Djokovic targets clean sweep and is favourite for Australian Open
Published:Not in 43 years has a male tennis player held all four Grand Slams at the same time, but this is something that Novak Djokovic has his eye on achieving in 2013.
Only Don Budge in the 1930s and Rod Laver in both 1962 and 1969 have previously achieved the feat, but having ended 2012 in top form, Djokovic wants to push on.
The Serbian ensured that he remained world number one with his success at the ATP World Tour Finals in London and is now in Australia to continue his preparations ahead of the first Grand Slam of 2013.
It is 33/1 that Djokovic does complete the clean sweep of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open and his performances in 2012 do inspire a bit of confidence.
He won in Australia, was a beaten finalist in both France and the US, while reaching the semi finals at Wimbledon where he was again defeated by the eventual winner in Roger Federer.
Perhaps the best news for Djokovic fans is that it is his most successful Grand Slam that is first on the calendar, as he has triumphed at the Australian Open in three of the last five years.
Therefore, it is unsurprising that he is the 6/4 favourite to prevail at Melbourne Park again.
Clearly the big banana skin in his ambition is the French Open, which is the only Grand Slam that he is still to win.
What condition Rafael Nadal turns up in at Roland Garros is the million-dollar question for Djokovic, as the Spaniard has been virtually unbeatable in the Grand Slam for the best part of a decade.
He has not played since Wimbledon because of a knee injury, but Nadal is scheduled to take part in the Australian Open where the current quality of his game will be more apparent.
Nadal remains odds-on at 10/11 to win the French Open again in 2013, with Djokovic at 2/1.
Alternatively, Andy Murray is 50/1 to win in Australia, France and at Wimbledon this year to make him the third man to hold all four Grand Slams at the same time.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
