10 things to look for at the 2020 French Open

 

Usually I get a bit of a break between these previews and recaps, but due to COVID-19, the 2020 French Open is happening right after the US Open, a departure from its usual May/June slot in the tennis calendar. But whether it's happening in the spring or in the fall, there will always be my list of 10 things to look for in the French Open. Without further ado, let's get into it. 

Note: Click here for the draws. Action starts Sunday. 

#1. Will the early exit from the US Open actually help Novak Djokovic? Novak Djokovic's bizarre 4th round exit at the US Open was no doubt frustrating for him as it robbed him of his 18th grand slam title. At the same time, it gave Djokovic more time to rest and recuperate before the French Open. Djokovic comes into this year's French Open having won the ATP 1000 Masters event in Rome, so he's got some momentum now. This was his 5th title in Rome and his record 36th Masters title. Winning the US Open and then running it back at the French Open wouldn't have been easy, so perhaps getting some extra time off will help him as he heads into this event. Not that he's glad he exited New York the way that he did. 

#2. Will Simona Halep benefit from skipping the US Open? Simona Halep made the decision to not play in the US Open and now comes into the French Open as the top seed in the event, making her the de facto favorite. Halep won the French Open back in 2018, so she knows what it takes to win this event. If she does indeed go on to win, there will be many who'll say it was smart for her to skip the US Open and focus her energies on the French. Especially since her best run at the US Open was a run to the semis in 2015. 

#3. Will Rafael Nadal benefit from skipping the US Open? Rafael Nadal is the King of Clay and no doubt made a strategic decision to skip the US Open this year so as to get ready for the French Open and stay more rested. Winning the US Open and then French Open would not be easy for anyone, even Nadal, who won both events last year. I think he probably made the right call since the French Open is his bread and butter event. If Nadal does win the French Open as he is expected to do, he'll tie Roger Federer with most grand slam titles ever (20).

#4. Can Victoria Azarenka make another deep run at a grand slam? After her run to the US Open final, it'll be interesting to see if Victoria Azarenka can back that up with a deep run in Paris. The furthest she's gone at the French Open is the semifinals back in 2013, so I think for her, if she could duplicate that success in 2020, she'd be very happy. One thing that will help her a bit is she comes into the French Open seeded 10th whereas at the US Open, she was unseeded. My prediction is she'll have a good tournament, but bow out either in the 4th round or quarterfinals. I hope I'm wrong. It would be awesome if she reached the semifinals or even went so far as to win the whole thing. 

#5. Will Dominic Thiem benefit from his US Open title? Dominic Thiem comes in as the #3 seed and as the 2020 US Open champion, so he does have some momentum on his side for sure. At the same time, he's on Rafael Nadal's half of the draw, making a run to the final a tough hill to climb. It will be interesting to see how Thiem plays early on and if he can build on his grand slam title in New York to knock off Nadal in the semis and win his second career grand slam. 

#6. Will Serena Williams make a deep run? Serena Williams hasn't won the French Open since 2015 and is really more of a hard court/grass player than a clay player. She comes in as the #6 seed and certainly is expected to go deep on those grounds alone. However, an early exit could happen if she's not careful. The first couple of rounds will be critical as she'll look to establish her footing and get into a good groove on the dirt. 

#7. Will Alexander Zverev build on his strong US Open performance? Alexander Zverev made a real breakthrough by reaching the final of the US Open, showing that he truly deserves the top ten ranking that he has. Now that he's made a grand slam final, there will be some pressure for him to reach the semis...aside from the fact that Nadal stands in his way as a possible quarterfinals opponent. If Zverev can at least reach the quarterfinals and give Nadal a good fight, he should feel good about his tournament and eye an even deeper run at the Australian Open come January. 

#8. Can Coco Gauff make any noise? After reaching the 4th round at Wimbledon and the 3rd round of the US Open in 2019, a lot of people expected even bigger things for Coco Gauff in 2020. Gauff appeared to pick things up right where she left off in 2020 with a run to the 4th round at the Australian Open, but at the US Open last month, she went out in the 1st round. Personally, I think it would be huge if Gauff could at least win a pair of matches and reach the 3rd round at the French Open, an event that she's never won a 1st round match in. If it's another 1st round exit for Gauff, there will be some chatter about whether or not she's worthy of the hype. 

