The 2019 tennis season is almost over. We know who shined, who retired, and who would like to forget this season. Fortunately, when something ends, something starts. And so comes the time to try some magic and predict what will the 2020 tennis season bring. Enjoy our bold tennis predictions 2020.
Look back at 2019
As always, we start with a look back to the year 2019. How good were our bold predictions 2019? Frankly, the one-word answer will be “not great, not terrible”. But I believe that a lot of people would call them “poor”.
What did we guess correctly? Two Grand Slam Winners.
We expected Novak Djokovic to be the star of the 2019 season. And he was a star. Novak won two Grand Slams (Australian Open and Wimbledon), both of them we predicted. Unfortunately, he did not win the US Open, as we also expected. We also hoped he would win at least 5 ATP tournaments in 2019, and he won precisely 5 of them (Australian Open, Madrid, Wimbledon, Tokyo, Paris). Yes, we celebrate this pick the most.
At what were we close? Three Grand Slam Winners
Three Grand Slam picks were close. Karolina Pliskova lost in Melbourne in semifinals, Dominic Thiem lost in Paris final with Nadal, and Serena Williams lost in final of US Open. These three picks were not far away from reality. Though, only wins count.
What did we miss totally? Three Grand Slam Winners and One Farewell
The rest of our picks were wrong. We did not get any Ladies Singles winner right (though two of them were really close). However, that is not a big surprise, with so many ladies being able to win any WTA tournament. We were also wrong with our call for Federer retirement. This guy is still overcoming our expectations. Wimbledon final and ATP Finals match against Djokovic will be remembered forever. Though, it will not stop us in predicting his farewell again.
Bold Tennis Predictions 2020
We will do our best to be more right in our 2020 tennis predictions than we were a year ago. However, it still needs some magic. There are even more and more players able to compete for trophies at big tournaments. And it is not just about WTA. Also, in ATP, we see a lot of new names and faces with ambitions and qualities to fulfill those ambitions.
Grand Slam Winners 2020 Predictions
We know we will disappoint you. And many of you will call these tennis predictions boring instead of bold. But we believe in them and still see the gap between the old grand trio (Rafa, Roger, Novak) and the rest of the players.
Australian Open 2020 Predictions
First Grand Slam of the season is played in Melbourne, starting a week later (01/20/2020) than usual. All players (older ones included) are rested and full of desire to win something. There will be one major topic discussed regarding men singles. No, the “NextGen” thing is forgotten. Thiem is over 25, and Zverev did not fulfill expectations last season. Now everybody will talk about Daniil Medvedev. Is he the one who can break into the “three men” zone? Can he beat Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer? Our answer is clear. His time will come, but not in February 2020. Novak Djokovic will be again the winner of the Australian Open. Barring an unexpected injury, he will be prepared to beat anyone. Ladies singles are always tough to predict. Osaka, Andreescu, Barty, Pliskova, Halep, Kvitova, or Serena? And you can name another five to ten players who are not chanceless to win any given Grand Slam. We expect that home court will make Barty the most prominent contender, but fan support and pressure can be tricky. So let us repeat last year’s predictions. Karolina Pliskova is our pick. She made significant progress last year with Conchita Martinez in coach position. Pliskova finished second in WTA ranking but was far from being satisfied. Coach change surprised many, but we believe she did it with a purpose. And that will lead to at least one Grand Slam win in 2020.
| Australian Open 2020 | Men Singles Winner | Ladies Singles Winner |
|---|---|---|
| TennisProGuru Predictions | Djokovic | Pliskova Karolina |
| Result | Djokovic | Kenin |
French Open 2020 Predictions
Rafa Nadal or Dominic Thiem? They are the best clay tennis players of the past and present season. It is not hard to pick finalists, but it is hard to pick an outright winner. We like to be bold and rely on Nadal aging and diminishing health. We are not far from the finish of his era. Dominic Thiem was in Roland Garros final two times in a row, and we fully expect he is close to winning it. This year or never. Ashleigh Barty, the last year French Open winner, was a real surprise for all including herself. History will not repeat. Simone Halep is a solid clay player with a lot to prove. We did not hesitate much to pick her as the French Open 2020 winner.
| French Open 2020 | Men Singles Winner | Ladies Singles Winner |
|---|---|---|
| TennisProGuru Predictions | Thiem | Halep |
| Result | Nadal | Swiatek |
Wimbledon 2020 Predictions
The grass is so specific surface for players and fans. You need a lot of experience to make a good result at any grass tournament. Therefore we look for usual suspects in Wimbledon. Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and maybe Murray or Kevin Anderson. We want to be bold, but instead, we pick Djokovic again. We know it is boring to repeat last season predictions, but we do not see a better candidate for Wimbledon trophy. Sorry for that, Novak Djokovic will retain the title. We like to predict Wimbledon Ladies Singles because we like Petra Kvitova. Wimbledon is her favorite tournament and just the injury can break her (and our) dreams to win it for the third time. Petra, good luck to you in London.
