“But if he plays anyone else I’ll bet on him. I think the biggest thing for Nadal is to get through the first week relatively comfortably.”
Annacone thinks this could be due to the tennis schedule, adding: “This is one of those questions right, that why hasn’t he won more there?
“Four US Open, it’s hardcourt down in Australia as well.
“So when he starts the year in Australia, he’s coming off a long break, he gets a couple of matches, maybe the ATP Cup, here and there
“But by the time US Open comes around, he’s got a little bit of break after Wimbledon. He’s played three Majors already, so that works well for him.”
Federer won’t be competing at the Australian Open this year, with the Swiss maestro continuing to recover from injury.
