Men’s Singles Australian Open Preview

The Australian Open starts on Monday, January 14th and with the draw having been made, the excitement is growing.  This is the first Grand Slam tournament of the year and all eyes are on Melbourne as the players get set to begin their season in style.

Many onlookers will be hoping to see the emergence of new players at the top of the men’s game but as we look ahead to the potential winners, it appears the same names are at the top of the pile.

The Old Guard

One glance at the previous 16 Grand Slam winners shows they were shared between just five players and each of them had previously won a Grand Slam title.  Novak Djokovic begins the tournament as the favourite with the bookmakers, priced at 6/5 with Ladbrokes to win the 2019 Australian Open.  Having won in 2015 and 2016, the Serb struggled with injury problems but is back to full fitness and looks in great form ahead of the event.

The second favourite to win the 2019 Australian open is defending champion, Roger Federer.  The Swiss joins Djokovic in the race to win his seventh title in Australia and is the defending champion.  Everyone is waiting for Federer to succumb to age but he continues to defy his advancing years to compete at the highest level.

Federer is available at 9/2 with William Hill to win the 2019 Australian Open.

The third man to dominate recent Grand Slam events along with Djokovic and Federer is Rafael Nadal.  However, the Spaniard is not as strong at the Australian Open as his great rivals and last won the tournament back in 2009.  This is reflected in Nadal’s odds of 9/1 with Ladbrokes to win the Australian Open.

Young German Breakthrough

It appears the main challenger to the three players highlighted above is Alexander Zverev.  The young German is ranked number four in the world at the time of writing and was victorious at the end of 2018, winning the ATP Finals in London.  However, Zverev has yet to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam in his career and recently lost to Federer in straight sets.

Taking the big step to winning a Grand Slam is a huge mental and physical step and it appears Zverev may not be there just yet.  The German is on offer at 10/1 with Ladbrokes, making him the fourth favourite with the bookmakers.

Potential Outsiders

Other names to look out for in the men’s draw include Daniil Medvedev, who at 22 years-of-age has a very bright future.  He reached the final of the Brisbane International earlier this year and can be backed at 66/1 with Betfair.

Kei Nishikori was the man who defeated Medvedev in the Brisbane final and appears to be making a return to his best form.  This Grand Slam may be a little early in his comeback for success but he could make the semi-final and from there, who knows?  The Japanese is 33/1 with Betfair.

Andy Murray will make his return to the men’s Grand Slam tennis at the 2019 Australian Open but with question marks remaining over his fitness, the Scot is out at 40/1 with Unibet.