#9. Look for Rafael Nadal to win the men's title: At the end of the day, is there anyone else worth picking to win it on the men's side? Rafael Nadal has won 12 of his 19 grand slam titles at the French Open and is the undisputed greatest player to ever play on clay. It's not even close. Until he retires, he'll always be my pick to win it all at Roland Garros. 

#10. Look for Garbiñe Muguruza to win the women's title: This is coming a bit out of left field, but Garbiñe Muguruza comes in as the 11th seed in the women's draw and has won the French Open before in 2016. On top of that, she reached the Australian Open final earlier this year, so she's still more than capable of being a threat to win grand slams. It's kind of an odd pick I know, but I got a feeling Muguruza is going to leave Paris with her second French Open title and her third grand slam title (2017 Wimbledon is her second). 

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10 things to take away from the 2020 US Open

 

                                              (Credit: Reuters/USA Today Sports) 

The 2020 US Open resulted in Naomi Osaka winning her third grand slam title and Dominic Thiem winning his first. Osaka defeated Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the women's singles final while Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 in the men's singles final. Below is my list of 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were in New York. 

#1. Dominic Thiem is the real deal: After losing his first three grand slam finals, Dominic Thiem finally broke through at the 2020 US Open. Thiem played an incredibly gritty match against Zverev and showed that he is worthy of winning a grand slam title. What made this all the more impressive is the fact that Thiem came back from two sets down and did it on a surface that hasn't always been his best. Originally better on clay, Thiem is now arguably even better on the hard courts. A true testament to his work ethic and dedication. As for how many more grand slams Thiem will win, I think he'll get at least a couple more. He's not going away any time soon. 

#2. Naomi Osaka is the best women's tennis player in the world: Serena Williams is the GOAT, but she is no longer the best women's tennis player in the world. That title belongs to Naomi Osaka, who now has three grand slam titles under her belt. I think there were some who wondered if Osaka's first US Open title was a fluke, but now, I think it's clear that she is no fluke and is a force to be reckoned with. The only area that Osaka needs to improve in is winning away from the hard courts. She's not reached the 4th Round at the French Open or Wimbledon. Once she figures out how to win on the clay and grass, there'll be no stopping her. 

Note: Osaka will be skipping the 2020 French Open due to a hamstring injury. 

#3. Alexander Zverev has arrived: Despite his lofty, top five ranking, Alexander Zverev had not been to a grand slam final until this year's US Open and he had just one semifinal under his belt (2020 Australian Open). A lot of people including myself wanted to see him back up his ranking and make deeper runs in majors and he certainly did that this time by reaching the final and getting within one set of winning his first grand slam. It's disappointing that he didn't finish the job, but on the flip side, I think he made a lot of progress in reaching the final and getting as close as he did. Zverev has finally arrived for real and he's only going to get better. 

#4. Victoria Azarenka is back: Victoria Azarenka reached her first major final since the 2013 US Open. It's been a while! She's been dealing with a lot of off court issues like custody battles for her son and a romantic relationship gone sour. With that all finally resolved and somewhat in the rear view mirror, Azarenka is back focusing on what she loves, which is playing elite level tennis. This was the first time in years that she looked like the old Vika and it was really exciting to see. If she keeps this up, she could be in for a renaissance of sorts and a couple more grand slam titles. 

#5. Novak Djokovic blew a HUGE opportunity: The big story of the first week of the US Open was the way that Novak Djokovic exited the tournament, having to default his fourth round match against Pablo Carreño Busta due to accidentally hitting a line official in the throat with a tennis ball that he whacked in frustration. It was an accident, but still, according to the rules he had to default the match. With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both sitting this one out, Djokovic came in as the heavy favorite and probably would have won the event had he not defaulted. To not win this tournament really hurts Djokovic. Especially when you consider that a win would have given Djokovic 18 grand slam titles, one shy of Nadal (19) and two shy of Federer (20). 

#6. Serena Williams also blew it: Time is running out for Serena Williams (23) to tie Margaret Court's record (24) for most grand slam titles ever. I still think Williams will get it done, but to not win this event stings. She lost in three sets to Azarenka in the semifinals and had an opportunity to show she's still the best in the world. Instead, she looked like she was kinda running out of steam a bit. With each passing year, it's going to get harder for Serena to tie that record and pass Court, so this is definitely a tournament she would like to have back. 

