Top-10 Australian Open Hopefuls
With the 2013 season nearly at an end, the thoughts of fans betting at betfair.com will now turn towards next season and the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne in the Australian Open, where Novak Djokovic will defend his title.
Novak Djokovic: The 2013 Australian Open champion beat Murray in the Melbourne final last year and will be confident of making it a fourth consecutive Australian Open title. Moreover, while Rafael Nadal might have overshadowed the Serbian star this year, he is still a very decent bet to win in Melbourne next year.
Rafael Nadal: Alongside his domination on clay, Nadal’s stunning form throughout the year has proven that he is back and ready to reclaim his place as the sports’ dominant force.
Juan Martin del Potro: Del Potro has struggled again with injury this year but will still head into the Australian Open as one to watch. The Argentine has the potential to beat anybody on his day and he could be a dark horse for the title in the Betfair odds.
Roger Federer: There is a growing feeling that we may never see Federer win another major, but the 14-time grand slam winner will still be right up there with the bookies.
Andy Murray: The three-time beaten finalist is facing a race against time to make the Australian Open after ending 2013 early due to his back injury, but if the Scot is fit then he will be right up there in contention.
David Ferrer: Two-time semi-finalist, Ferrer, will begin 2014 on the back of a sensational year. The Spaniard climbed up to third in the rankings after a great season and he will be looking to build on his successful 2013.
Tomas Berdych: The Czech star is another player capable of beating anybody on his day, but the world number seven has never been past the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: The Frenchman had a strong start to 2013 but failed to maintain his form throughout the second half of the season, and the 2008 finalist will be looking to get 2014 off to a strong start in Australia.
Stanislas Wawrinka: It might finally be time for Wawrinka to replace Federer as Switzerland’s number one player, and the 28-year old knows a strong start to the new year will only help him in that quest.
Richard Gasquet: The Frenchman has returned to the top-10 this year after a sensational second half of the season. The 27-year old reached the semi-finals of the US Open and proved to Betfair punters that he is still one of the best in the world on his day.