| Wimbledon 2020 | Men Singles Winner | Ladies Singles Winner |
|---|---|---|
| TennisProGuru Predictions | Djokovic | Kvitova |
| Result | canceled 🙁 | canceled 🙁 |
US Open 2020 Predictions
Last Grand Slam of the season is hard to guess as it is too far away from now. But we try to do our best. The old grand trio will be too tired after the long season (with Olympics in August), and we see a youth can have a chance. And who can we pick from the so-called “NextGen”? Yes, you are right. Daniil Medvedev will win US Open 2020. US Open Ladies singles tournament is usually very rewarding to young emerging stars. The last three winners were Stephens, Osaka, and Andreescu. Though we still believe in Serena’s potential. She will not be younger next September, and two weeks long tournament is not ideal for her. That is the reason we will pick another rising star. Sofia Kenin will live her greatest moment of career yet.
| US Open 2020 | Men Singles Winner | Ladies Singles Winner |
|---|---|---|
| TennisProGuru Predictions | Medvedev | Kenin |
| Result | Thiem | Osaka |
Other remarkable (and bold) tennis predictions 2020
This section could be renamed to “when does Roger Federer finish his career?”. Yes, we are here again to call 2020 the last season in Federer’s career. He is one year older, he has problems to win bigger tournaments (just one ATP 1000 last year win out of three his tournament wins), and he wants to be more with his family. Yes, we are calling it. Roger Federer will say good-bye to the tennis world in 2020.
Olympic tournament predictions
Upcoming season 2020 will be special thanks to Olympic Games that take place in Tokyo, Japan, from July 24 till August 9. The tennis tournament will be played from Saturday, 25th July till Sunday, 2nd August.
It is unknown yet who exactly will be playing, as the nomination depends on ITF and participation in Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches in past seasons. That would rule out Roger Federer barring any exemptions. The main favorites are usual suspects as Djokovic and Nadal among men and all top 30 WTA players among ladies. I want to highlight two names with extra motivation in Japan. Kei Nishikori and Naomi Osaka will be frontrunners in front of home fans. However, to make winners pick, I would go with Novak Djokovic (winner of ATP Tokyo tournament in 2019) and Naomi Osaka.
| Olympic Games 2020 | Men Singles Winner | Ladies Singles Winner |
|---|---|---|
| TennisProGuru Predictions | Djokovic | Osaka |
| Result | canceled 🙁 | canceled 🙁 |
Check who our readers see as the winner of Olympics 2020
If you are interested in daily tennis predictions and picks from independently verified tipsters, click here. 
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AUSTRALIAN OPEN
I agree that Djokovic likely has the best chance of winning the AO but he had proven to be very vulnerable to the younger guys like Thiem, Zverev, Medvedev, and Tsitsipas. If he runs into more than one of these guys in the QF or SF stages, it could give him trouble. And as these guys continue to improve and figure out Djokovic’s game, he will not be as dominant as he once was. Pliskova needs to drastically improve her movements and mental toughness before she can become a GS champion.
My picks: Djokovic and Osaka
FRENCH OPEN
Again, Nadal cannot be counted out for the French if he is healthy.
My picks: Nadal and Halep
WIMBLEDON
As long as Roger is healthy, he will continue to play and continue to be a contender. He was two MPs away from winning the title in 2019. And as shown in the ATP finals ,at home against Djokovic, he still plays the style of tennis that few can match. Kvitova has had a strong comeback but she is no longer at her peak as she is too vulnerable against too many of the top 10 players.
My picks: Federer and Halep
US OPEN
I agree with the Medvedev pick but don’t understand the Kenin pick.
My picks: Medvedev and Serena
Thanks for your picks and very good reasoning.
Just to add a lit bit color to my US Open 2020 pick Sophie Kenin. The last three Ladies Singles at US Open 2019 were won by Stephens, Osaka, and Andreescu. All three were young and widely expected to win it. That gives me the idea that the US Open is suitable for young players who are still full of power at the beginning of September, so I was looking for a young player from the top 30 who has skills to win at hard courts. Kenin won three tournaments in 2019 (Hobart, Mallorca, Guangzhou) and she can see another breakthrough year at bigger tournaments.
I do understand the Kenin pick, but I feel that Paris is the tournament where she can make her move. She already beat Williams over there, remember ?! I can’t see Halep win another Slam, with that ongoing back injury diminishing her service and attacking capacities. On hardcourt Osaka and Andreescu are my favorites. Serena can come close but she played some weird matches the other year. Maybe Wimbledon ?!
