'Novak Djokovic is the favorite, Australian Open is made for him,' says Justine Henin

The Australian Open starts on February 8, and Justine Henin has no doubts about the men's draw favorite. The Belgian picks Novak Djokovic as the player to beat in Melbourne, saying the Australian Open is made for him and his game. Henin mentioned Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev as his main rivals, although she still puts Novak in front. Djokovic claimed the first Melbourne title in 2008 at 20 and conquered seven more in the previous decade for complete domination. In 2019, Novak toppled Rafael Nadal in the title match and went all the way a year ago following a challenging triumph over Dominic Thiem in five sets. Novak struggled in the third set and recovered in the early stages of the fourth to get back on the positive side and score a 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 triumph, adding the 17th Major trophy to his tally and moving closer to Federer and Nadal.

Justine Henin backs Novak Djokovic to defend the Australian Open title.

Djokovic won ten points more than Thiem, forced more Dominic's errors and hit fewer unforced mistakes, although all the numbers were mighty close in a tight four-hour battle. Nothing could separate two great rivals in the mid-range exchanges, while the Serb had a slim advantage in the shortest and most advanced rallies to forge the triumph. It is the last Major crown for Djokovic so far, earning a default at the US Open and losing the Roland Garros final to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. Novak is eager to make the strongest start of the season, just like in 2020 when he didn't lose a match before September. The Serb starts the action against Denis Shapovalov at the ATP Cup, hoping to defend the title and gather a boost ahead of the season's first Major at Melbourne Park.

"The men's Australian Open draw is easier to predict and has a more obvious favorite; that's Novak Djokovic. The Australian Open is made for him. This year's situation is different, but after what happened at the US Open and Roland Garros, Novak will want to show again that he is the boss. We always have to rely on Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, who is now a Major champion, and I also like Daniil Medvedev a lot," Justine Henin added.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2YsbBN7