Oh, what a disappointment

Two players with potential who really show themselves at certain points in the season. Will they do it here?

We’ve seen a slightly disappointing Bonzi and Norrie in the tournaments leading up to the Australian Open, but should we really take that into account? As for Norrie, I’m not worried. We’re used to seeing him a bit so-so energy‑wise in the “smaller” tournaments. I’m also expecting a prideful reaction after his loss to Gio in Auckland. As for our homegrown Bonz, I’m a bit more concerned. When he plays his good matches at the AO, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2025, Daniil likes to say it comes out of nowhere. But he actually went and built up confidence in the warm‑up tournaments. Except maybe at Wimbledon, where his previous results on grass didn’t really suggest anything. But otherwise, it doesn’t come from nowhere! Maybe he also likes Daniil’s game, or at least he comes in with zero complexes against the Russian. Here against Norrie, I like the match‑up a lot less for him. Well, it depends. If he likes Daniil’s game, it’s because the Russian gives him time and space, which Bonz exploits well by finding angles and finishing at the net cleanly. If he doesn’t like a Giron‑type profile, it’s because the American holds his baseline a lot more and stops Bonz from setting up his game. So Norrie mustn’t stay too passive, otherwise he’s clearly exposing himself to Bonz’s aggressive game. Now, Bonz tends not to be able to maintain his best level at the moment. We know that, that’s his issue. We more or less know what to expect from him, I think…