#7. Men's tennis will be fine after the big three retire: Don't get me wrong. I don't want to see Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer retire any time soon. They're legends of the sport and the longer they play, the better. That said, I think the 2020 US Open showed that when those guys do decide to hang it up, the men's game will still be exciting. Thiem and Zverev played a fabulous final and showed that they too can put on a show. 

#8. Karolina Pliskova is another player who "blew it": You should be sensing a theme from the 2020 US Open. Key players "blowing it." Another one who "blew it" is Karolina Pliskova, who came in as the #1 seed. Rather than making a deep run and taking advantage of her top seed, Pliskova lost in the second round to Caroline Garcia. Pliskova has never won a grand slam and hasn't reached a grand slam final since her lone grand slam finals appearance at the 2016 US Open. When you consider the fact that some key names like Simona Halep sat this one out, Pliskova truly had a golden opportunity to win her first grand slam and she didn't even come close to getting it done. Major disappointment for her. 

#9. Daniil Medvedev had a bit of a setback: After the way he battled against Rafael Nadal in last year's final, I think everyone expected Daniil Medvedev to win this tournament once Djokovic defaulted. Instead, he bowed out in straight sets to the eventual champion Thiem in the semis. He still had a solid tournament, but not going as deep as he did last year and not taking advantage of Djokovic's folly is a bit of a disappointment and setback for him. He'll bounce back, though. 

#10. Sofia Kenin needs to regroup: After winning the 2020 Australian Open and coming in as the #2 seed, I think there were a lot of people who thought Sofia Kenin, an American, could back up her title in Australia with a US Open title. Kinda like what Naomi Osaka did when she won the Austrian Open right after she won her first US Open. Instead of picking up her second grand slam title, Kenin lost in the 4th Round to #16 Elise Mertens in straight sets. Kenin needs to regroup a bit after this disappointing US Open and see if she can recapture the magic she had in Australia. 

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10 things to look for at the 2020 US Open

 

2020 has been a strange year for many reasons, but COVID-19 definitely is atop the list. We saw the cancellation of Wimbledon, the postponement of Roland Garros to September/October, and the dropping out of many big names for the US Open all because of COVID-19. This year's US Open will be the first grand slam event during the outbreak of COVID-19, making it a grand slam unlike anything we've seen before. As a result, my list of 10 things to look for will be unique and different, but I will try to keep things as focused on tennis as possible. Enjoy! 

Note: Click here to check out the draws. Action starts Monday. 

#1. Will the U.S. Open be able to pull this off? The U.S. Open is hoping to find similar success to what the NBA has had with navigating COVID-19 and with fewer players to manage and just two weeks of tennis, I think odds are really good that the U.S. Open won't experience any disruptions due to the virus, but still, the first thing to look for in this event is whether or not the tournament will in fact be completed and how well the tournament does at replicating the NBA's bubble environment. 

Note: The US Open has already had one positive test in #17 seed Benoit Paire, who will be replaced by Marcel Granollers. Click here to read more about that and the US Open's bubble.

#2. How will the eventual champion(s) be viewed? Due to the lack of fans, the fact that many notable names (E.g. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep) won't be playing, and just the sheer weirdness of the event, it will be interesting to see how the 2020 US Open champions will be viewed. It will still count as a grand slam in the history books, but it will also be known as the U.S. Open that occurred during the pandemic. While I don't think that de-legitimizes the event, it's human nature for others to perhaps do so. On the one hand, this is a golden opportunity for someone to come in and win their first slam while on the other hand, if you're going to win your first slam, I'm not sure this is the one you would wish it to be. If that all makes sense. 

#3. Expect chaos on the men's side: The only guy who I can feel comfortable predicting will make a deep run is the top seed Novak Djokovic. Djokovic has won three US Open titles and his favorite surface is hard court, so it's a pretty safe bet that he'll at least reach the final. As for the other half of the draw, it's anyone's guess what will happen. Dominic Thiem is the number two seed and the furthest he's gone at the US Open is the quarterfinals in 2018. 

With Federer and Nadal both out, that frees up even more room for someone to make a surprise run to the final. That isn't to say Thiem won't make the final. I think he could, but odds are he won't, which means it's anyone's guess of as to who will come out of that other half of the draw. As for the women's draw, I actually think this is a year where there will be less chaos than the men's side. It'll be interesting to see if that holds. 

