With the completion of the US Open back in November, the major tennis tournaments of 2019 have now all been contested.
It’s been a thrilling year for the women’s game, with four different winners of the Grand Slam tournaments. Two of those winners also lifted titles on US soil before their big wins elsewhere.
We bring you a guide to six of the competitions to keep an eye on in 2020.
Australian Open
The Australian Open will take place between January 20 and the February 2 at Melbourne Park. It’s the first of the big tennis tournaments of the year and a great way to start the calendar.
The reigning men’s champion is Novak Djokovic, with Naomi Osaka the current women’s singles champion. She was seeded fourth last year, beating eighth seed Petra Kvitová in the final 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.
Sporting News reports that Osaka hasn’t enjoyed her tennis since that win and she’ll be keen to return to form in 2020.
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters takes place in spring, running from March 9-22 in 2020.
It’s a Premier Mandatory event on the women’s circuit and is held right here in the US. Bianca Andreescu, the current world number five, won the title in 2019 and will be looking for another strong showing in this important event.
The last female US winner of the competition was Serena Williams in 2001, although she did make the final in 2016 only to lose to Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Miami Open
The world’s major players will be staying in the US in March for another Premier Mandatory event on the women’s calendar, the Miami Open. It kicks off immediately after the Indian Wells Masters, running from March 23 to April 5.
Current World number one Ashleigh Barty lifted the title last year, beating Czech Karolína Plíšková 7-6,6-3 in the final. Sloane Stephens, the last US winner in 2018, will be hoping her form improves in this Grand Slam warm up. She lifted the US Open in 2017, but hasn’t managed to repeat the feat since.
French Open
The French Open is played over two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June at the famous Roland Garros Stadium. A report by Stadium Business explains how in March 2019 they unveiled Court Simonne-Mathieu at the venue which they say is the most beautiful tennis venue in the world.
Rafael Nadal became the men’s champion in 2019, whilst Ashleigh Barty, the current world number one, is the reigning women’s champion. She dispatched unseeded Czech Markéta Vondroušová in the final 6-1, 6-3 and France 24 detail that in doing so became the first Australian to win a French Open title since 1973.
Wimbledon
Wimbledon fortnight takes place in late June and early July, running from June 29 to July 12 in 2020. Our article reveals Serena Williams only came back to tennis in 2018 after the birth of her daughter, but she reached the final in Wimbledon last year, losing to seventh seed Simona Halep 6-2, 6-2.
Having then also made the final of the US Open, Williams is sure to be a favorite for Wimbledon this time around. bwin Tennis detail how Williams is still looking to equal Margaret Court’s 24 Grand Slams. She missed 3 opportunities last year at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
US Open
From August 31 through until September 13, the eyes of the tennis world will be on the US for the last of the major Grand Slam tournaments.
Rafael Nadal is the reigning men’s champion, with Canadian Bianca Andreescu taking the women’s singles last time out against Serena in the final.
There was some domestic joy for the US in the last tournament, Bethanie Mattek-Sands lifted the mixed doubles title with Great British player Jamie Murray.
