Paul Annacone and Lindsay Davenport both have pleasant memories of the Australian Open from their playing days. Annacone, a former coach of Roger Federer’s, won the men’s double event in 1985, while Davenport won the women’s singles title in 2000.
Davenport of course has also been a World No. 1, with many more outstanding accomplishments in both singles and doubles to her name.
During a recent talk show on Tennis Channel, Annacone revealed that he ranks only Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer higher than Rafael Nadal on hardcourt. According to the American, Nadal is the favorite to win the title this year after the Serb.
Roger Federer is, of course, not taking part in this year’s Australian Open. That undoubtedly boosts Nadal’s chances, but it is interesting to note that Annacone rates Rafael Nadal higher than Dominic Thiem on hardcourt.
The 57-year-old then explained why he thinks Rafael Nadal has won only one Australian Open title (2009) in his career. Annacone has given this matter a fair bit of thought in the past, and he believes that match practice - or the lack of it - is a big issue for Nadal at the start of the year.
According to the American, Rafael Nadal thrives with matches under his belt - which he normally has plenty of before the US Open. On the other hand, the Australian Open usually comes after a long break for the Spaniard.
It’s been tough for Rafael Nadal to solve the Novak Djokovic puzzle in Australian conditions: Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Davenport believes that the conditions in Australia could have a say in how well Rafael Nadal fares at the opening Slam of the year.
According to the former champion, Rafael Nadal usually becomes a spent force by the time he reaches the final in Melbourne. As such, a superior hardcourt player like Novak Djokovic has little to no difficulty in beating him.
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