Serena still plays outstanding tennis, but I doubt she will ever win Grand Slam again. I already wrote it, in her age, it is really hard to play at a
superb level for two weeks in a row. That is the reason she lost the last two US Open finals.
I am curious if Andreescu can keep high standard she set last season or did we see some kind of downfall (Like Osaka during spring and summer 2019)
I really like your devotion and your passion but I modestly think you are wrong about Rafael Nadal, no we are not near the end of his era and his halftone clay season happened only because of a bad physical preparation due to a small and annoying injury in Indian Wells that came after his AO 2019 run (remember that doctors didn’t advised Nadal to play on AO 2019), still despite all of that, he managed to be on the last square of each clay tournament and then won Roma and French Open, again.
To me personally, Nadal really plays a solid and huge level of tennis and right now he is almost impossible to beat in a 5 sets match ! his game is less and less physically demanding ! his serve is in big progress (he’s now one of the best servers of the game and still improving) and he plays better and better each year on hard courts and finally knows how to reduce his exchanges, his backhand is really big nowadays too and he shots way harder than in the previous years.
Where am I going with all these arguments ? well, I believe Nadal still have a large rate of progression and can add new things on his game which is not the case of Fed or Nole who both draw on their last physical resources to maintain their dominance, they have both psychological deficencies against the young players as well, and not Nadal ! that’s something you need to consider very seriously. Plus Nadal may have a more fragile body than both of them but we all now it, he can still manage to injure himself multiple times again, he will still come back at his best level, that’s what he do since 15 years now.
And I notice the fact that you didn’t counted another serious option as well, we always talk about Nadal’s body issues but what if Federer or Djokovic (which is more likely to happen given his increasingly defense and physical game right now) gets injured ? I highly doubt he have the capacity to reach the dominance we know he can be able to produce, he’s 32 and plays like Nadal played when he was 25, that’s absolutely disastreous for his body. After Cincinnati, Novak was just out, he only showed a solid and consistent level on Paris Masters, that’s it. I really believe that Novak’s body will be an issue for him in 2020, maybe Nadal too but Nadal knows how to play when he’s diminished, not Novak. Maybe Novak won 2 slams this year (even if he got REALLY lucky on his AO’s road) but it is the tree that hides the forest, Novak has BIG physical shortcomings, he can not continue to play his best level when he multiply long matches, it’s over. (And again, comparing to the other two, Nadal can show way more resilience when he’s tired).
Also, look at Nadal’s statistics on hard season this year, it’s huge. He simply just won all the hard tournaments he played when he was healthy (Rogers Cup, US Open, etc), he only lost in Indian Wells because he was injured (which provocked his losses on clay before Roma). He played two AO finals in 3 years as well, it’s a big statement for me. To me he is a serious option for 2020’s edition, he is my favorite along with Novak, will depend of the draw.
But one thing is for sure : Nadal is only one grand slam away to equal Federer’s grand slam record, he will never ever let a loss at the French Open spoils his biggest chance of at least, equaling the Swiss, that is just not possible. He’s the biggest fighter in the history of this sport, I just can’t consider that he will loose at next year’s French Open, it’s too important and historic for him ! and at this point I don’t even believe it will depend of Thiem’s level but on most of all on Nadal’s ability to not be frightened by the magnitude of the event
I believe Nadal still have at least one French Open inside him, I don’t see Thiem beat him at all, even when the spaniard had a hard time during this clay season, he managed to win. Maybe Thiem can cause more problems in the future but in a 5 sets contest in French Open, no one can beat Nadal right now at the time I write this comment. I believe there is a big shade between the matchs that are won in 2 sets and matchs that are won in 3 (grand slams), and that’s a fact : Nadal IS to this day the hardest player you can face on a grand slam match. It’s Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Thiem, Schwartzman, Berretini, Djokovic and even Federer who said it, not me in particular. Nadal on grand slams is probably the tuffest guy you can meet because he is the ultimate competitor and as I said : 2020 will be VERY important for him (for Federer too) and tennis history in general.
My opinion is : I think 2020 will be a pretty similar year to 2019 but it will be the last year totally dominated by the big 3. My personnal predictions are Nadal and Djokovic sharing the 4 slams (2 each) OR maybe a surprise at the US Open but that’s it despite way more adversity (the young guys will not have any complex anymore). And to me, Federer will not retire in 2020 but it will be his last complete season, I can see him retire peacefully in Basel 2021, at 40 years old and at home.
