The tennis season is officially open, and the first Grand Slam of the year is almost upon us.
But with the news that both Serena Williams and Andy Murray will not feature in Melbourne, who do we think has the best chance of success? And before you all shout Federer for the men’s crown, it might not be as cut and dry as you think.
This year’s open just so happens to fall at a time when the men’s side has a long list of injured players or those coming back from lengthy absences. Murray and Japan’s Kei Nishikori are out, and there are also doubts hanging over Rafael Nadal.
The Spaniard missed the Brisbane International with a niggling knee injury still giving him trouble.
Also on the ‘not quite sure yet’ list is six-times champ Novak Djokovic who we haven’t seen in a competitive match since last year’s Wimbledon. His elbow injury has flared up again forcing him to miss the Qatar Open.
Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic are just coming back from injury breaks, and while both are fit to play, a long run in the tournament might prove a bit much for either of them.
All this seemingly puts Federer in the driving seat as he bids to claim his 20th major. Bear in mind though, that last year, both he and Nadal made the final after struggling with injuries, which could be a good omen for former champion Wawrinka. Perhaps he’ll do the same this year?
Tennis odds on BetStars has Federer as the favourite at 15/8 while Nadal is the second favourite at 7/2.
In all honesty, though, we’d rather see Cilic or Del Potro claim the second Grand Slam of their careers, or perhaps even Jack Sock or Kevin Anderson. Nothing like an underdog win to keep the tournament interesting.
In the women’s event, we know that Serena Williams is out, but even if last year’s champion had played, she wouldn’t have been able to give 100%.
All eyes will no doubt be on current world number one Simona Halep. Although she has yet to win a major, this could be her last chance to compete for one without Williams to contend with.
Elina Svitlonia is the form player from 2017. She had a great breakout season as she won five titles, moving her up to number three in the process.
However, she’s not had much luck at the Grand Slams, with a quarterfinal in the French Open her best result so far. Hopefully, she can make it a little further in Melbourne.
Madison Keys and Maria Sharapova could surprise everyone as they make their respective comebacks. Neither played a full season last year, but both have had good results on their return to the court.
Keys made it to the U.S. Open Final, beating two top ten players on her way while Sharapova usually makes it at least as far as the quarters in Melbourne. Both could be good shouts for an outside bet.
And no, we haven’t forgotten about the older Williams sister. Venus is currently world number five and although she hasn’t been in stellar form as of late, write her off at your peril. She made the final last year and could be a repeat be on the cards. It’s a tough one to call.
In recent years, she has proved to be so unpredictable that she could easily go out in the first round or take the crown.
This year’s Open is a strange one with so many players out with injury, returning from layoffs or out of form. For the spectators though, it means that we’ll no doubt see a few upsets and some great games of tennis.
The Australian Open starts on January 15th with the finals coming two weeks later, on the 27th and 28th.