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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