Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka are out to defend their Australian Open titles in Melbourne this month.
Last year, Djokovic was crowned the competition’s most successful ever player after sweeping aside Rafael Nadal in the final to move one ahead of Roy Emerson with seven championships Down Under.
Nadal’s victories at the French and US Opens however saw him finish 2019 as the no.1 player on the planet for the fifth time in his career with the two ready to continue their battle at the summit of men’s tennis in 2020.
There will be no Andy Murray this month with the Briton continuing his recovery from a pelvic problem.
Osaka, one of the sport’s biggest breakout stars over the last 18 months, followed up her 2018 US Open success by winning this competition last year.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams, the winner of seven titles Down Under, is looking to win her 24th career major to draw level with Margaret Court’s all-time record.
Great Britain‘s Johanna Konta has achieved some of her career-best wins in Australia with semi-final and quarter-final finishes in 2016 2017 respectively. However, two consecutive second round eliminations means there is work to be done.
Scroll down for Standard Sport’s comprehensive preview of the tournament…
Date and start time
This year’s competition officially begins on Monday 20 January. The women’s final will take place on Saturday 1 February with the men’s final to follow on Sunday 2 February.
TV online and live stream coverage
The 2020 Australian Open will be available to watch on Eurosport and the Eurosport Player for UK viewers. A monthly Eurosport pass will set you back £6:99.
The Eurosport Player channel is also available through Amazon Prime also priced at £6:99-per month – with a seven day free trial available.
You will also be able to follow all the action with Standard Sport’s live blogs throughout the tournament.
Prediction
Competition changes
In last year’s competition, the Australian Open had final-set tiebreakers for men's matches that reached a fifth set and women's matches that went to a third set.
The change eliminated the possibility of never-ending final sets.
Due to the raging wildfires that have swept across the country, tournament organisers are also considering the possibility of matches being played indoors in the case of severe smoke conditions.
“We have three roofed-stadiums and eight indoor courts at Melbourne Park,” Australian Open organisers wrote on their Twitter handle in response to a question by a user.
“In the unlikely case of extreme smoke conditions, the roofs will be closed on the three stadium courts and play will continue in their air-conditioned and air-filtered environment.”
Betting odds (via Betfair Exchange) | UK customers only
Men's singles winner
- Noval Djokovic: 7/4
- Ragael Nadal: 4/1
- Daniil Medvedev: 9/1
- Stefanos Tsitsipas: 11/1
- Roger Federer: 13/1
- Dominic Thiem: 17/1
- Nick Kyrgios: 35/1
- Alexander Zverev: 49/1
Women's singles winner
- Serena Williams: 11/2
- Naomi Osaka: 15/2
- Ashleigh Bartey: 8/1
- Simona Halep: 10/1
- Karolina Pliskova: 13/1
- Bianca Andreescu: 14/1
- Aryna Sabalenka: 19/1
- Elina Svitolina: 27/1
Australian Open prize money
The total purse at the Australian Open will be a record 71 million Australian dollars, an increase of 13.6% from last year's tournament. The singles champion will take home $4,120,000, while the runner-up will receive $2,065,000.
Prize money is equal for the male and female winners.
What happened last year?
Novak Djokovic won his seventh Australian Open title beating Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Noami Osaka meanwhile off Petra Kvitova, clinching a 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
