World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is ready to welcome title challengers to his “home court” at Rod Laver Arena.

The reigning Australian Open champion will continue to be the tournament favorite as he chases his 9th title in the year-opening Grand Slam.

In an interview with Rappler, Fox Sports guest host Marcos Baghdatis weighed in that 2020 saw a lot of younger stars step up, but there’s a reason why the Serbian managed to equal Pete Sampras’ record for the year-end top rank.

“He’s been there for so long and I think he’s the No. 1 player in the world,” said former world No. 8 and Australian Open finalist Baghdatis.

“And he feels like the Australian Open is like his home place, so I think I will go with Djokovic for the favorite.”

Djokovic captured his maiden Grand Slam title in the 2008 Australian Open and currently has a stunning 75-8 record.

Bagging the top seed of this year’s Australian Open, Djokovic will open his campaign in Melbourne against Jeremy Chardy. The Serbian holds a 13-0 record over the Frenchman and has never dropped a set against him.

But Baghdatis cannot rule out some young stars like 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner, who are eager to pull off upsets in Melbourne.

Daniil Medvedev had a surprise Cinderella run towards the end of 2020, topping the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals to beat the top 3 players.

The world No. 4 also led Russia to the ATP Cup title on Sunday, February 7 as a warm-up to the Australian Open.

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, pulled out of the ATP Cup in order to nurse his back issues before the kicking off his Australian Open campaign against Serbian Laslo Djere.

If Nadal makes it far in the tournament, the 2009 Australian Open champion will be able to surpass his and Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles.

The 2021 Australian Open has been marred by COVID-19 issues highlighted by the quarantine period and the hotel staff that tested positive. Still, the Grand Slam is set to push through starting Monday, February 8. – Rappler.com