The 2024 Australian Open was a tournament that greatly deviated from the script and served as a reminder that nothing can be taken for granted in a Grand Slam.
As far as upsets go, there were plenty of them, with the women's tournament accounting for the most lost. As many as seven women who were among the Top 10 seeds crashed out before the second week.
The men's event also featured quite a number of shocking results, which raised many eyebrows. In this article, we shall take a look at the five players who left this tournament earlier than they would have anticipated.
5. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic's exit at this year's Australian Open felt slightly predictable, and the manner in which it happened indicated that it doesn't qualify to be an upset. Djokovic was in all sorts of trouble at this tournament because of his health.
But when you look at the complete picture, Djokovic was 10-0 in the Australian Open semifinals going into the match against Jannik Sinner. He had also been steadily picking up form as the tournament progressed.
There was also the fear the Italian would be undercooked for the match after a favorable draw. But what transpired was a lopsided match. Still, it was a result that raised even more questions for Djokovic's long-term future, and it certainly felt surreal that he was beaten at this stage of the Australian Open.
4. Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov was seeded at number 13, the highest he's ever been at a major in a while. He was a man in form, having won a warm-up tournament in the lead-up to the Australian Open. Many picked him as a potential dark horse to win the tournament.
But Dimitrov was outplayed at his own game by the unseeded Nuno Borges, who became the first Portuguese man to reach the round of 16 of the Australian Open. As far as shocks go, this one was definitely right up there.
3. Holger Rune
Like Dimitrov, Holger Rune arrived at the 2024 Australian Open with momentum and positive energy. He was a runner-up in the Brisbane final. And even without the services of Boris Becker in his coaching team, Rune looked even more prepared to launch an assault at the title.
But the young Dane massively underperformed as he lost in the second round, but credit has to go to his fearless opponent Arthur Cazaux, who had nothing to lose and just bludgeoned every ball in his sight. The French youngster hammered 50 winners, including 18 aces. Rune was the men's big casualty in the first week.
2. Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina was one of the major contenders to win the women's title. She was already a Grand Slam champion and was a runner-up during her most recent trip to Melbourne last year.
Rybakina had attained the perfect prep for the tournament after ruthlessly dispatching Aryna Sabalenka in the Brisbane final just a week earlier. But losing to Russia's Anna Blnkova in the second round was the second-biggest shock of the tournament across both tours.
1. Iga Swiatek
The women's tournament lost two of its top five seeds before the second week. And one of them accounted for the biggest upset. Iga Swiatek was the oddsmakers' favorite to win the Australian Open, and it would have been foolhardy not to agree.
She had won 11 straight matches to end her 2023 season, winning titles in Beijing and Cancun. Swiatek also reclaimed the No. 1 ranking that she lost to Sabalenka at the back end of last year.
The Pole picked up from where she left off at the start of 2024, winning five singles matches at the United Cup. But she hit a snag in the third round of the Australian Open. Swiatek was taken down by Czech teenager Linda Noskova.
It was a rare moment when an opponent managed to step up against Iga Swiatek because not many players had done so in the last 18 straight matches.
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