The first slam of the year is about to commence in Melbourne, and it seems that everyone agrees that Novak Djokovic is the hot favorite to win the title.
4 reasons why Novak Djokovic is the favorite to win the Australian Open
There are 4 reasons to believe that the Serb will clinch his 15th slam in Melbourne.
First, besides being the world no.1, Djokovic is widely regarded as “the player to beat” after his fantastic run of the last few months. To understand the respect that Novak has gained back from his colleagues, back in November Roger Federer stated that the outcome of the ATP Finals depended on who would have taken out Novak. Federer’ s prediction was spot on since it was Alexander Zverev that won the title after beating Djokovic in the final.
Second, Djokovic has already won 6 Australian Open, and therefore he is fully aware of the winning recipe on how to win Melbourne.
Third, the world no.1 is also picked as the possible winner by the tennis fans in a recent poll with more than 3500 votes.
Finally, odds show that Djokovic is considered as the hot favorite also by top betting companies.
What about the other players?
Roger Federer is widely considered as the favorite no.2. The Swiss Maestro is the defending champion, and his form was majestic during his previous matches at the Hopman Cup where he defeated Cameron Norrie, Frances Tiafoe, and an inspired Stefanos Tsitsipas without dropping a single set and playing great tennis. The big question mark is if at 37 years of age Roger has the energy level to sustain a tough run.
Rafael Nadal is considered by many as the favorite no.3. However, the Spaniard has too many problems with his body, and there are serious doubts that he would be able to complete a successful run in Melbourne especially if he has a couple of tough matches on the way. The King of Clay has already renounced to play his last match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, and he has withdrawn from Brisbane. Rafa was also not able to finish his run last year in Melbourne after he retired in the quarters and at the Us Open when he withdrew in the semifinal.
Alexander Zverev is the youngster that can finally break the cycle of the old guard. The German has won the ATP Finals in London after beating Roger Federer in the semifinal and Novak Djokovic in the final. Sascha has the experience and the authority to finally win his maiden slam.
Besides Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, and Zverev, some other top players can win the Australian Open such as last year’s runner-up Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson.
Game on!
ANOTHER ONE?
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