It will be jam-packed first week on the 2019 ATP Tour, with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Stan Wawrinka among a whole host of marquee attractions in action.
Nadal (the top seed) and Murray (unseeded) headline the field at the Brisbane International. The second-ranked Spaniard’s season opener following a first-round bye could come against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is back from various injuries and used a protected ranking to enter the tournament. Murray will kick off his campaign against Australia’s own James Duckworth. One marquee first-rounder is a rematch of the 2018 final, featuring Nick Kyrgios and Ryan Harrison.
Djokovic is joined in a traditionally tough Qatar ExxonMobil Open by Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Karen Khachanov, David Goffin, and Tomas Berdych. Wawrinka and Khachanov have to go head-to-head right off the bat, while Berdych has finally returned to the tour and will get started against Philipp Kohlschreiber.
The Tata Open in Pune, India will once again be overshadowed by Brisbane and Doha, but it at least boasts 2018 Wimbledon runner-up Kevin Anderson–who also finished runner-up at the most recent Pune event. Gilles Simon, who upset Anderson in the final, will begin his title defense against either Hubert Hurkacz or Ilya Ivashka and the veteran Frenchman could run into Anderson in the semis.
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