Nobody could have expected Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to finish No. 1 and No. 2 in the rankings, respectively, at the end of 2017–and with plenty of room to spare. After all, the two all-time greats went into the season ninth (Nadal) and 16th (Federer) in the world, seemingly on the way down instead of on the way up given that they were already into their 30s. Expecting them to combine for one of the four Grand Slam titles would have seemed fair, if not generous. But all four? Absolutely not.
At the other end of the spectrum, no one could have anticipated the brutal injury luck suffered by other top players–namely Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, and Milos Raonic. All five of those men easily played their way into the 2016 World Tour Finals; not one of them appeared at the O2 Arena this time around.
It’s safe to say this past season was full of surprises on the ATP Tour. If it can be taken as a harbinger of things to come, we should expect the unexpected in 2018. As we learned from 2017, nothing–and no one–is certain. Nadal is 31 and Federer is 36; at what point will injury issues finally turn their nibble into a bite, as they did for younger competitors in 2017? How will Murray, Djokovic, and the rest of the infirmary patients bounce back in 2018? Will Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, and David Goffin continue to rise? Is Juan Martin Del Potro ready for a return to the upper echelons of the sport? Can Nick Kyrgios live up to his incredible but currently untapped potential?
Those questions will begin to be answered at next month’s Australian Open. Check out the Online Tennis odds for the Australian Open.
Federer is the oddsmakers’ current title favorite. And why not? The Swiss is the defending champion and coming off a season in which he compiled a 52-5 record with seven titles (two majors: Aussie and Wimbledon). Federer also finished it in good health, despite losing to Goffin at the Nitto ATP Finals.
“Roger has won five titles from the last nine tournaments he’s played and he can’t wait to come back, step out on Rod Laver Arena again,and begin his title defense,” tournament director Craig Tiley commented. “He loves playing here, loves the Aussie fans, and has said his Australian Open win this year was one of the most meaningful of his career.
Djokovic and Nadal are the next two favorites, followed not too far behind by Murray before a big gap separates those four from the likes of Wawrinka, Zverev, Dimitrov, and Kyrgios.
Nadal, who finished runner-up to Federer in Melbourne this past year, has won three of the four slams at least twice. The one exception is the Australian Open, where he triumphed in 2009. The Spaniard played only one match last month in London before withdrawing due to a knee injury. Djokovic (a six-time champion) and Murray (who has never won the Aussie Open but has reached the final on five occasions) are obvious question marks. Kyrgios has already played his fair share of late-night Melbourne classics, but never in the latter rounds.
And with so many top contenders to be seeded lower than usual, we could be in for an especially wild ride Down Under. Fasten your seatbelts.
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