#4. Can Sofia Kenin back up her Australian Open title? As a result of winning the 2020 Australian Open, the last grand slam we've had, Sofia Kenin comes in as the number two seed on the women's side. Kenin hasn't gone past the third round at the US Open, but after winning it all in Australia, there's a ton of pressure on her to go much deeper than that this year. It will be interesting to see if Kenin can make a deep run at the US Open or if she'll feel the pressure and have an early exit. 

#5. Can Daniil Medvedev finish the job? Last year, Daniil Medvedev fell to Rafael Nadal in the final. This year, Medvedev is looking to finish the job, coming in as the #3 seed. After initially agitating fans a bit with his antics and temper, Medvedev gained a lot of new fans last year and became much more likable as the tournament went on. Medvedev is one of those guys who really feeds off the crowds, so in the absence of fans this year, it will be interesting to see if he can still fire himself up in the same way. 

#6. Will Black Lives Matter be a theme? We saw Naomi Osaka pull out of the Western & Southern Open in protest only to finish the tournament when the event canceled play for the day as a whole. Osaka made a courageous move and generated some conversation. It'll be interesting to see how much messages of social justice, equality, and Black Lives Matter will play a role in this event. I'm sure a lot of that will depend on who wins and finds the most success. If Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka for example both play well, then I think there's a good chance those messages will become a big story, if not THE big story of the event. 

#7. Alexander Zverev needs to make his move: Alexander Zverev once again comes in with a lofty seeding (#5) despite not having had much success at grand slam events aside from his run to the semis at the 2020 Australian Open. The furthest he's gone at the US Open is the fourth round and with the draw as wide open as it is, he has no excuse to not at least reach the semis and put himself in a position to win this tournament. If he exits in the quarterfinals or sooner, it will be a major disappointment. 

#8. Can Madison Keys finally breakthrough? Madison Keys comes in as the #7 seed, still eying her first grand slam title. The furthest she's gone at any grand slam is a run to the 2017 US Open final, so it's been a while. Keys is in the same half of the draw as Serena Williams, so she by no means has an easy draw. Still, if you're looking for possible dark horses to win this event, Keys has to be considered as a real threat. 

#9. Look for Novak Djokovic to win the men's title: Given that Federer and Nadal are both out, Novak Djokovic has to be favored to win the men's singles title. He's the top seed, coming off an Australian Open title, and all in all seems to have momentum on his side. As it stands, the all-time list for most grand slam titles on the men's side goes Federer (20), Nadal (19), and Djokovic (17). If Djokovic wins this title, he'll be one back of Nadal and two back of Federer. So when talking about history, this event is huge for Djokovic. Especially since Nadal seems to be saving up his energy to win at Roland Garros in October. 

#10. Look for Serena Williams to win the women's title: If Serena Williams wins the women's singles title, she'll tie Margaret Court's record for most grand slam titles (24). Given that they played in fundamentally different eras, to some extent it doesn't really matter if Serena surpasses Court, but that notwithstanding, you know she wants to anyways. Given that the field is a bit weaker and Serena has a pretty favorable/open draw, I expect her to finish the job and in the process use her platform to advocate for social justice. 

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10 things to take away from the 2020 Australian Open

                                         (Credit: Australian Open) 

With the 2020 Australian Open now in the books, it is time for me to write my 10 things to take away from the first grand slam of the year. Enjoy!

#1. Novak Djokovic is the GOAT Down Under: Novak Djokovic picked up his 8th Australian Open title and his 17th grand slam title overall. He is 8-0 in Australian Open finals, once again reminding us that he owns this event. Something about the hard courts of Australia and the timing of the event brings out the very best in him. As a result of this title, Djokovic has reclaimed the world #1 ranking from Rafael Nadal. It's shaping up to be another fun race for #1 in 2020!

#2. Sofia Kenin is the real deal: Sofia Kenin showed she belonged among the world's best by winning her first grand slam title at the Australian Open. She defeated world #1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals and then defeated two-time grand slam champion Garbiñe Muguruza in the final. While other young Americans have struggled to win grand slams, Kenin got it done, becoming the youngest American to win a grand slam in 17.5 years (Serena Williams). Expect this to be the first of many grand slam titles for Kenin, who is now ranked #7 in the world.

