#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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