After Winning the US Open, Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open Odds Shorten to 3-1
- Rafael Nadal closed out the year winning the final grand slam and his second on the year
- Looking ahead, Nadal hasn’t won the Australian Open since 2009, but he has the second best odds going into 2020
- If Djokovic is healthy is the 2020 Australian Open his to lose?
What a season for Rafael Nadal. Everyone expected him to win Roland Garros back in May, but he proved that he can still win grand slams on other surfaces as well.
The road was a bit easier for Nadal than usual but he still had a real fight on his hands in the final against Daniil Medvedev. With the win Nadal safely secured his 19th overall grand slam. As we look ahead, Nadal is already tabbed as one of the favorites for the 2020 Australian Open, but should he be so high on the list?
2020 Australian Open Odds
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | +150 |
| Rafael Nadal | +300 |
| Roger Federer | +550 |
| Daniil Medvedev | +1000 |
| Alexander Zverev | +1600 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | +1600 |
| Dominic Thiem | +2500 |
| Juan Martin Del Potro | +2500 |
| Grigor Dimitrov | +3300 |
| Kei Nishikori | +3300 |
*Odds taken 09/10/19
Best Bet of The Big Three
Unsurprisingly, Djokovic leads a jam packed field but Nadal’s placement behind him is a bit of a shock. To place him ahead of his long time rival Roger Federer is misguided.
Yes, Nadal has the clear edge over Federer in terms of head to head matchups as he has won 24 matchups to Federer’s 17 but Nadal hasn’t beaten Federer on a hard court surface since 2014. In fact, Federer was the perceived underdog in their contest during this years Wimbledon. Federer would go on to win in convincing fashion as he ousted Nadal in four sets.
this point is now the main thing separating Federer and Nadal in the Grand Slam title standings.
Federer leads by 1. If Nadal wins this point, he might lead by 1.pic.twitter.com/7zSDcO6wxF
— Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) September 9, 2019
Still, putting your money on Nadal to win the Aussie Open wouldn’t be a bad bet. With just one grand slam separating Nadal from Federer for the all-time lead, his motivation going into the 2020 calendar year will be immense. While Federer and Nadal will be right there in the end, so will Djokovic. Not only is his seven Australian Open titles a men’s tennis record but he also will be looking to defend his 2019 crown.
Del Potro Worth a Look
Outside of the usual three suspects, there are a few names who could make a championship run. Daniil Medvedev has proven that he can hang with anyone and will only improve, but keep an eye out on Juan Martin Del Potro.
2019 was an injury filled season for him. When he isn’t battling injuries however, he is one of the very best players in the world. With Del Potro bringing back +2500 he is a player to take a serious look at.
With Daniil Medvedev looking to take massive strides in 2020 and similar faces such as Federer, Nadal and Del Potro looking to have strong seasons, it will make next year’s Australian Open extremely competitive, but don’t get cute here.
Nadal is great, Medvedev has the look of a future grand slam champion and Federer will look to bounce back from a 2019 season which featured no grand slam titles for the first time since 2016, but Djokovic, if healthy, is the best bet to win the first grand slam of the 2020 season.
Hans Themistode has worked in sports journalism since attending Queens College, and has worked for several newspapers including the BX Times and Canarsie Courier, as well as writing for publications such as Fansided and The Clever. His work has also been featured on Bleacher Report.
