The curtain-raiser for the 2018 Tennis Calendar serves up in Australia, aptly named the Grand Slam of Asia Pacific. Nadal and Federer come to Melbourne Park determined to lift the trophy but with formidable hurdles in their path. After winning in Brisbane, he came close to victory in Australian Open semi-final match against Rafael Nadal, in a five-set thriller that lasted close to five hours. This year, his weak second serve cost him the defence of the Brisbane title. In the tune-up events for the Open, Alex entered Brisbane as a wildcard and played all the way to the semi-finals.

Source: The Guardian January 15, 2018 04:07 UTC