Australian Open 2022: Elina Svitolina and husband Gael Monfils to begin build-up in Adelaide

Vaccine mandate remains a hot topic as the tennis summer prepares to start next week – but it’s no issue for one visiting player who has outlined a busy January schedule in Australia.

2019 Australian Open 2019 Elina Svitolina and new boyfriend Gael Monfils January 20 2019 Photo Fiona Hamilton/Tennis Australia

Elina Svitolina wants to make one thing clear before her exhausting 27-hour trip on Monday from Switzerland to Adelaide via Sydney.

No-one followed up on the Ukrainian tennis star’s initial scepticism about the Covid-19 vaccine, meaning there were no reports about her being fully vaccinated way back in June.

The Victorian Government and Australian Open’s vaccine mandate remains a hot topic as the tennis summer prepares to start next week – but it’s no issue for 15th-ranked Svitolina.

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Elina Svitolina has no problem with the Australian Open’s vaccine mandate. Picture: AAP

“Even if they tell me that I have to get a third shot, I would be happy to do that, because I see now so many new cases – and lots of players,” Svitolina told News Corp.

“Lots of our friends are getting Covid, so it’s quite tough right now.”

Svitolina and her husband, French tennis player and former world No.6 Gael Monfils, plan to be in South Australia for two tournaments each and will be the top seed in three of the four combined.

Free of the quad injury that halted her bid to reach the WTA Finals for a fourth time, the 27-year-old is keen to test where she’s at against a bumper field that includes Ash Barty and eight of the top 10.

It will be the fun-loving Svitolina’s first trip to Adelaide but Monfils is familiar with the city after previously being coached by South Australian Roger Rasheed.

“It’s amazing to see so many good players signing to play from the beginning of the season,” she said.

“Everyone’s trying to be ready for the first (grand slam) tournament, for Melbourne, so it’s a really good field and it’s going to be really tough from the beginning of the tournament.

“There’s no time for adjustments – you have to be ready from the first round, mentally, physically, so this is very exciting, I think, for the tournament and for players as well.”

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils married in a small ceremony in Switzerland in July.

Svitolina, who broke into the top 10 in 2017 and kept her spot until October this year, made the US Open quarter-finals, won a title in Chicago and earned a singles bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

That Olympic medal was Ukraine’s first in tennis, so it had no competition as her on-court highlight for 2021, but her Swiss wedding in July topped everything else.

“It was a very special moment for me and Gael,” Svitolina said.

“That month was very busy, for both of us. We had our wedding and the next day we had to fly to Tokyo straightaway, so no big celebrations, but in the end it was very special.

“We shared this moment with our family and our close friends. It was a really small wedding and it was super special … definitely this moment will last forever in our memories.”

Aussie veteran eyes another chance at Open glory

Sam Stosur and her Chinese partner, Shuai Zhang, are the provisional fourth seeds for next month’s Australian Open women’s doubles as they try to replicate their US Open title run.

The Aussie tennis great received a wildcard to enter the singles main draw but had no such need in the doubles, where she continues to be a high-level performer.

Stosur won the women’s doubles championship at Melbourne Park with Zhang in 2019 and the mixed doubles alongside fellow Australian Scott Draper in 2005.

The 37-year-old already boasts seven grand slam doubles titles overall across women’s and mixed competition.

Stosur indicated the “chances are it probably will be the last time” she competes at her home grand slam, but she will play at least for the rest of this season.

Storm Sanders is also set to be among the doubles seeds.

Countrywoman Storm Sanders is also set to be seeded in the women’s doubles – No.10 at this stage – as she teams up with regular partner Caroline Dolehide, of the US.

The other Australians in the field are Ellen Perez (partnering Greet Minnen), Arina Rodionova (Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove) and all-local pairing Astra Sharma and Ajla Tomljanovic.

There will be further Australians granted wildcards into the event.

Among the top singles players in the doubles are Barbora Krejcikova – the probable top seed with Katerina Siniakova – former world No.1 Simona Halep, Jessica Pegula, Paula Badosa, Elena Rybakina and Sofia Kenin.

The men’s doubles entry list is already out, with Australian John Peers and his partner, Filip Polasek, the provisional fifth seed.

John Peers and Ash Barty won mixed doubles bronze in Tokyo.

All-Australian teams Matt Ebden and Max Purcell and Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith join John Millman (Mackenzie McDonald) and Alexei Popyrin (Lloyd Harris) as the host country’s other direct entrants.

Meanwhile, another of the Australian Open men’s wildcards has been revealed, with Taiwan’s Tseng Chun-hsin the Asia-Pacific recipient.

Andy Murray, Lucas Pouille and Stefan Kozlov also secured wildcards, with Aussies Alex Bolt, Aleks Vukic, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Chris O’Connell, Max Purcell and Marc Polmans jostling for the remaining four.

Stosur, Sanders, Maddison Inglis and Daria Saville (nee Gavrilova) are Australia’s wildcard entrants in the women’s singles, along with American Robin Anderson and France’s Diane Parry.

American legend Venus Williams could be a contender for one, otherwise another Australian is likely to get an opportunity as well as an Asia-Pacific player

Fan favourite secures spot for emotional Aus Open return

Andy Murray will return to the Australian Open as a wildcard entrant, three years after being shocked at the farewell video that played following his 2019 defeat.

Murray, 34, is a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park – in 2010-11, 2013 and 2015-16 – but a serious hip injury had him on the verge of retirement at the time.

He hasn’t returned to the top 100 since that Australian Open mix-up but is back to No.134 and turned back the clock to beat top-10 rivals Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner late this year.

The former world No.1 also reached the final of this month’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, where fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev eventually stopped him.

Murray joins American Stefan Kozlov and France’s Lucas Pouille as the men’s singles wildcards to date, with four likely to go to Australians and another to an Asia-Pacific player.

Andy Murray has secured a wildcard into the Australian Open. Picture: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP

He promises to be one of the most dangerous unseeded players in the Australian Open draw, a year after a positive Covid-19 test stopped him playing in Melbourne.

Tournament director Craig Tiley didn’t hesitate to grant Murray a wildcard, as the veteran Brit’s fightback from injury gathers steam.

“As a five-time finalist, Andy Murray has had so many memorable moments at the Australian Open,” Tiley said.

“He’s renowned for his fighting spirit, passion and love of the game and I’m delighted to welcome him back to Melbourne in January.

“His heroic exploits have made him a firm fan favourite here at Melbourne Park.”

As for the farewell video, it wasn’t until almost 11 months later that Murray opened up about his surprise at the on-court moment with former British player-turned-commentator Mark Petchey.

Andy Murray hasn’t played at the Australian Open since an emotional round-one loss at Melbourne Park in 2019. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images

He revealed in a tearful pre-tournament media conference that the 2019 Australian Open may be his last-ever, hence the video after his five-set round-one loss.

“I didn’t really know what I had said at the press conference,” Murray said.

“I was so emotional, but I didn’t think I had said I’m retiring. I think I’d said I would like to get to Wimbledon to stop and at the time that was my plan.

“I didn’t want to play any longer than that, because I couldn’t do it anymore.

“I can’t remember exactly what was in the video but it was obviously a tricky moment for Mark Petchey as well.”