The build-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2021, has been unlike any other with two weeks of quarantine, a week packed wi...
The build-up to the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2021, has been unlike any other with two weeks of quarantine, a week packed with simultaneous events, a day’s delay due to a coronavirus scare and uncertainty over fitness and form.
But one look at the men’s draw and a sense of familiarly returns. Two-time defending Novak Djokovic is top seed and favourite again followed by the next two – Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem.
Djokovic claimed his 17th Grand Slam in last year’s gripping final, when he fought back to beat Thiem in five. But that final set the tone for the rest of the interrupted season. Thiem broke the hegemony of the Big Three by winning his first Major at the US Open. The next, a delayed French Open, was won by Rafael Nadal to equal the men’s Grand Slam record tally of 20.
The last three champions thus automatically become the players to watch out for.
But as always, there’s hope of a first-time men’s champion. The top 10 seeds are filled with promising players and with form tough to judge due to limited playing opportunities during the pandemic, it gives them a slight edge of surprise. Fourth seed Daniil...