#3. Dominic Thiem is knocking on the door: Dominic Thiem reached his third grand slam final, losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets. Thiem played a fabulous match against Djokovic and nearly pulled off the upset. While he didn't accomplish what we wanted to, Thiem is getting closer to winning his first grand slam. Defeating Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals has to give him a lot of confidence. Especially with the French Open coming up.

#4. Garbiñe Muguruza is back: Coming into the tournament as an unseeded player, Garbiñe Muguruza looked like a long shot to win the tournament. Instead, she showed why she's a two-time grand slam champion, reaching the final and forcing Kenin to beat her in three sets. Considering that she's won the French Open and Wimbledon, Muguruza should absolutely be considered a contender going into both events.

#5. Alexander Zverev made big strides: There have been a lot questions about Alexander Zverev over the last couple of years. He's been ranked as high as #3 in the world, but until this year's Australian Open, he had never reached a grand slam semifinal. That changed as he reached the semifinals, losing to Dominic Thiem in four sets. In order to reach the semifinal, Zverev had to beat former Australian Open and three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. Even though he came up short of his goal of winning it all, Zverev has to feel good about where he's at after such a strong tournament.

#6. Ashleigh Barty should have a strong 2020: Even though she didn't win it all, Ashleigh Barty should feel good about this tournament overall. She reached the semifinals losing to the eventual champion and for the most part backed up her #1 ranking. Look for her to be a real force come the French Open when she looks to defend her crown.

#7. Nick Kyrgios grew up: Even though he lost in the 4th round, Nick Kyrgios should feel good about his tournament. For starters, no shame in losing to Nadal. Secondly, he won a lot of fans with his classy play and his tribute to the late Kobe Bryant by wearing his jersey before the Nadal match. At just 24 years of age, Kyrgios appears to finally be figuring things out. Hopefully he can build on this and have a strong 2020 season.

#8. Naomi Osaka has some soul searching to do: Naomi Osaka went out in the 3rd round and saw her ranking fall to #10 in the world. After winning the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open, Osaka hasn't gotten back to the quarterfinals at a grand slam. I don't doubt that she'll figure things out and get back on track, but for now, she's gotta do a little soul searching and figure out how to get out of this grand slam funk.

#9. Roger Federer is still a force: Even though he lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, the very fact that Roger Federer reached the semifinals is a testament to his longevity and greatness. I don't see Federer threaten to win the French Open, but you can best believe he's eyeing Wimbledon with a lot of anticipation.

#10. Serena Williams should be disappointed: Serena Williams lost in the third round to Qiang Wang. First off, congrats to Wang on the huge win. I don't want to gloss over that. But as far as Serena is concerned, she's eying Margaret Court's record and to go out in the third round like she did is disappointing. She came in as the 8th seed and was picked by many (including myself) to win it all. Hopefully she'll regroup and make a stronger push at the French Open and beyond.

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10 things to look for at the 2020 Australian Open

With the Australian Open beginning on Monday, it is time for my first grand slam preview of the year! To check out the draws, click here. For a list of players that will not be playing in the event (E.g. Andy Murray and Bianca Andreescu), click here. Ok, with those two housekeeping items out of the way, let's begin!

#1. Is Rafael Nadal a real threat? I find patterns in grand slams to be really interesting. For all of his success (19 grand slam singles titles), Rafael Nadal has won just one Australian Open title in his career back in 2009. It's a bit odd since he's won every other grand slam multiple times, most notably the French Open (12 times). What's also odd is the grand slam he has won the second most times is the US Open (4 times), which is also played on the hard courts.

At any event, it will be interesting to see if Nadal can break through to win his second Australian Open title and be a real threat at this year's event. What makes me think Nadal can win it all is he is the number one overall seed and he won the US Open last year. He certainly shouldn't be lacking in confidence.

#2. Will the coaching change pay off for Naomi Osaka? After winning the 2018 US Open and 2019 Australian Open back-to-back, Naomi Osaka has cooled off a bit, losing in the 3rd round of the French Open, the 1st round of Wimbledon, and the 4th round of the US Open. In order to get herself back on the right track, Osaka has hired Wim Fissette as her coach at the start of the year, who has also coached Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep, and Sabine Lisicki. It will be interesting to see if the coaching change pays off for Osaka and how long this relationship lasts.

