The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Opinion

Five tennis matchups we're hoping for in 2020

Roar Pro
30th December, 2019
Advertisement
Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
Roar Pro
30th December, 2019
0

With the 2020 tennis season almost upon us, there are so many tournaments to look forward to and so many matches to play out.

Here, I’ve put together five matches I’d love to see come to fruition during the year. To be honest, I could’ve listed ten or 20, but here are my top five.

Andy Murray versus anyone at Wimbledon
Although Andy Murray’s return in Australia has been put on ice, his comeback from seemingly certain retirement has been nothing short of miraculous. To see Sir Andrew back on Centre Court at the scene of his greatest triumph would be enough to lift the spirits of the whole UK population.

Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open
We always want one more. To see these greats of the game compete against each other is always a privilege, and while we were spoiled for many years, their meetings have become less regular. To see them compete deep into another Slam would not only keep the younger generation at bay again, but would guarantee a prime time box office hit.

Nick Kyrgios versus Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open
There is no love lost between these two. Kyrgios has taken a few swipes at Djokovic over recent times regarding, as Kyrgios puts it, ‘he has a sick obsession with wanting to be liked’, and ‘the whole celebration thing…it’s like, so cringeworthy’.

To Djokovic’s credit, he has never really taken the bait on those comments, but you feel as though he would love to do his talking on the court. Would there be a better place than Rod Laver Arena in a Round 3 or 4 match up?

Ash Barty versus Serena Williams at Wimbledon
The new queen of the sport, versus the old guard. Before Barty won the French Open last year, it was widely considered that Wimbledon would be her most likely chance at winning a Grand Slam.

Ash Barty during Wimbledon 2019

(Photo by Shi Tang/Getty Images)

Advertisement

While that didn’t eventuate, even Barty still considers grass as her favourite surface. Williams is still trying to catch Margaret Court’s Grand Slam singles record.

She has lost the last four Slam finals she’s played in, and you get the feeling, if it was a Barty versus Williams final at Wimbledon, both players would have a lot to prove to not just themselves, but the whole tennis world.

Kim Clijsters versus Serena Williams at the US Open
The return of Kim Clijsters is one of the most exciting storylines to look forward to in 2020. The former world number one was hoping to return to the circuit in January, but this has been delayed for a couple of months.

While most wouldn’t expect huge things from her this year, the hope would be that by US Open time Clijsters will have some matches under her belt, and will be hitting some form. The US Open has been won by Williams six times.

But Clijsters has had her best results in New York, winning the title three times. What better stage to renew an old rivalry that goes back nearly 20 years?

Rafael Nadal versus Dominic Thiem at the French Open
These two have battled out the last couple of French Open finals, and while Nadal has been too good on those occasions, there were signs last year that Thiem was starting to find a way through the Nadal wall.

I expect Nadal to again make it through to the final, and if Thiem can navigate his way back to the last Sunday, I think we might bear witness to a classic match.

Advertisement

This is just a small snapshot of what may come in the new year. If you have any more matches you’re looking forward to, please post them in the comments.

close