Well the first open of the season is upon us already. Who do you think will win?
For me Djokovic will win the mens but I am expecting Federer to put in a big effort this season as I feel this is going to be is last year. Nadal will be there or thereabouts but he is carrying a shoulder injury already and I think this will hamper his chances. Murray is also close but is missing a bit in the mental department rather than his game to win an Open. I think Lendl is a good appointment for him but this open has just come a bit too soon to see his influence on Murray. Outside bets for me would be Tsonga and Del Potro.
As for the womens well there are only really 2 in this and that Kvitova and Serena Williams. I think it will Kvitova that will win though. Wozniacki doesn’t have the game nor the mental strength to win and Clijesters is just back from a long injury layoff. If there is going to be a winner outside of the two I mentioned then it will be Sharapova but that depends on how she is serving during the tournament.
Of course it is, I only realised it was on when there was something about it on the sports news this morning as I waited for the latest news of my beloved Central Coast Mariners.
Quarter 1. Djokovic is in this one. I’m not seeing anything troubling him before the QF, where he would be due to meet Ferrer or possibly Gasquet. Ferrer is always a sticky opponent and he’s just after winning in Auckland again so looks like he is in decent nick. On the rare occasions that Gasquet really gets his backhand going he can be almost unstoppable. Still though, if Djokovic is anywhere near the level he was last year he should make it through to the semis no problem.
Quarter 2. Murray is in here, and he’s got a bit of a cunt of a draw. He’s due to meet Monfils in the fourth round and Tsonga in the quarters. They both got to the final in Dubai recently, and Tsonga seems to have taken the next step in his career whereby he is fairly consistently producing the kind of quality he used to show in patches. The reward for the winner of this quarter is then likely to be a semi final meeting with Djokovic.
Quarter 3. Fed is in here with Del Potro. They would be due to meet in the quarters. Del Potro showed signs in the Davis Cup final against Nadal that he might be coming back to his best, which would be great. He’s due to meet Mardy Fish in the fourth round. Will be interesting to see if Fish’s form in the run-up to the US Open last year was just a one-off streak or a sign of genuine improvement. He ran out of steam at the end of the season though and I’d fancy Del Potro to knock him off. Bright young Aussie hope Tomic is in this quarter too. He hasn’t got the worst draw, Verdasco and and Dolgopolov are the seeds in his mini-section. I could see him getting out of that to meet Fed in the fourth round, which would be a good outcome for him at this stage of his career.
Quarter 4. Nadal has a soft enough looking draw here. Big question marks around his shoulder and general fatigue though. Berdych his likely QF opponent.
I’m taking Djokovic, Tsonga, Del Potro and Nadal to come through to the semis. Djokovic to beat Del Potro in the final. Aussie Open is notoriously hard to predict though, as you don’t have much of a form guide going into it and players often look underprepared for it given how early it is in the season. Extreme heat can be a major factor too.
Walkover for Fed today. Del Potro won in three. Mardy Fish lost, which is good news for Del Potro as he was due to meet him in round 4. Tomic through to the third round too.