10 things to take away from the 2021 Australian Open

                                     
                                         (Credit: SI.com) 

The 2021 Australian Open is a wrap! Novak Djokovic took home his 9th Australian Open title and 18th grand slam title, defeating Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 in the men's singles final. Naomi Osaka took home her 2nd Australian Open title and 4th grand slam title, defeating Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 in the women's singles final. Below is my list of 10 things to take away from the two weeks that were in Melbourne. 

Note: Click here to check out complete results from the tournament in case you missed any of the action. 

#1. Novak Djokovic is very much in the GOAT conversation: Love him or hate him, when you look at all that Novak Djokovic is accomplishing, it's clear that he's very much in the discussion for GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). He's just two shy of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's mark of 20 grand slam titles and for whatever reason, he's especially found his groove in Australia. He had to battle through some injury, but found a way to still come out on top. It's amazing what this guy is doing. 

#2. Naomi Osaka is the best in the world on hard court: Naomi Osaka proved that she is the best in the world on the hard courts after winning her 2nd Australian Open title. Her other two grand slam titles have also come on the hard courts at the U.S. Open, so she's certainly figured things out on the hard court. The next step for her is to figure out how to win on the grass of Wimbledon and the clay of Roland Garros. Once she figures that out, she could truly dominate the sport. 

#3. Daniil Medvedev isn't quite there yet: Daniil Medvedev is knocking on the door, but he still has more work to do before he wins his first grand slam. This was his second trip to the final of a grand slam (2019 U.S. Open) and all things considered, he has to feel good about the way he competed over the two weeks in total. At the same time, he has to also feel a bit discouraged to not get a single set off Djokovic. One thing Djokovic said earlier in the tournament is he, Nadal, and Federer aren't going to hand anything over to the next generation. Sunday was just another reminder of that. 

#4. Jennifer Brady has established herself as one of the top American players: When talking about the top American players, Serena Williams of course is right at the top with Madison Keys, Sofia Kenin, and Sloane Stephens often getting mentioned next. By reaching the final and elevating her ranking to #13 in the world, Brady shows she belongs among the very best of America's players and that she might be the next American to win a grand slam. It's going to be interesting to see what the rest of 2021 brings for Brady. 

#5. The Australian Open is not Rafael Nadal's event: Rafael Nadal has won Roland Garros 13 times, Wimbledon twice, the U.S. Open four times, and the Australian Open once in his career. For whatever reason, the Australian Open just isn't his event. It's a bit odd because he's won the U.S. Open, also a hard court event more than Wimbledon, so hard court is his second best surface. One would think he'd have more Australian Open titles under his belt, but alas he has just the one in 2009. 

This year, he went out in the quarterfinals to Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6, 5-7, blowing a two set lead. I'm not saying Nadal will never win another Australian Open, but after seeing the way he lost this one and also looking back on his overall history at the event, it's hard to see it happening. Fortunately he's still got Roland Garros on lockdown! 

#6. Ashleigh Barty needs to step it up Down Under: As the #1 ranked player in the world and by extension the top ranked Aussie, Ashleigh Barty needs to step it up in her home grand slam. She exited in the quarterfinals 6-1, 3-6, 2-6 to #25 Karolina Muchova and quite honestly, choked that match. She should have gone to the final and been on the other end of the net facing Naomi Osaka in the final. She had a really good draw and wasn't able to get it done. The bottom line is we should expect more out of Barty going forward. This year's Aussie Open was a major disappointment for her. 

#7. Aslan Karatsev has arrived: Nobody knew who Aslan Karatsev was before this tournament (including myself) and he made quite an introduction, making it all the way to the semifinals before falling to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. It'll be interesting to see if this guy can work his way into more semifinals going forward and possibly even reach a final. The vibe I've gotten is this guy is for real and that this won't be the last we see from him. Going to be fun to see how he performs at Roland Garros and beyond. 

#8. Whether or not Serena Williams wins another grand slam is very much a live question: Even though she lost in the semifinals to Naomi Osaka and had an impressive win over Simona Halep in the quarterfinals, it's still not clear if we'll ever see Serena Williams win her 24th grand slam singles title and tie Margaret Court's record. She hasn't won a grand slam singles title since the 2017 Australian Open. That's four years ago. She'll turn 40 in September and quite honestly doesn't have much time left in her career. As a matter of fact, the way she left all emotional and all had some wondering if this was her last Aussie Open. I hope it's not, but the end is near regardless. 

#9. Stefanos Tsitsipas likewise has more growing to do: At 22 years of age, Stefanos Tsitsipas is still a young man and has plenty of time to win his first grand slam title. He's getting close, but is still yet to reach his first career final. Going down in straight sets to Medvedev in the semis, who in turn went down in straight sets to Djokovic in the final has to put things in perspective for him. Hopefully he'll use this as a learning opportunity and motivation to get better. He's certainly one of the brightest young talents in the game today. 

#10. Sofia Kenin was a disappointment: I picked Sofia Kenin to win the women's title and she exited in the 2nd round. As the defending champion and top five player in the world, she has to do better than that. Hopefully she'll bounce back and have a strong rest of the season. Maybe the U.S. Open will be her time to shine once again. 

