Roger Federer has been incredibly resurgent in recent years; Novak Djokovic made a comeback for the ages in 2018. Who will it be in this upcoming season? We may begin to find out sooner rather than later, as Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are all in action in week one.
Murray and Tsonga are joined in a loaded Brisbane International field by Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, and Nick Kyrgios. Djokovic and Berdych are part of a Doha draw that also features Dominic Thiem and David Goffin. In Pune, meanwhile, 2018 finalists Kevin Anderson and Gilles Simon have both returned.
Brisbane International
Where: Brisbane, Australia
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $527,880
Points: 250
Top seed: Rafael Nadal
Defending champion: Nick Kyrgios
Draw analysis: How will Nadal rebound from his injury-plagued second half of 2018? The six-man Abu Dhabi exhibition did nothing to answer any questions, so the Spaniard’s effort in Brisbane will be the talk of the tour in week one of 2019. Fellow oft-injured veteran Tsonga is a possible opening opponent for Nadal, while the top quarter of the bracket also includes up-and-coming Australian and 2018 semifinalist Alex de Minaur. An intriguing second section features Murray, Milos Raonic, and Daniil Medvedev.
A rematch of last year’s title tilt is the bottom-half headliner right off the bat, with Kyrgios facing familiar foe Ryan Harrison in round one. Nishikori, Dimitrov, and Kyle Edmund should also contend for a place in Sunday’s final.
First-round upset alert: Yoshihito Nishioka over (6) Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov took an alarming step back in 2018, while Nishikioka was in the running for Comeback Player of the Year. There will be a lot of pressure on the Bulgarian right away, as an immediate first-round loss would once again raise a lot of questions.
Semifinal predictions: Milos Raonic over Alex de Minaur and Kei Nishikori over Nick Kyrgios
Final: Nishikori over Raonic
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Qatar ExxonMobil Open
Where: Doha, Qatar
Surface: Hard
Points: 250
Prize money: $1,313,215
Top seed: Novak Djokovic
2018 champion: Gael Monfils (not playing)
Draw analysis: There’s nothing not to like about Djokovic’s chances in Doha. The world No. 1 dominated the second half of 2018, he is a two-time champion of this tournament (2016 and 2017), and he is coming off title—albeit a relatively meaningless one—in Abu Dhabi. Moreover, the Doha field is not quite as impressive as usual with Brisbane now sharing a lot of the spoils. Wawrinka, Karen Khachanov, Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Andrey Rublev will be among those challenging Djokovic in the top half of the bracket. But either Wawrinka or Khachanov will be gone right away, as they have to go head-to-head in a blockbuster first-rounder.
Thiem, the No. 2 seed, made a decent hard-court run to the Doha semis last season before withdrawing due to illness. The jury is still out on the Austrian’s hard-court form, so the bottom half of this draw is wide open. Fellow seeds Goffin, Marco Cecchinato, and Fernando Verdasco are far from invulnerable, as well. Berdych is back to lead an unseeded contention that could do some real damage, with Philipp Kohlschreiber, Peter Gojowyczk, Adrian Mannarino, and 2018 semifinalist Guido Pella also in the mix.
First-round upset alert: Matteo Berrettini over (7) Roberto Bautista Agut. Bautista Agut generally starts his years in red-hot form, but he is coming off a somewhat injury-plagued 2018 campaign. Berrettini was one of the breakout performers of last season.
Semifinal predictions: Novak Djokovic over Karen Khachanov and Fernando Verdasco over Adrian Mannarino
Final: Djokovic over Verdasco
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Tata Open
Where: Pune, India
Surface: Hard
Points: 250
Prize money: $527,880
Top seed: Kevin Anderson
Defending champion: Gilles Simon
Draw analysis: Will anyone be able to challenge Anderson in Pune with the rest of the top players in the world taking their talents to Brisbane and Doha? Wawrinka, Bautista Agut, and Marin Cilic—three long-time participants in India—are absent this time around. Hyeon Chung is making an appearance, but his health is always a question mark and as the No. 2 seed he cannot meet Anderson until the final.
The sixth-ranked South African, who finished runner-up to Simon last season, should roll through a soft top quarter of the bracket before possibly running into Simon in the semis—or another Frenchman, Benoit Paire. Chung will likely face a more difficult road, as his opener could come against Ernests Gulbis prior to a potential quarterfinal date with Ivo Karlovic.
First-round upset alert: Radu Albot over (7) Jaume Munar. Munar is no slouch on hard courts, but he would rather contest this one on clay. The more late-blooming Albot started to make a name for himself in 2017 and 2018. This should be a competitive, hard-fought contest between two grinders.
Semifinal predictions: Kevin Anderson over Benoit Paire and Hyeon Chung over Michael Mmoh
Final: Anderson over Chung
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WHO YA GOT?
Not Gulbis, surely.