World No. 2 and 16-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is the major drawcard headlining the 2020 Adelaide International as ATP tennis returns to the city of churches.
Djokovic previously competed at the Adelaide International before the tournament was moved to Brisbane in 2009, defeating Chris Guccione to win the 2007 edition.
The Serbian will be competing in the week before the Australian Open for the first time since 2009 as he looks to get a lot of matches under his belt before attempting to defend his title at Melbourne Park. It’s part of a busy start to 2020 for Djokovic, who will also lead the charge for Serbia at the inaugural ATP Cup in Brisbane to launch the season.
Djokovic put together another great season in 2019, winning two more majors at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, but he was pipped for the No. 1 ranking at the very end of the year by Rafael Nadal.
While Djokovic is the overwhelming favourite, there’s plenty of players that could cause the World No. 2 some trouble - especially the younger brigade, who are starting to make more significant strides on tour.
Homegrown star Alex de Minaur won three ATP titles in 2019, including the Sydney International (which Adelaide is replacing on the calendar), and the 20-year-old will be eager to capture more silverware in front of his local fans.
Teenage sensation Felix Auger-Aliassime compiled an extraordinary breakout season that saw him rise from outside the top 100 and into the top 20 - can the Canadian continue to make a big impact in 2020? Also watch out for Russian star Andrey Rublev, who is back playing some fearsome tennis after injury problems disrupted his initial fast rise up the ranks.
Other names to watch out for in Adelaide include last year’s Australian Open semi-finalist Lucas Pouille, former top 10 player Pablo Carreno Busta and the hard-hitting Jan-Lennard Struff.