To connect with ATP Guy on Twitter, click here. 

To connect with ATP Guy on Facebook, click here. 

To connect with Ben Parker, click here. 

10 things to look for at the 2021 Australian Open

 

The 2021 Australian Open begins on Sunday, February 7. Which means it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for at this event. Click here to check out the draws for men's singles, women's singles, etc. 

Before I list my 10 things, here are some key names who are missing the event: Roger Federer, Andy Murray, John Isner, Kiki Bertens, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Madison Keys, Juan Martin del Potro, Joao Sousa, Kim Clijsters, and Kyle Edmund. Click here for more absences and details on those who aren't playing. 

#1. Can Rafael Nadal get over the hump? Rafael Nadal has won all four grand slams, but if it wasn't for his 2009 Australian Open title, he'd still be in hunt of a career slam. Kinda crazy to think about, no? For whatever reason, the Australian Open has been Nadal's least successful grand slam. Which is odd since his second most successful grand slam after the French Open is the U.S. Open, which is also played on hard courts. There's been kind of an odd cadence to his Australian Opens. He has been alternating between the quarterfinals and the final going back to 2017. In 2017 and 2019, he reached the final. In 2018 and 2020, he reached the quarterfinals. Does that mean in 2021, he'll reach the final? Gonna be interesting to see. 

#2. Will Serena Williams' shoulder be an issue? Serena Williams pulled out of an Aussie Open tune-up due to a right shoulder injury. Click here to read more about that. Serena says she feels great and isn't worried about the shoulder being an issue, but it's still something to monitor in the early rounds. 

#3. Can Novak Djokovic three-peat for a second time? Novak Djokovic has won the Australian Open eight times and is gunning for his ninth title. From 2011-2013, he won three straight titles. He had a shot to complete a three-peat in 2017 after winning the title in 2015 and 2016, but ended up going out in the 2nd round. Winning the same grand slam three years in a row is no easy task and even with some notable names out, it's still not going to be an easy feat for him to pull off in 2021. 

#4. Can Ashleigh Barty handle the Aussie pressure? Ashleigh Barty comes in as the #1 ranked player in the world and she's also an Aussie. Playing a grand slam in your country has its pros and cons. On the positive side, it's home court advantage. The fans have your back in larger numbers and that momentum can carry you forward. On the negative side, the fans have more expectations for you and that creates unbelievable pressure. She did reach the semifinals last year, which is the furthest she's gone. So, that should give her some confidence to come out on top in 2021. 

#5. Will Nick Kyrgios do anything of importance? Nick Kyrgios comes in as unseeded and he hasn't done much damage in the Aussie Open the past few years. His quarterfinal run was back in 2015 and since then, the furthest he's gone is to the 4th round. That said, he's a guy who seems to enjoy playing in his home country and is actually energized by the experience. With a slightly depleted field due to COVID-19, maybe he'll get back to the quarterfinals once again. 

#6. Can Simona Halen go the distance? Simona Halep comes in as the #2 ranked player in the world and yet she's never won the Australian Open. As a matter of fact, she's only reached the final once in 2018. She reached the semifinals last year and appears poised to make another deep run. If she wins it all, it will be her first grand slam title on hard court. Her two other grand slam titles have come at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. 

#7. Can Dominic Thiem keep the good vibes going on the hard court? Known as more of a clay court player, Dominic Thiem is starting to get the hang of things on the hard courts. He won the 2020 US Open and reached the 2020 Australian Open final. If there's a guy most likely to spoil a Nadal/Djokovic final, it's definitely Thiem. He won the 2020 US Open in part because of how the draw opened up with Novak Djokovic's 4th round disqualification, but even so, he's shown that he's confident on the hard court. Hopefully he'll get a shot at Djokovic in the semifinals. That would make for some good theater. 

#8. Can Naomi Osaka get her 4th grand slam title? Naomi Osaka has won the US Open twice in 2018 and 2020 and the Australian Open once in 2019. Maybe she'll keep the trend going and win the Australian Open again in 2021. Osaka has settled in and can now handle the pressure that comes with being one of the top players in the world. 

#9. Look for Novak Djokovic to win the men's title: I understand that it's no easy task to win the same grand slam event three times in a row, but Djokovic loves the Australian Open. It's been his favorite grand slam and I expect him to once again win it all Down Under. Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem are two legit threats. It's not going to be easy. But I think Djokovic is fueled by what happened at the US Open and wants to get back in the winning circle more than ever. 

#10. Look for Sofia Kenin to defend her title: I'm very tempted to pick Serena Williams to win it all, but she hasn't won a grand slam since her 2017 Australian Open title. Odds say she won't win it this year. Sofia Kenin however won the 2020 Australian Open and is coming in as the #4 seed. I'm expecting Kenin to come back hungry to defend her crown and put herself in a great position to do so. I got Kenin going the distance. 

To connect with ATP Guy on Twitter, click here. 

To connect with ATP Guy on Facebook, click here. 

To connect with Ben Parker, click here.