Players are getting ready for the Australian Open 2024. This week we have qualifying Adelaide and Auckland on the ATP Tour.
You can follow the Australian Open qualifying draw on their official website. We have set up pages for the Adelaide International and the ASB Classic tournaments.
Many of the strongest players in the world are resting from tournament play this week as a part of getting ready for the Australian Open 2024. Some need matches, and many need to play in the qualifying draw. Let’s have a look at some tournament predictions.
Adelaide International Predictions
We have eight top seeds in the Adelaide International:
PAUL, Tommy
JARRY, Nicolas
KORDA, Sebastian
MUSETTI, Lorenzo
BAEZ, Sebastian
ETCHEVERRY, Tomas Martin
LEHECKA, Jiri
BUBLIK, Alexander
I wrote about Tomas Etcheverry’s new racquet and mentioned that he has lost his first two racquets with his new racquet setup. Players I’m personally curious about following are Sebastian Korda, Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, and Tommy Paul. Korda has been hyped up for a long time, but we haven’t seen something spectacular from him in a while.
Jack Draper had an injury-stricken 2023 but started 2024 in style with a demolition of Sebastian Baez 6-1 6-3, so he is in good form, and my prediction is he will win the Adelaide International. He has some holes in his game, but the kind of power tennis he can play is also very convincing when he’s feeling it on the court. If you’re curious about Jack Draper’s racquet.
Tommy Paul had a great 2023 and is the top seed. He recently made a racquet switch to the Yonex VCORE 98, which worked well for him. Can he keep going on the right trajectory in 2024, or is there a ceiling to his game?
I’m always enjoying Lorenzo Musetti’s classy game, but like Denis Shapovalov, sometimes his flashy strokes drive him into the territory of the erratic and there are too many unforced errors from his racquet. We will see if he can play more disciplined and tidy tennis in 2024.
Check out our Adelaide betting page if you want to place a bet on the event.
ASB Classic Predictions
The ASB Classic takes place in Auckland, New Zealand. Let’s have a look at the seeds:
SHELTON, Ben
NORRIE, Cameron
CERUNDOLO, Francisco
AUGER-ALIASSIME, Felix
EUBANKS, Christopher
FILS, Arthur
OFNER, Sebastian
PURCELL, Max
Ben Shelton was the breakout kid of 2023. Now a top 20 player, he has some pressure to shoulder, but the top does have wide shoulders! Shelton switched racquets in 2023 from a VCORE Pro to an Ezone 98. He still seems to be undecided on the best string setup for his game.
How far can Shelton go in 2024? He has clear top-ten potential already this year. He has adjusted his forehand technique a bit to shorten the backswing and give him more time against players like Djokovic, who put constant pressure on him. Shorter swings in a faster game is what the doctor ordered. I think he will win the ASB Classic defeating Arthur Fils in the final.
One player you must wonder about is Auger-Aliassime, who dropped to 29 in the world during 2023. He seems happiest on low-bouncing indoor (or grass) courts. For a while, he was the most hyped-up player in the world. Now, you have no idea about his future. We will see if he can keep it together this season—a big question mark on him for me.
Another Canadian question mark is Denis Shapovalov. He was back from injury at the ASB Classic, but in-form Austrian Sebastian Ofner took him out in straight sets. It was a rough draw for El Shapo, but I’m not convinced he can climb back into the top 20 again. He is currently 116 in the world.
I think one of the strongest potentials in the line-up is Arthur Fils. He started by beating Gasquet and I think he is just going to grow as the season progresses. An exciting player to watch.
