Australian Open 2019: 5 players who can win the men's singles title this year
The first Grand Slam of the year has begun and so far, there have been very few upsets. The biggest shock was caused by 20-year-old Frances Tiafoe, who defeated 5th seed Kevin Anderson.
Before the third round of the Australian Open begins, let's have a look at the players who have the best chance of winning the Australian Open this year
Roger Federer
Having won the Australian Open for two consecutive years now, Federer is looking to make it three in a row by winning the title this year.
The Swiss master is looking in fine touch and appears to face no serious threats in his draw until the semis, where he might meet Rafael Nadal. If Federer reaches the second week, it would be very difficult to beat him as he frequently comes out as a winner in pressure situations.
Although Federer's age might seem to be a deterrent to his game, we can easily place our bets on the 20-time Grand Slam champion to win this year. Federer himself has said that he is feeling fresh and that he is able to move freely and quickly during the matches without any niggles or injury scares.
Novak Djokovic
The current World No. 1 has had a great run in 2018, winning two Grand Slams. At the start of the Australian Open, Federer mentioned that although he won the Australian Open in the last two years, Djokovic is the favorite to win it this year.
The hunger and the passion of the Serb were evident after he reacted to his first round win with a huge roar. It won't be a surprise if we see Djokovic lifting the cup this year and continue his form into 2019.
Rafael Nadal
Unlike Wimbledon, where Nadal often bows out during the first week itself, at the Australian Open he often goes deep into the second week of the tournament. During 2017, which was a resurgence year for both Federer and Nadal, Federer went on to win the Australian Open whereas the Spaniard finished as the runner-up.
In 2018 too, Nadal had a great run at the Australian Open until he retired in the quarterfinals owing to an injury.
Hence it would be a grave mistake for Nadal's opponents to take him lightly. The former World No. 1 had also claimed at the start of the tournament that he is fully fit and raring to go.
Widely known as the player who never gives up, Nadal cannot be ruled out from the favorites list as he definitely has the potential to win the title.
Dominic Thiem
Often forgotten by tennis veterans and commentators alike, Dominic Thiem can be regarded as the dark horse in the title contenders list.
Although Alexander 'Sascha' Zverev is touted to be the brightest Next-Gen tennis star, it is Thiem who is consistently performing at the Grand slams. We cannot deny or overlook the ability of the Austrian to win pressure games and his power game too is improving with each passing day.
Thiem was the runner-up at last year's French Open and had a good run at the 2017 US Open - one of the hard-court Slams along with the Australian Open -until he was defeated by Nadal in a neck-to-neck contest.
If the Next-Gen players have any chances of winning the Australian Open this year, Thiem is the front-runner among them for sure.
Milos Raonic
Although Raonic's chances of winning the title are minuscule, tennis fans must keep an eye on his progress at the tournament this year.
The Canadian handed a crusshing defeat to Nick Kyrgios in their first round match at the Australian Open with his rocket speed serves.
We cannot rule out his chances of winning the title at this juncture as the Canadian is looking promising. A semi-final spot would be deserving for him if he continues to play the further rounds in the way he played his match with Kyrgios.
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