2016 Australian Open Men’s Preview
The heat of Melbourne will test the stamina and resolve of players as the 2016 Australian Open will kick-start the Grand Slam leg of the season. Melbourne Park will witness the best players in the world battle it out from January 18 – 31.
Apart from the usual suspects Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal, the heat of Melbourne will be a major factor. Every year witnesses player withdrawals and this year could be no different.
On court, Novak Djokovic had an exemplary 2015 that was punctuated by three Grand Slams, 11 titles and a record of rankings points. The hunger in the Serb for more titles looks undiminished as he looks set to start his season on a high. The five-time Australian Open Champion is defending his title here and has won four of the last five titles at Melbourne. The draw has been kind too with his first big challenge only in the semis where his potential rival could be Roger Federer. At odds of $1.72 at Sportsbet, he is the hot favorite to lift the title.
The Swiss maestro is a four-time Champion here and would be looking to break his Grand Slam duck dating back to Wimbledon 2012. While the 18th Grand Slam eludes him, Federer has proven that he has what it takes to still compete at the highest level. He roped in Ivan Ljubicic as a coach with an eye on improving his poor recent record against Djokovic. Is this one last chance for the legendary Swiss player? He is a long shot at $11 at Sportsbet for the title and may not go beyond semis.
Andy Murray has remained the eternal bridesmaid to Djokovic in the entire 2015 season. Even in Australia, he has four runner-up performances in the past six years – three of them to Djokovic. The sub-plot to his story is that his wife could go into labor anytime and he is prepared to withdraw immediately if it happens. Frankly, it would take a lot of guts to bet on Murray lifting the title at odds of $5.50 on Sportsbet.
Of the other contenders Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal will be keen to push their credentials. Watch out for the wily cool customer Wawrinka at odds of $13 at Sportsbet who could be the dark horse of the competition.
The local interest will be spearheaded by bad boy Nick Kyrgios, seeded 29th and scheduled to meet the 6th seeded Tomas Berdych. The 16th seed Bernard Tomic also looks good to win a couple of rounds. And then for the old romantics, this will be the emotional swansong of Lleyton Hewitt who meets fellow Aussie James Duckworth in the first round.
As we near the start of another Grand Slam year, the biggest question remains the same – can anyone stop Djokovic! As the players slog it out in the heat to find an answer, enjoy the action!
