Can Djokovic Achieve Calendar Grand Slam
The 2019 Australian Open was a fantastic tournament and a great way to get the new tennis season under way. The winner of the men’s singles tournament was Novak Djokovic, who defeated Rafael Nadal in the final.
It was not just a good performance by Djokovic in the final, it was fantastic. He started the tournament as the favourite and lived up to the billing, dropping just two sets across the two weeks of play.
The Best of Djokovic
Djokovic set the record for the most men’s singles titles at the Australian Open but it was the manner of the victory which should get much of the attention. To say Djokovic was in the zone is an understatement and he took just two hours and four minutes to defeat a player who had yet to drop a set in the tournament.
The Serb did not lose his serve and made just nine unforced errors in the match. You could argue it was the best match Djokovic has ever played in a Grand Slam and that is an ominous sign for his opponents this year.
The Toughest Test
The next Grand Slam is the French Open and this will be the toughest test for Djokovic of the four this season. Only once in his career has Djokovic won the French Open title which was in 2016 and he held all four Grand Slam singles titles at the point. However, Nadal has won each of the last two French Open tournaments and his path to the final in Australia shows he is ready to win yet another title in Paris.
Nadal is 5/6 with Ladbrokes to win the French Open with Djokovic available at 15/8. If Nadal was to be eliminated prior to the final, Djokovic’s chances would improve dramatically. If Djokovic was to win the 2019 French Open, it would be the second time in his career he has held all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
Wimbledon and US Open
The next Grand Slam on the calendar is Wimbledon and Djokovic will enter as the defending champion. Having suffered two disappointing tournaments in 2016 and 2017, Djokovic came back to triumph in style in 2018, defeating Kevin Anderson in straight sets in the final. There is no doubt Djokovic can win Wimbledon again this season and he is the current favourite to do so at 6/4 with William Hill.
The final Grand Slam of the year is the US Open and again, Djokovic enters as the defending champion. He has reached the final in seven of his last eight appearances at the US Open, winning it three times and is therefore the 6/4 favourite with Ladbrokes to win it again this season.
Calendar Year Grand Slam
The French Open is clearly the main stumbling block for Djokovic in the pursuit of the calendar year Grand Slam. If he can win the French Open, the odds for a Djokovic calendar year Grand Slam will drop but now you can get 11/1 with SkyBet for the Serb to achieve the incredible feat of winning all four Grand Slam titles in 2019.