5 unforgettable moments of the 2023 season ft. Novak Djokovic's record-breaking year and Coco Gauff's Major triumph

Another exciting year of tennis recently came to an end, and there were plenty of notable storylines to follow throughout the year. Rafael Nadal's injury woes saw him hobble out of the Australian Open and then sit out the rest of the season to recover.

Iga Swiatek's crown slipped a bit thanks to a bevy of contenders, but she regained her throne by the end of the year. Venus Williams continued to chug along, while Carlos Alcaraz proved that he's no one season wonder.

Quite a few prominent names called a time on their careers, including John Isner, Samantha Stosur and Jack Sock. With so many stars on the tour, there were quite a few memorable moments centered around them.

With that, here's a look at five stories from this season that made a huge impact:

#5 - Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina's successful comebacks

Wozniacki walked away from tennis back in 2020, but came out of retirement this year. The Dane had a couple of kids during her time away from the sport, but worked hard to get herself in competitive shape.

Wozniacki made a winning return as she won the very first match of her comeback at the Canadian Open, but lost in the second round. She wasn't discouraged after an early exit from the Cincinnati Open and then made it all the way to the fourth round of the US Open.

Wonniacki gave eventual champion Coco Gauff a tough fight but lost to her in three sets. Svitolina's return after the birth of her child was successful too. She won the Strasbourg Open and made it to the semifinals and quarterfinals of the Wimbledon and French Open, respectively.

The two join a bunch of mothers on the tour to have made an impact with their results following maternity leave. Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka were some of the others who did the same over the last few years. Naomi Osaka and Angelique Kerber are set to do the same next season.

#4 - Ben Shelton and Mirra Andreeva's arrival captivates the audience's attention

Tennis found itself new stars in the form of the wildly charismatic Shelton and Andreeva. The American made headlines with his quarterfinal run at the Australian Open, but endured a tough few months after that. He ended his dry spell in style with a semifinal finish at the US Open.

Shelton's celebration in New York also made him quite famous. Andreeva's results didn't quite mirror the American's, but the teenager is the one to watch out for. She made it to the third round of the French Open upon her debut and went a step further at Wimbledon.

Andreeva's candid demeanor and confidence made her a crowd favorite. At just 16 years of age, she has already made an impressive start to her career. If she continues to play like this, she'll certainly be a player everyone remembers for a long time.

#3 - Christopher Eubanks finally makes his breakthrough

Christopher Eubanks at the 2023 Wimbledon.

Eubanks mostly competed on the Challenger circuit with the occasional appearance on the ATP Tour. However, he punched way above his weight this year right from the start.

Eubanks first made it to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open as a qualifier. It marked his first last eight finish at the Masters level. A few months down the line he clinched his maiden ATP title at the Mallorca Championships. The American continued to ride the momentum wave at Wimbledon too.

Eubanks reached his maiden Major quarterfinal at the All England Club, ultimately going down to Daniil Medvedev in five sets. After toiling away for years, he concluded a career-best season ranked within the top 40 for the first time.

#2 - Coco Gauff's red-hot summer culminates in her first ever Grand Slam title

Gauff's captured everyone's attention with her dream debut at the 2019 Wimbledon, which included a win over Venus Williams. She made it all the way to the fourth round, that too as a qualifier.

Touted for glory ever since, the young American's rise to the top of the women's game was a foregone conclusion. She struggled with the expectations at times, but the teenager has handled herself with grace and maturity beyond her years.

Since Gauff's arrival in 2019, she has tasted success in singles and doubles. She became the World No. 1 in doubles in 2022 and even finished as the runner-up at the 2021 US Open and the 2022 French Open.

Gauff reached her maiden Grand Slam final singles at last year's French Open, but lost to Swiatek. She upped the ante during the in lead-up to this year's US Open as she claimed titles in Washington and Cincinnati. It was a sign of things to come.

Gauff claimed her maiden Major title in New York with a come from behind win over Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Many teenagers showed promise in the past, but fizzled out eventually. The American proved the naysayers wrong with her victory and indicated that she's here to stay.

#1 - Novak Djokovic asserts himself as the best to play the sport with his achievements

Djokovic is used to breaking and setting records for years, but this year quite memorable for him in plenty of ways. His win at the Australian Open tied him with Nadal for the most Majors among men. The Serb surpassed the record with his triumph at the French Open.

The Wimbledon title slipped out of his grasp with a five-set defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. However, Djokovic bounced back in style and claimed his 24th Major title at the US Open. He's the outright record holder on the men's side and equalled Margaret Court's all-time record.

Djokovic also won a seventh ATP Finals title and finished the year atop the rankings for the eighth time, both new records as well. He also surpassed 400 weeks as the top-ranked player.

Djokovic cemented his place in history with his achievements this season and ensured that no one will forget these impressive feats. With the rest of the field still playing catch-up to him, the Serb will have more opportunities to script history next year too.

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Edited by Rohit