With the 2019 Australian Open beginning on Monday, it is time for me to write my list of 10 things to look for in the first grand slam of the year. To check out the draws, click here.
#1. Andy Murray's last ride: Earlier in the week, Andy Murray gave a very tearful press conference stating that this year's Australian Open could be his last tournament, though he does hope to finish his career at Wimbledon. While he never won an Australian Open title, Murray did find a lot of success in this event, reaching the final five times (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016). It would be awesome if Murray could win a match or two and find a second wind of sorts in his final season. You can bet that everyone will be cheering him on.
#2. How will Naomi Osaka handle the pressure? Seeded 4th overall, 21 year old Naomi Osaka comes into this year's Australian Open with more weight on her shoulders having won last year's US Open. It's not uncommon to see first time grand slam champions struggle in their next slam out, so it will be interesting to see how Osaka handles the pressures that come with being a grand slam champion. Typically, it's the early rounds that pose the biggest hurdle. If Osaka can win her first couple of matches and settle in, odds are good she's in for another deep run.
#3. Can Rafael Nadal contend? Rafael Nadal is seeded 2nd overall and comes in as one of the favorites as a result of his ranking. However, his lone Australian Open title came in 2009, so history tells us he won't be winning this tournament. His relative lack of success Down Under seems to be a combination of him performing better as the season goes on and also the fact that the Australian Open is played on hard court, his least favorite surface.
The key to Nadal having success is to win his early matches with little difficulty. If he's winning in straight sets early on, he's got good odds of making a deep run. If he's getting worn out early with some four or five set matches, we'll likely see him exit via another retirement like he did last year against Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.
#4. Can Caroline Wozniacki defend her title? Caroline Wozniacki comes in as the #3 overall seed and defending champion, making her one of the contenders. Her second round exit at the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this month raises questions about how she'll perform at the Australian Open, making it imperative that she gets out of the gates strong and puts that bad performance behind her. Personally, I don't see Wozniacki going the distance, but I wouldn't rule her out, either. She proved last year that she can win this event and if she gets into a nice groove early, we could see her hanging tough late into the second week.
#5. Can Roger Federer defend his title? Roger Federer was in this exact same spot a year ago, looking to defend his 2017 title. He delivered the goods and is now gunning for his third straight Australian Open title. Much like Tom Brady, Federer likes to keep playing just for the fun of it, so at this point he's just playing with house money. He's seeded 3rd and doesn't have to worry about Djokovic until the final. I like his chances to go the distance once again.
#6. Look for Simona Halep to make a deep run: Simona Halep backed up her world #1 ranking with her 2018 French Open title, entering 2019 with more confidence than ever before. She reached the Australian Open final in 2018 and will look to finish the job this year. If she gets back in the final, I like her chances to get it done.
#7. Can Alexander Zverev back up his ranking? Ranked #4 in the world, the furthest Alexander Zverev has gone at a grand slam is the quarterfinals at the 2018 French Open. Despite having a really high ranking, this guy hasn't been able to figure out how to go deep in grand slams. He's getting to the point where he needs to start making some deep runs in order for us to take him seriously. If it's another 3rd or 4th round exit for him, it'll be extremely disappointing. This guy needs to reach at least the quarterfinals in order to feel like he had a decent tournament.
#8. Look for Sloane Stephens to get back on track: Ranked #5 in the world, Sloane Stephens comes into the Australian Open off a mixed 2018. She reached the final at Roland Garros, but followed that up with a first round exit at Wimbledon and a quarterfinal exit at the US Open. Stephens should be motivated to have a strong outing in the Australian Open and get back to playing championship level tennis. Her lone grand slam title came at the 2017 US Open, so she's shown she can go the distance on the hard courts.
#9. Look for Novak Djokovic to win it all: Ranked #1 in the world, Novak Djokovic comes into the Australian Open with a ton of momentum, winning both Wimbledon and the US Open last year. While he has won all four of the grand slams, Djokovic's best event has been the Australian Open, which he has won six times. Given the roll that he's on and his success Down Under, I have to pick Nole to go all the way. He definitely should be the heavy favorite on the men's side.
#10. Look for Serena Williams to win it all: Coming in as the 16th seed, Serena Williams holds 23 grand slam titles, one title shy of Margaret Court's record of 24. Serena wants to break the record this year and move on from last year's US Open final as soon as possible. The combination of those two things is why I think she wins this event. When you give her any extra motivation to win something, you can almost guarantee that she'll get the job done.
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