Novak Djokovic

He will be the overwhelming favouite for the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup. He is the man with most titles (7) here having enjoyed so much success at the Rod Laver Arena. He is definitely the man to beat coming into the tournament in tremendous form. He’s already won the maiden ATP Cup with Serbia an d I believe he’ll be raring to go‚ adding one more title to the ones he won in 2008‚ 2011‚ 2012‚ 2013‚ 2015‚ 2016 and 2019.

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Rafael Nadal

Another title here will make Rafa the first man in the Open Era to win each of the grand slams more than once. After winning his maiden title here in 2009 against Roger Federer‚ he has had to endure a lot of heart breaks on the Rod Laver Arena. He’s lost twice in the final against Djokovic‚ in 2012 and 2019‚ another finals loss against Stanislas Wawrinka in 2014 and to Federer in 2017. Nadal is in top form‚ having ended last year as world number one. He is the 1st man to be number in three different decades. If things go his way‚ I don’t doubt him equaling Federer’s slam haul of 20.

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Daniil Medvedev

He lost last year’s US Open final narrowly to Nadal and has since been in top form throughout the majority of the Asian hard court swing and the ATP World Tour Finals. Medvedev has the right toolkit to win his first grand slam title.

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Roger Federer

The golden boy of tennis will always be a favourite heading into any grand slam and especially at Down Under where he’s won six times in 2004‚ 2006‚ 2007‚ 2010‚ 2017 and 2018. With Nadal ever closer to him than before in terms of grand slam collection‚ I think Roger would want to put a further distance between himself and Nadal and Djokovic at the Australian Open.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas

Another nextgen star who’s showing a lot of promise on the ATP Tour. He’s already won the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in 2019 at the O2 Arena in London and even beat Federer here last year in 4 sets in the 4th round. You can never count Tsitsipas out.

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Nick Kyrgios

Aussie bad boy will be feeding off the vociferous crowd at Melbourne Park who will be cheering the Aussies on. Kyrgios is yet to reach his huge potential and if not for his shenanigans‚ he’s every bit of a world beater. If he can stay focused for 2 weeks‚ he can go all the way and lift the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup.

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Dark horses

Alexander Zverev‚ Dominic Thiem‚ Alex de Minaur‚ Denis Shapovalov‚ Marin Cilic‚ Kei Nishikori‚ Kevin Anderson and Matteo Berrettini are all capable of becoming a first time champion in Melbourne.

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Women Open

a Q aas

The women’s draw will be wide-open as ever. After Serena Williams beat her big sister Venus to win the Australian Open in 2017, there have been different winners of the past 11 grand slams. In fact only Naomi Osaka won consecutive titles (US Open 2018 and Australian Open 2019). In spite of this, there are still a few ladies that stand out tall as the favourites for the Daphne Arkhurst Memorial Cup.

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Serena Williams

After Bianca Andreescu withdrawal from the Aussie Open due to a niggling knee injury, it is my firm belief that ‘tennis queen’ Serena Williams is the woman to beat in Melbourne. She will be bidding to eventually tie Margaret Court’s grand slam record of 24, a feat she’s failed to achieve on four previous occasions. She will be buoyed by her 1st title since motherhood, which she won in Auckland and if she can really calm her nerves and the withstand the enormous pressure she puts on herself in finals (never has she lost 4 straight slam finals before in her career until now), it is my belief that no. 24 can be won in Maggie’s home.

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Ashleigh Barty

The top player in the women’s draw will be a threat for the title in her own backyard. Her athletism and offensive game will be too much for most players in the draw and will the partisan crowd behind her, she can add the Daphne Arkhurst Memorial Cup to the ‘Coupe Suzzane Lenglen’ she won in June last year and the WTA Tour Finals title in October 2019.

Naomi Osaka

The defending champion should definitely be in the mix as a favourite for the title. Osaka went off the boil last year after her triumph in Melbourne but rose again during the end of the season to dominate the Asian swing. If she can stay focused, she can be the first woman since Victoria Azarenka in 2013 to successfully put up a title defence.

Simona Halep

The Romanian former world number is known for her defensive style which is best suited for the red dirt but she showed last year at Wimbledon that she can adapt her game to suit the fast-paced courts. She’s a 2-time grand slam winner and there’s no way she can’t make it 3 here come February 1.

Dark horses

Karolina PliskovaThe top male and female players in the world will converge down under at the Melbourne Park to compete for the Norman Brooks Challenge Cup and the Daphne Arkhurst Memorial Cup plus the honour of beginning the decade with grand slam. Most players have made a pledge to donate proceeds from the tournament to victims of recent bushfires that have ravaged most parts of Australia.