{"id":45321,"date":"2022-01-16T14:36:13","date_gmt":"2022-01-16T19:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=45321"},"modified":"2022-01-16T14:36:13","modified_gmt":"2022-01-16T19:36:13","slug":"2022-australian-open-mens-singles-roundtable-predictions-champion-dark-horse-early-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2022\/01\/16\/2022-australian-open-mens-singles-roundtable-predictions-champion-dark-horse-early-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 Australian Open Men\u2019s Singles Roundtable Predictions: Champion, Dark Horse, and Early Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ahead of the first Grand Slam of 2022, four\u00a0Last Word on Tennis writers–Vithun Illankovan (@VitIllankovan<\/a>), Damian Kust (@damiankust<\/a>), Fraser Learmonth, Andy Watson–made their Australian Open predictions for the Men\u2019s Singles tournament. We also have a separate roundtable for the Women\u2019s singles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Australian Open Men\u2019s Singles Roundtable Predictions<\/h2>\n

Champion\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Who will win the US Open?<\/em><\/h4>\n

Vithun<\/em>: (11) Jannik Sinner [ITA]<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Novak Djokovic was playing in the tournament, I would’ve picked him as my winner–not out of confidence, but because it would be a safer option than having to guess the surprise winner which I believe is what we will get. Many of the main contenders do not have good omens on their side. No man has won their second Grand Slam straight after winning their first so I ruled out 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. Alexander Zverev is 0-11 against Top 10 players in Grand Slams and it is unlikely he will be able to go through the whole tournament without facing one. Rafael Nadal’s only Australian Open was in 2009, which was 13 years ago–the men’s record longest gap between winning the same Grand Slam title is eight years. Stefanos Tsitipas still isn’t that reliable on hard courts and also has injury concerns surrounding him. Matteo Berrettini seems due an exit before the quarter-finals as he only won one of his three matches at the ATP Cup and does not seem of the calibre to make four consecutive Grand Slam quarter-finals. Next in the bookmaker’s odds to win is Berrettini’s compatriot Jannik Sinner. The young Italian won all three of his ATP Cup matches in straight sets and after some impressive performances as an alternate at the ATP Finals last year, I believe he is primed for a surprise Grand Slam win at this year’s Australian Open.<\/p>\n

Damian: <\/em>(3) Alexander Zverev [GER]<\/strong><\/p>\n

I initially picked Daniil Medvedev to follow up on his US Open success, mostly as Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic were placed in the same half of the draw. Now that this concern is gone and two favorites remain, let me choose the one that\u2019s slightly bolder (still, not really). The German is yet to win a match against a top 10 player in the best-of-five format, but I can\u2019t really believe it\u2019s going to persist. The physical toll is obviously not the issue, so it\u2019s just a matter of mentality. His draw, even with Djokovic out, is still a tad tougher than Medvedev\u2019s. His time is gonna come though and it should be sooner rather than later. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fraser: <\/em>(9) Felix Auger-Alliasime [CAN]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic was always going to be my pick here. However, with the Serbian out of the tournament<\/a> I\u2019ll have to find a new pick. I\u2019m going to go with Felix Auger-Alliasime. The young Canadian is a top ten player with all the qualities needed to win multiple ATP titles and Grand Slams. All he has been missing in the last 12 months is the mental fortitude to go out and do that. He looks determined to change that so far this year. With the field wide open in Melbourne this could be FAA\u2019s chance to nab his first title and Grand Slam in one go.<\/p>\n

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