With Murray's tide rising, Serena floats to the top

All eyes will be on Andy Murray when he takes to the court for the Australian Open next week. The Scot seems to be emerging as the favourite for the men’s singles. And fair enough, too.

As Rafael Nadal struggled through the end of last year with a knee injury, it was Murray who finished in the best form. Better than Federer, better than Djokovic.

It seems his maiden Grand Slam final appearance, in the U.S. Open last September, has done incredible things for his confidence. Although he was disappointing there against Federer, he now knows that if he can make a Grand Slam final, he can win one.

Already this year he has beaten Nadal once and Federer twice.

Yet there is a trap here for Murray. Being a Grand Slam favourite, in the company of Nadal and Federer, and when you are yet to actually win one yourself, is an extraordinary situation to find himself in.

There is no doubt that, should he be in the mix come semi final time, he will be able to rise to the occasion. But it’s a long road to get that far and there’s danger in the early rounds. Murray is yet to show his best form day in day out, as Federer did and then Nadal in order to become number one, and he will need to do this in order to move from heir apparent to king.

The pressure will be another test for Murray, and one would think the other guys, although respectful of Murray’s form, would be happy to know he’s carrying that little extra weight.

Regardless, he’s a hardcourt specialist with the belief that he’s destined to be number one and he’ll be hard to beat.

Not so hard to beat, I suspect, will be Novak Djokovic. It’s hard to imagine someone winning a Grand Slam while adjusting to a new brand of racquet.

Although he finished last year by winning the Tennis Masters Cup, Nadal was injured, Federer was knocked out, and Murray surprised by capitulating to Davydenko in the semi. For mine, there is also a question over the Serb’s ability to stay mentally hard.

Aside from that, since last year’s Australian Open final, he has become Jo Wilfried Tsonga’s bunny. The powerful Frenchman has beaten him in their last three meetings. Tsonga went out to Gasquet in Brisbane but he only has eyes for Melbourne.

He’s number seven in the world now, despite missing a large part of last year after a knee operation, and with last years result under his belt and no end to his self belief, he can’t be counted out.

Then, of course, there’s Nadal and Federer. Crazy that we can talk seriously about the chances of others but these days we must.

Nadal says he’s over the injury that made him miss the last part of last year so we’ll take him at his word. His biggest hurdles are the court surface and a seeming lack in preparation.

He’s yet to make even the final of a hardcourt Grand Slam. That’s not to say this won’t change – he went from novice on grass to Wimbledon champion in two years – but it remains to be seen. Regardless, he’s the best player in the world and must be considered.

And what to make of Federer’s chances now? Well, the last Grand Slam was on hardcourt, and he won it. When all is said and done, he’ll probably win this one.

Lleyton Hewitt will need a favourable draw to do well, and if that happens he will be a tough match for a good player around the fourth round. A quarter final showing would be an immense achievement for the man who defines that great sporting cliché “gutsy performance”.

Still, more of an attacking approach than he has been showing will be required.

Lastly, spare a thought for the great hope of Australian tennis, Bernard Tomic, making his open Grand Slam debut after an encouraging ATP tour initiation last week where he performed creditably against Fernando Verdasco.

Many people, possibly most of all Channel Seven, will be greatly disappointed that defending champion Maria Sharapova will not be making it.

I won’t miss that strange whooping sound that emits from her somewhere around the time of forming a stroke.

The battle for the number one ranking is the dominant issue in women’s tennis and with things so wide open it’s going to be fascinating to see who emerges as this year’s winner.

The first question is whether Jelena Jankovic can justify her number one ranking by finally winning a Grand Slam. Until she does that she will be widely considered a caretaker in that position. As Federer pointed out, Nadal had to win five Grand Slams before taking the men’s top spot.

Ana Ivanovic, another who has touched the top, has a Slam to her name, but an early loss in Brisbane highlighted a tendency towards inconsistency.

There are many players who will quite rightly give themselves a real chance at taking the title, but I think the fact that there are two Williams sisters in the draw will mean that, one way or the other, this will be the name that ends up on the trophy.

They are all-time greats of the game, and though their domination is not what it was, all respect must still be afforded them.

Serena has looked a little underdone in Sydney but still has come through in two excruciatingly close matches, staring down match points each time.

Congratulations must go to Sam Stosur, whose confidence for the open will be boosted by getting to within a point of beating Serena, and to the fast rising eighteen year old Dane Caroline Wozniak, junior champion in Melbourne just a couple of years ago, who confirmed that she is now a force to be reckoned with.

Yet it was Serena who won both matches and she will be the one to beat in Melbourne.