Tennis legend Boris Becker has tipped Novak Djokovic to edge Roger Federer and meet Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final. The Big Three are the leading contenders to win the first Grand Slam of the season.
Djokovic was given the unfortunate honour of having 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer placed in his half of the draw.
That means the Serbian could have to beat Federer and Nadal back-to-back to lift the Australian Open trophy.
But first all three players will have to come through a stacked field which is full of potential upsets.
However, Becker has predicted the top two ranked players in the world will make it all the way to next Sunday’s final.
“I still see [Djokovic’s] biggest threat this fortnight as Rafael Nadal, who looked to me to be playing near his best level in the team event earlier this month,” Becker wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“One factor could be that both of them have had almost non-existent off-seasons, due to the late finish of the Davis Cup.
“It seems to me that Rafa handled this by effectively taking his long break in October, the month during which he skipped Asian tournaments and got married.
“That has worked well for him so far. He is so experienced at building himself up to play his highest level just when he needs to, and the same can normally be said of Novak.
“They have learned over the years how to bring themselves to the boil at the big events, which is why I would not be at all surprised to see them contesting the final.”
Becker, who spent a short stint coaching Djokovic, has explained what makes the world No 2 so formidable on the Melbourne hard courts.
“Something struck me when I had my first practice session in Melbourne with Novak Djokovic as part of our time working together as coach and player: he appeared just that little bit taller,” he added.
“Tennis players are superstitious characters who have a feel for where they are, and in Novak’s case you can tell he is instantly comfortable in Australia. He carries himself a little differently.
“It stems from him winning his first Grand Slam event here in 2008 and he has gone on to win six more.
“On two of those occasions, I was fortunate enough to be in his coaching corner.
“There are, of course, technical reasons why he sometimes appears almost unbeatable at this tournament, and a lot of that has to do with the hard court surface on which the Australian Open is played.
“He is an incredible athlete and moves well in any environment, but nowhere does he cover the court better than here in Melbourne.
“The courts are usually slightly grittier than at the US Open, and they offer him the perfect grip on the soles of his feet, certainly more so than on the clay and the grass.
“The bounce of the ball also suits him and this combination plays to his strengths. His biggest gift of all is his return of serve, and nowhere does he show that more than at this tournament.
“We were up in Brisbane for the ATP Cup at the start of the year and I watched one of his first practice sessions — it was already obvious that he was playing extremely well.
“It seems he comes to Australia and just knows he is going to perform — all those positive memories banked serve you well when things get tight in a match.
“His history here also has the opposite effect on opponents. It is pretty easy to get discouraged when you are playing someone you know is a seven-times champion.
“Novak plays the last match of Monday against my compatriot, Jan-Lennard Struff. I suppose if there is any concern for the defending champion it is that he has already played an unusual amount of high-stress tennis in winning the ATP Cup. It is just possible he may have peaked this month.”