by Bob Stockton
The first Grand Slam of 2020 gets underway on January 20 as the world’s top tennis stars go head-to-head in the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic won a record seventh men’s title in 2019 with a straight sets victory over Rafael Nadal and he will fancy his chances of retaining his crown this time around.
Djokovic is favourite in the tennis betting courtesy of BetEasy to lift the trophy once again and it would be a brave move to back against him doing just that.
Naomi Osaka claimed the women’s title last year and is towards the head of the betting to repeat the trick in 2020. Read on as we preview the Australian Open.
Djokovic the man to beat once again
Djokovic produced a superb performance in last year’s final to sweep aside Nadal and claim his seventh Australian Open title.
However, he ended 2019 behind the Spaniard in the ATP rankings and will be eager to regain the number spot this season.
The 32-year-old blew Nadal away, restricting his opponent to just eight games in one of the most one-sided finals ever seen in the tournament.
The top players have tended to dominate in Australia, with only six individuals making the final over the past 10 years.
Djokovic has won each of the six finals he has contested during that period and is undoubtedly the man to beat in this year’s tournament.
Nadal on a revenge mission
Djokovic (4) and Nadal (3) have won the last seven Grand Slam titles between them and are inevitably the top two in the betting in Australia.
The last time a player other than that duo and Roger Federer won a Slam was back in 2016 when Stan Wawrinka claimed the US Open.
Players such as Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem are all touted as rising stars of the sport, but they are yet to make the breakthrough in a Grand Slam.
With doubts about their ability to break the glass ceiling and Federer not getting any younger, Nadal is the biggest threat to Djokovic’s hopes of success.
The 33-year-old has won six out of the last 10 tournaments he has played and will be eager to gain his revenge for last year’s final defeat at the hands of Djokovic.
Barty set to build on breakthrough year
Ashleigh Barty reached the quarter-finals in Australia last season and is strongly fancied to go all the way this year.
She went on to win the French Open, before turning in under par performances at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
However, she won the WTA Grand Finals at the end of the year and with home support on her side can come out on top in Melbourne.
Serena Williams is favourite with many bookmakers to win an eighth title, but her hopes of equalling Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams appear slim.
The 38-year-old has lost in straight sets in the last four finals she has contested at this level and Father Time appears to have caught up with her.
