BONUS – First Round Matches of Note

Andy Murray vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas – If this were later in the event, even the 2nd round, I would lean heavily toward Tsitsipas. I think Stefanos advances, but playing the 2012 champion and 2008 runner-up in the first round is a nightmare first round draw. Murray has also reached 5 Australian Open finals on a slightly different hard court surface and won a gold medal on a hard court at Rio 2016. 7 hard court major finals and a US Open and gold medal won on this surface …

Jackson Brooksby vs Mikael Ymer – This is a battle of young players who deserve a lot of watching. I think Ymer wins, but Brooksby is not to be underestimated.

Predicted Semifinals

Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Alexander Zverev (4)

Andrey Rublev (5) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2)

Predicted Winner

Novak Djokovic somehow gets it done. I think the pressure is going to build with each round. His health is not a given from round to round. I also think Zverev has momentum since Tokyo and Cincinnati may make him quite dangerous. Still, Novak won the Nole Slam in 2016 despite losing to Murray shortly before Roland Garros and losing the first set of the final.