Djokovic
and Osaka to continue domination in Australian Open
From
Maria Collins, October 2020
Novak
Djokovic was recently defeated by Rafael Nadal in the final
of the French Open, however, the Serbian may be able to
add to his Grand Slam tally during the 2021 Australian Open
in January.
Djokovic
has prevailed in Melbourne on eight occasions, and he will
be relishing the return to the hard courts in the Australian
city at the start of the new calendar year.
It's
been a tough end to 2020 for the world number one. He was
defaulted from the US Open after accidentally hitting a
judge with a ball in the last 16 of his match with Pablo
Carreno Busta. He then had no answer for Nadal on the clay
in Paris, losing in straight sets in the final of the French
Open.
In
spite of this, Djokovic is 11/10
in the betting for the Australian Open. When you consider
he has lost just three times in this tournament over the
last 10 years, those odds look very generous.
The
33-year-old is now three Grand Slams behind his long-time
rivals Nadal and Roger Federer in the record tally count.
He will be motivated to, at the very least, close that gap
in 2021 with the intention of ending his career with the
record to himself.
The
biggest challenge at the Australian Open in 2021 is likely
to come from Nadal. Djokovic will be the favourite to prevail
against the Spaniard on this surface, so expect to see a
different result from the one-sided affair at Roland-Garros.
Osaka
Can Claim Her Fourth Grand Slam in Women's Tournament
In
the women's tournament at the Australian Open, the bookmakers
go 8/1 the field which suggests this is a very difficult
competition to pick the winner of. Naomi Osaka is a name
which is coming up with some regularity, having been the
2020 US Open winner, Naomi
Osaka missed the French Open through injury but she
should return in Melbourne.
The
former world number one is still just 22 years old and so
her best tennis is most likely ahead of her. Osaka appears
to be the most likely player on the WTA Tour to cement her
place as the best in the sport, and a fourth Grand Slam
win would help her into that position.
As
it stands, Osaka is the 8/1 favourite in the outright market
and is the most likely winner. The break she has had following
her success at Flushing Meadows may have been what she needed
following a long and hard season.
The
Japanese-born star had wins over Elina Svitolina, Karolina
Plisikova, and Petra Kvitova when she won in Melbourne in
2019, beating the latter in three sets in the final. Given
that this was almost two years ago, she is arguably a much
better player now as she has only a few weaknesses in her
game.
Osaka
is definitely at her best on hard courts. As her career
progresses, she is likely to get much better on clay and
grass, but for now, she is ready to win more Grand Slams
in Australia and the US.
The
2021 Australian Open begins on the 18th January, with the
women's and men's finals scheduled for the 30th January
and 31st January respectively.
