. The big-hitting Collins may only require a reset and a trip back to Australia to rekindle that spark.

Matthew Walsh It appears to be Pegula's year. She has been competitive in Melbourne for some time (she reached the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2022) and following what you would term a "breakout year" in 2018, she is my favourite to win the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy. The stars are aligning for her: the defending champion Barty withdrew, Naomi Osaka, a two-time winner of the Aussie Open, withdrew, and Pegula's form in Melbourne has been excellent—particularly in the weeks leading up to this competition. A double Bills-Pegula, anyone?