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The 2024 tennis season is lower than every week away; the Australian Open is lower than a month away. As such, it’s time to make my picks the upcoming yr’s Grand Slam occasions (and the Olympics).
Right here we go.
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic
Djokovic has not misplaced on the Aussie for the reason that 2018 fourth spherical towards…anticipate it…Hyeon Chung. Till he loses once more, it’s just about prison to select towards him at Melbourne Park. It’s true that the quantity of respectable slam contenders is rising, with Carlos Alcaraz now a two-time GS champ, Jannik Sinner closing the hole, Alexander Zverev again to his pre-injury self, and even Rafael Nadal plotting his comeback. Nonetheless, Djokovic is the undisputed king Down Beneath and if 2023 was any indication the 36-year-old shouldn’t be slowing down any time quickly.
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz
At solely 20 years previous, Alcaraz is already midway to the profession Grand Slam. If not for cramping towards Djokovic within the SFs of the French Open this previous season, the Spaniard could also be three-fourths of the best way there. Alcaraz had an actual shot to win the French and has additionally confirmed his mettle on clay with two Madrid Masters triumphs plus a number of titles on the Barcelona ATP 500. Though Djokovic is nice on all surfaces, it’s arguably extra reasonable to beat him on clay than on laborious courts or grass.
2024 Paris Olympics: Rafael Nadal
That is with out query a longshot choose, but when Nadal has an opportunity to win something large in 2024 his finest shot might be the Olympics. Getting the most effective of him in three-out-of-five on clay was essentially the most tough process in tennis, however given Nadal’s age (37) and bodily state it’s in all probability simpler to defeat him over 5 units versus solely three. That’s why I believe he has a greater likelihood at Roland Garros within the Olympics versus within the French Open. Nadal will probably be extraordinarily motivated for what could possibly be his final look in Paris and maybe even the ultimate occasion of his illustrious profession.
Wimbledon: Jannik Sinner
Surprisingly, Djokovic’s lone slam loss in 2023 got here at Wimbledon. Now that he’s now not invincible on the All-England Membership, challengers may have at the very least some semblance of perception towards him. No person apart from Djokovic (and defending champion Alcaraz) may have extra confidence than Sinner. The Italian fell to Djokovic in straight units within the semis this previous summer time, however he prolonged the Serb to 5 within the 2022 quarters–in a yr when Djokovic was just about dominant towards each different opponent on the AELTC. Sinner’s time is coming. And it could be coming quickly.
U.S. Open: Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev is excellent on the U.S. Open. There’s no different solution to say it. New York is the scene of his lone slam triumph (2021) and he additionally superior to the title match in 2019 (misplaced to Nadal in 5 units) and 2023 (misplaced to Djokovic). Medvedev’s 2023 run fratured a powerful beatdown of Alcaraz within the SFs. The Russian went beneath the radar to some extent all through the 2023 season due to the excellence of Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Sinner, however he was quietly excellent–as regular. Medvedev is a self-proclaimed hard-court specialist, so a second success in NYC would hardly be come as a shock.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and likewise maintains his personal tennis web site, The Grandstand. You’ll be able to comply with him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
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