The 2014 tennis season is less than a week away and the Australian Open is a mere 19 days out, so it’s time to make predictions for the year’s four Grand Slams. Feel free to join the fun with your own predictions in the comments section!
Australian Open – Novak Djokovic. Djokovic wrapped up 2013 on a 24-match winning streak, all on hard courts. Nobody other than Rafael Nadal and John Isner has defeated Djokovic on the surface since Tommy Haas in Miami, a late-March event. Similarly, the Serb is positively dominant Down Under. He has won three consecutive titles in Melbourne and he has not lost prior to the quarters of the season’s first Grand Slam since 2007.
Runner-up – Rafael Nadal
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French Open – Rafael Nadal. If Djokovic dominates the Australian Open, Nadal simply owns the French Open. His exploits there are, of course, well-documented; but we’ll revisit them again just for fun. Nadal is a ridiculous 59-1 lifetime at Roland Garros, with four titles in succession since an injury-induced aberration in 2009. The Spaniard came close to bowing out against Djokovic in a 2013 semifinal thriller, but he had only been back on tour for three months at that point.
Runner-up (if on opposite side) – Juan Martin Del Potro
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Wimbledon – Andy Murray. Shameless plug: I called Murray to win Wimbledon in the 2013 installment of this piece. That worked out pretty well for me, so why mess with success? The Scot is coming off back surgery, so an Australian Open title is unlikely and a clay-court triumph in Paris is always out of the question. No matter; Murray should once again be peaking at Wimbledon. Additionally, there will be a lot less pressure on him this time around.
Runner-up (if on opposite side) – Roger Federer
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U.S. Open – Novak Djokovic. I’m tempted to tip four different Grand Slam winners in 2014, just as I did last year. Del Potro could make it happen—he has already won this thing once, in 2009. However, it is just too tough to pick against Djokovic on a hard court right now. Things could be different by late August, but at the moment there is no reason to think that will be the case. When others are sometimes breaking down late in a grueling summer, Djokovic is usually heating up.
Runner-up (if on opposite side) – Juan Martin Del Potro
Hope springs eternal……..in the breast of Nadline.
But first he must thwart the Djoker in his quest for the holy grail.