For the majority of die hard tennis fans, December brings with it a month of relief from the otherwise relentless schedule of the ATP and WTA tours.
For those of us who don't want a break... well... let's just say it involves a lot of match replays, hilarious interview compilations and deep discussions about the ever-changing potential of the 'next-gen'.
Safe to say, this is a time of reflection on the season past, and for speculation about what the next 11 months might hold for our sport.
So strap in, here are 5 things I am looking forward to this season...
1. Jannik Sinner
After putting on a spectacle at the ATP Next Gen Finals under his home crowd in Milan, will Sinner carry this momentum through to the 2020 season, following in the footsteps of former Next Gen star Stefanos Tsitsipas? Claiming some rather impressive scalps towards the back-end of 2019, in the form of no. 18 ranked Alex de Minaur in Milan and no. 13 ranked Gael Monfils in Antwerp. Let's hope the young 18-year old can find this form earlier in the season and push into the latter stages of some bigger tournaments. Sinner has an explosive showman-like style suiting him to the formats of the Next Gen Finals raising questions around his ability to go deep in the exhausting lengthy formats of the Grand Slams. I guess we will have to wait and see if his game has been developed for this during the off season as I am sure that Ricardo Piatti, his coach, has been working on this with him in training.
My Player Prediction
Sinner will have a steady season, ending the season at mid 30's in the rankings. He will go deep in the Australian Open, going out at the end of the first week. His best results will come in the indoor swing late in the year as this suits his style of play best. I would imagine that 2020 will hold 2 title wins for Sinner, at 250 and 500 level. Whatever the outcome, however, Sinner's gamestyle really is a spectacle and I'm looking forward to watching his tennis in 2020.
2. ATP Cup
Undoubtedly one of the standout alterations to the 2020 season is the addition of ATP cup, a new international event featuring 24 teams competing in a round-robin format in 6-groups in the lead up to the Australian Open. Taking place in 3 Australian cities, this event promises to bring the best elements of the ATP Finals and Davis Cup to form a men's SuperCup style competition with an exciting patriotic crowd atmosphere and a competitive group format.
My Tournament Prediction
There are a high number of top-quality teams competing in January, however following their performance throughout the reformed Davis Cup Finals in 2019, I would be crazy not to put my money on Spain winning the first iteration of this new competition.
As for the success of the competition itself, if the ATP manage to avoid the issues that plagued the 2019 Davis Cup Finals, and have a smooth run in January, the idea behind the competition and its format, assuming it is successfully implemented, promise 10 days of drama, stories and brilliant showdowns, with match-ups that will rarely be seen elsewhere in the season.
3. Bianca Andreescu
Having lost only 7 matches of 55 in 2019, the 19-year old Canadian is one of the most exciting players of 2020. Andreescu is the embodiment of competitive spirit; employing huge variation in her play, combined with easy access to power when it is required, the only limitation on her success is seemingly the ongoing knee injury that was a contributor in almost all of those 7 match losses. If this injury holds out, there is no telling what Canada's best ever female tennis player could achieve at all levels of the game.
My Player Prediction
Because of the injury, this prediction will have to be given two edges. If the injury holds out, and Andreescu is able to perform at a level representative of her talent then I would predict her to win Winbledon and the US open as well as a couple of Premier Mandatory tournaments, namely BNP Paribas in Indian Wells, Rogers Cup in Montreal and China Open in Beijing. Assuming the injury doesn't hinder her performance, I also envision Andreescu winning the WTA finals, or at the least, making it out of the group stages.
If the injury does prove a problem then 2020 may be a difficult year for Bianca and carry many similarities with her performance at the end of 2019 where she lost 3 consecutive matches. On the face of it, this doesn't seem bad but in comparison to her outstanding statistics of the rest of the year, it clearly shows how much this injury can affect her.
4. ATP Finals London Finale
In 2020 the ATP Finals will be hosted at the O2 in London for the very last time. It is common knowledge amongst the tennis community that despite its place in the calendar, the last 11 years have been hugely successful, attracting record audiences both online, through social media and in actual attendance. With the 12th and final edition in London in November 2020, the stage is set to be the most successful and impressive rendition to date. And as such, it would be a crime to leave it off of my top 5 of the 2020 season.
My Tournament Prediction
As the finals end the season, this prediction is nigh on impossible to make, however based purely off of my instincts, I have a suspicion that Dominic Thiem's fruitful partnership with Nicolás Massú will sustain the test of time and Thiem's form will carry into 2020. If he can find form similar to that which he produced in his round robin match against Novak Djokovic at the 2019 finals, then I suspect he is in with a good chance of winning next year's competition and capping off this spectacular event.
5. Cori (Coco) Gauff
One of the most ground-breaking stories of the 2019 season was that of 15 year-old Cori Gauff, who astoundingly made it through to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. She also won her maiden WTA title in Linz beating top-seed Kiki Bertens. Lesser known to many casual fans is her subsequent success in doubles, having won 2 titles alongside her fellow countrywoman Catherine (Caty) Mcnally. At the age of 15 these results would be unprecedented, if it wasn't for the obvious talent and mental determination and maturity that Gauff showed last season. 2020 should be a big year for this promising young star and I cannot wait to see her step foot on court and continue to dazzle us with results.
My Player Prediction
I wouldn't be surprised if Gauff continued her upwards spiral winning another WTA tournament and being a consistent feature at the hard court slams, featuring in the second week. I would expect a similar result to 2019 at Wimbledon, however in general Gauff has the potential to reach the top 40 in 2020, and I hope she achieves this. Either way, if she at the least maintains her ranking then I would consider that a successful year, because it is so easy for a young player to drop off following a surge in form, just look at Rinaldi, Paszek and Lucic-Baroni.
Everything Else...
These are simply 5 of my highlights for the 2020 season but I am sure that there will be plenty to enjoy, with lots of surprises in store. New tournaments, refinements to existing ones and the last year of the Nitto ATP Finals in London! I hope you'll join me throughout the season, but for now let's sit tight and keep our fingers crossed for the first-iteration of the ATP cup. Hopefully the ATP haven't employed the same app developer as the Davis Cup team!
Until next time,
TheTennisGuy
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