God bless tennis
Ok you’re just going to be wrong. Nadal will get at least one slam! It’s such a big year for him and he ended number 1 this year. The past 3 years he’s been the most dominant of the big 3! Theim needs a masters 1000 on clay first. There is a very strong correlation with winning clay masters 1000s before winning the French. Joker will for sure get a hard slam as well, probably Aus or Us. Medvedev has a stong chance at both hard slams as well. And I see a big hitter or Nadal getting Wimbledon if Fed and Jok don’t. Tsasipas and Theim could also make a few slam finals.
And I don’t really watch the ladies but Helap for the French and Serena is probably donezo.
And Fed will retire at the Swiss indoors some year not this one!
I really think that Thiem is really close to triumph in Paris. Believe it or not, but he is better every coming year and I do not see why it would be different next year.
But just time will tell who of us was right and who not.
A fully fit Nadal is still invincible on Five setter clay court match.Even great clay players like-Fedrer and Djokovic(Yes,they both are great on clay too) can never handle Rafa’s game on FO.And I believe that Theim have to wait for one or two years more to beat King in his Kingdom but I think he will do it one day for sure.We have still some more years to see Big 3 era of tennis.
My Olympic 2020 prediction–Novak Djokovic.
I agree with that Djokovic pick and added also Naomi Osaka as Olympic winner 2020 in my prediction sheet
Incredibly biased against Nadal, same as last year. You mention Novak was the Star of 2019, but Rafa finished World Number 1 didn’t he? Also closing out the season much more strongly than Djokovic, with US Open, a strong showing in Nitto ATP Finals and singlehandedly winning Davis Cup for Spain.
You again pick Djokovic for Australia and Wimbledon, but no Nadal for RG?? Rafa at Roland Garros is the safest bet in sports!! He has been way more dominant than Novak at Australia or Wimbledon.
But hey, you’re clearly a Fed / Djoko fan, so you don’t want the Bull to end the year with the most GS in history. Its gonna happen tho 🙂
Coming from a Fed fan: you lose your credibility by counting out Nadal to win at least one GS (same as you did last year) and by forgetting to mention that you predicted a mediocre 2019 season for him and he still ended n1.
Anyways… I wouldn’t count Federer out to win Wimbledon either, I feel he has better chances than Novak, and he may surprise us at hard court GS as well (although indeed it is hard to point him as a heavy favourite).
This being said, I understand why every year you predict Novak to be the best and most victorious player, he is younger and the most dominant player of the decade (although not for the last 3 years). He is a heavy favourite at the AO, a favourite with Federer at Wimbledon and a favourite (maybe with Nadal) at the US Open. For n1, it’s between him and Nadal, they are both playing great tennis and it helps them that Federer won’t be playing enough tournaments to be n1 even if he surprises us! (he could)
Lastly, if you see Federer’s interviews, he is far from ready to retire, and as he’s still playing big 3 level I expect him to play at least until the end of 2021.
Thanks for your comments.
re Nadal: I got a ton of response how I was and still am wrong with Nadal. Yes, I was wrong but still has doubts about his health. The number of games he played at Davis Cup and Abu Dhabi exhibition and the time he spent on the court during November and December will take its toll next season. He will probably do everything to claim at least Roland Garros, but Thiem is improving rapidly on clay and he is poised to win it very very soon.
re Federer’s interviews: I read them with great interest and also see his will to play beyond 2020. But I still think that in his age, with no grand slam wins for another year (yes, I know you give him a bigger chance to claim Wimby than me), more losses with players he beat easily three or four years ago, his mood can change rapidly. The motivation for another hard practice during December can deteriorate easily. It will depend on his results in 2020 but I would not underestimate chances this will be his last season.
At this stage of his career, Federer retirement is a must bet year after year till it becomes reality 🙂
Nevertheless, I am prepared to say it loudly in Predictions 2021 at what I was wrong. No hiding, no excuses. But now I really believe in what I wrote there.
@tennisproguru
How many times are you going to undermine Rafa? Seriously, You need to hold grip to reality. Rafa had better 2019 than Novak. He ended up no.1 bt still you said Novak was best player in 2019. Everytime excuse for not winning any gs( specially fo) for Rafa comes with injury. I mean , he proved 1000 times wrong.
Bdw Rafa once again (like last 100 years) won french open 2020 despite all the kind of adversities. Bt sure next year also you are going to rule him out of gs competition. Pathetic.
How many times are you going to undermine Rafa? Seriously, You need to hold grip to reality. Rafa had better 2019 than Novak. He ended up no.1 bt still you said Novak was best player in 2019. Everytime excuse for not winning any gs( specially fo) for Rafa comes with injury. I mean , he proved 1000 times wrong.
Bdw Rafa once again (like last 100 years) won french open 2020 despite all the kind of adversities. Bt sure next year also you are going to rule him out of gs competition. Pathetic.
Yep, it kinda seems that I have something against him, but that is not. Check this article where I tried to map all his Grand Slam Titles.