Will Federer or Serena Retire In 2020?
Locker Room
January 7, 2020
It’s always fun to try to predict what will happen to Roger Federer, Serena Williams and the rest of the superstars at the start of a new tennis year.
What of the Famous Five – Federer, Serena, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray?
Will they all still be playing by the end of 2020?
We think two of these great players may be lost to big-time singles tennis by the end of the year. And not necessarily the pair that most people would pick!
Look, we don’t have a crystal ball any more than anyone else does.
We have to rely on educated guesswork and hunches.
In the past, we have enjoyed successful predictions with regard to the men’s game.
But we have found the women’s game as impossible to predict as every other professional observer has found it!
So here goes, please don’t be offended by any of our predictions and also please take them with a pinch of salt.
No one really knows what will happen – probably not even the superstars themselves. But this is our best guess.
Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty will win the Australian Open singles titles.
Most people think Novak will take his Grand Slam tally to 17 in Melbourne. We don’t see why not. He is usually immense in Australia.
Meanwhile Ash is world number one. And if she can cope with the pressure, she should have a great chance of glory at her home Slam.
US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is many people’s pick. But will she be fully match fit for a gruelling fortnight’s Grand Slam action after taking time out with a knee injury?
Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep will win the French Open singles titles.
Nadal remains imperious at Roland Garros, even if Dominic Thiem is getting closer. So Rafa will draw level with Roger on 20 Slams at his favourite venue.
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep usually looks comfortable on clay and can make her class count in Paris once more.
Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty will win the Wimbledon singles titles.
Yes, Novak and Ash to scoop the biggest silverware in tennis to go with Australian success.
Barty has won Junior Wimbledon in the past and loves the grass. She may face an epic battle against Coco Gauff along the way though.
As for Djokovic, he just dismantles everyone at Wimbledon eventually.
However, we expect Stefanos Tsitsipas to become an even bigger global superstar by reaching the semi-final at Wimbledon 2020.
Andy Murray will retire after Wimbledon 2020.
After reaching the quarter-finals through some herculean efforts, Murray will choose his home Slam to bow out and finally give that aching body the rest it deserves after a glittering career.
Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka will win the Olympic gold medals in the singles.
Yes, all the talk is of Roger Federer winning Tokyo 2020. But Djokovic wants it just as badly and may be better equipped to deliver.
Given her roots, Osaka will be burning with ambition to win gold in Tokyo and she has the game to fulfil that dream.
Bianca Andreescu and Stefanos Tsitsipas will win the US Open singles titles.
Yes, we feel Andreescu will retain her US crown and Tsitsipas will make the big breakthrough for the next generation, even though Daniil Medvedev is most people’s favourite after reaching the final last year.
Serena Williams will retire after the US Open.
Having come close to winning another Slam but narrowly missing out once more in 2020, the great Serena will call it a day and concentrate on business, fun and motherhood.
Andreescu and Djokovic will take the year-end finals to finish 2020 as world number one.
Having pushed Barty close all year, Andreescu will triumph in the WTA finals, just as Djokovic will end the year as top dog among the men.
So there we have it. A lot of people think Wimbledon 2020 could be Federer’s last. And they may well be right.
After all, Roger is only one big injury away from retirement.
But he is loving the tour so much. Why would he retire if he is still fit and locked in a Slam-battle with Rafael Nadal on 20-20 at the end of 2020?
We think he will try to play through until Wimbledon 2021 to give himself one last chance of Grand Slam glory as he pushes forty.
And it will be at Wimbledon 2021 that Federer calls it quits.
Don’t blame us if you don’t buy a ticket for Wimbledon 2020 and then Roger retires before Wimbledon 2021 though. Better safe than sorry!
We are just guessing like everyone else.
But we think it will be the Big Three soldiering on into 2021 to see who can finish with most Slams. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
Meanwhile, we think Andy Murray and Serena Williams will have called it a day by next Christmas, albeit reluctantly, as they listen to their bodies, having assessed their chances of further glory.
Make no mistake, we hope we are wrong where Andy and Serena are concerned.
We hope they go on forever. But could Wimbledon 2020 be your last chance to see them in serious action? Maybe so.
Like the rest of the tennis world, we can’t wait to see what really happens!
And as always, we advise you to make sure you can watch all these legends at Wimbledon 2020 while it is still possible!