In today's edition of the Lucy Letcord Podcast we ring in the new year by getting pumped up for the 2019 Australian Open!

Richard Pagliaro, Tennis Now's Editor joins the show to talk about several burning topics including:

1. Naomi Osaka's tennis and Naomi Osaka's mind

2. Aryna Sabalenka's brilliant run in Shenzhen

3. Speaking of Osaka and Sabalenka, which player is going to have the better season?

4. The women's game is deep, but which players standout among the early favorites for Slam glory in Melbourne (hint: Kerber)

5. Novak Djokovic is the Aussie Open favorite, but do we think less of his chances after he suffered a loss to Roberto Bautista Agut in Doha?

6. Roger Federer was brilliant at Hopman Cup and he's also a six-time champion in Melbourne. What are his chances of taking the title?

7. Kei Nishikori finally cracked the duck in Brisbane by snapping his three year title drought--does this make him a legit contender in Melbourne.

8. Hopman Cup was once again the perfect way to ring in the tennis new year -- so why then we ask does IT HAVE TO GO AWAY?

And here are your timelines:

2:55 Discussion of Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalena
4:00 How Naomi Osaka’s forthright pressers could be a sign of maturity
6:10 A deeper discussion of Sabalenka the phenom
10:50 Karolina Pliskova as potential title contender?
12:40 PREDICTION: WHO WILL HAVE A BETTER SEASON OSAKA OR SABALENKA?
14:15 Angelique Kerber: Chris’ pre-tournament favorite on the women’s side
16:15 Can anybody other than Novak or Roger win in Melbourne on the men’s side? 17:15 What about Kevin Anderson and Kei Nishikori, where do they fall on the list of contenders?
18:20 PREDICTION: WHO DO YOU TAKE, NOVAK OR THE FIELD?
22:00 Ode to Hopman Cup, will the event survive, and if it doesn’t, will it be reborn?

Thanks for listening, please subscribe, rate and review on iTunes, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!