#3. Will this be the slam Daniil Medvedev breaks through? Daniil Medvedev comes into the Australian Open ranked #4 in the world after his run to the US Open final last year in which he lost to Nadal in five sets. Provided he stays healthy and doesn't spontaneously combust or develop a crippling cocaine problem, Medvedev is almost certain to win a grand slam title. The only question is when will it happen? After what we saw from him in New York, it certainly feels like his time is coming soon. He's incredibly confident and knows he has the ability to hang with the very best players in the world. I don't know if he'll win it all, but I expect him to be a serious contender.

#4. Can Ashleigh Barty handle the pressure of being #1? Ashleigh Barty comes in as the #1 ranked player in the world and by extension the top ranked Australian at this event. With that comes expectations and pressure. Aside from her 2019 French Open title, the furthest she's gone at a grand slam is the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the 4th round at Wimbledon and the US Open. Her track record at grand slams away from the clay doesn't give me a ton of confidence that she'll win this event, but women's tennis is random enough that it's anyone's game. I think the real key will be for Barty to survive the first week. It's usually the first couple of rounds where players like her feel the nerves and choke. If she's alive come the second week, I think she's got a real chance to do some damage.

#5. Can Roger Federer get back in the winner's circle? Two of Roger Federer's last three grand slam titles (2018 Australian Open, 2017 Australian Open, and 2017 Wimbledon) have come Down Under, so he has found recent success at this event. I think part of the reason for that is he comes into this event pretty fresh, whereas later on in the year he gets more banged up. I believe that explains why he hasn't won the US Open since 2008. At 38 years old, Fed continues to blow off Father Time, so there's no reason to think age will be a factor here. I'm not sure Fed will get it done, but I'm willing to say this is probably his best chance to win a grand slam in 2020.

#6. Can Maria Sharapova work some magic? Maria Sharapova has fallen from grace ever since her failed drug test for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open. She hasn't reached a grand slam quarterfinal since, though she has reached the 4th round of a grand slam three times, including last year's Australian Open. Sharapova was granted a wild card into this year's event and will look to make some noise. Will she? It's hard to say, but given her experience, I think it would be foolish to write her off entirely. She certainly should have the motivation to get back on track after what has been a frustrating stretch.

#7. Can Stefanos Tsitsipas make another deep run? 21 year-old Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas comes in as the 6th ranked player in the world in large part because of his run to the semifinals at last year's Australian Open in which he knocked off Roger Federer in the 4th round. Since that magical run, Tsitsipas hasn't gotten past the 4th round at a grand slam. He has a lot of points to defend at this year's Australian Open and also a lot to prove. If he has an early exit, a lot of people will start to wonder if his run to the semifinals was a bit of a fluke. It's not fair, but that's the way it rolls.

#8. How will CoCo Gauff handle the spotlight? After her run to the 4th round at Wimbledon last year, 15 year-old CoCo Gauff caught the tennis world by surprise, looking like she might be the new face of American women's tennis. She entered last year as an unknown and now enters this year as very much a known. She's ranked #66 in the world and has one WTA title under her belt at the Linz Open in Austria. While she has plenty and I mean plenty of tennis ahead of her, it will be interesting to see how she handles the spotlight this year. The Australian Open will give us our first taste of that.

#9. Look for Novak Djokovic to win it all: Ranked #2 in the world, Novak Djokovic is my pick to win the 2020 Australian Open men's singles title. He's the defending champion, has won the event seven times, and appears to have a little pep in his step after leading Serbia to the inaugural ATP Cup title. That doesn't mean it will be easy for him. Federer, Nadal, Medvedev, and Stan Wawrinka (who I haven't yet mentioned) all have a shot to win this title. Still, even with them all playing well, one has to give a nod to "The Joker" for the way he has dominated this event.

#10. Look for Serena Williams to win it all: I was thinking of going off the wall and picking someone random like Johanna Konta to shock the world, but I don't want to overthink this. This event is Serena Williams' to lose. With 23 grand slam titles, she is one shy of tying Margaret Court's record and has won two of the last five Australian Opens (2015 & 2017). After not winning last year, it feels like she's due. It would also be cool for her to tie Court's record at the event that she perhaps unfairly dominated due to being an Aussie in an era where not everyone came down to Australia. If you could script this anyway for Serena, tying Court's record in Australia and breaking it in New York would be the way to go. I hope it happens.

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