There are many questions waiting to be answered over the next 14 days.
For the men, the favouritism tag is understandably being shared between Nadal and Roger Federer.
Nothing particularly out of the ordinary there, except one thing: Rafa is shooting for his fourth successive grand slam win.
Only one man, Rod Laver, has accomplished such a feat in the Open era, and that was 41 years ago. And if that wasn’t enough of a sub-plot, Federer has twice been in the same position Nadal is now – and both times it was Nadal who broke his streak.
The Fed, for his part, does has the form to exact revenge and claim back-to-back Australian titles. He won the year-end tournament in London last November (with a win over Nadal in the final) as well as the Qatar Open earlier this month.
In Doha, showing no signs of back problems of the past, his serve was broken just once throughout the tournament, and during the final, his opponent Nikolay Davydenko never once sat on break point.
The two men most likely to crash the Nadal-Federer party are considered to be Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Djokovic is a previous winner in Melbourne and will enter this year’s tournament ranked third in the world. He’s also coming off making the final of last year’s US Open. Murray, the well-supported Scot who made the final here last year, is still waiting to win his first major and finally dispose of that massive weight of expectation.
Outside of the so-called big four, Swede Robin Soderling is considered to be the best chance of winning.
As usual, Lleyton Hewitt will enter the tournament Australia’s best chance of male success. However, with a 54 world ranking and a first-round match-up with David Nalbandian, expectations should be tempered.
My tip for the men’s title? Federer.
For the women, with Serena not appearing this year, the favourite is a crowd favourite – Kim Clijsters.
Although ranked world number three, Clijsters finished 2010 with some incredible form by claiming her third grand slam title at the US Open and beating the top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki to win the year-end championships.
By making the final in Sydney last week, she showed that her winning form did not disappear over the break.
Meanwhile, Wozniacki remains world number one heading into Melbourne. Obviously, this fact means she deserves to be placed highly among the list of contenders, however it has to be remembered she’s still chasing her first win at a slam.
At any rate, losing in the second round at Sydney – after having a bye in the first round – is hardly ideal preparation.
There are several others that certainly stand a chance. Vera Zvonareva, the second seed and runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open last year, is one such candidate.
Justine Henin, who made an impressive return from retirement in Melbourne last year before injuries took over, and who also dominated at the Hopman Cup this month, is another.
However, the woman of most interest to Australians, and very much a legitimate chance in her own right, is Sam Stosur.
Stosur showed last year she is capable of mixing it with the best by beating Serena Williams at the French Open (a tournament she made the final of) and Wozniacki at the year-end tournament.
Having said that, second-round exits in both Brisbane and Sydney would have to be concerning. As would the fact her best ever Australian Open run ended in the fourth round.
But at the very least, the home crowd will be behind her every time she plays.
My tip for the women’s title? Clijsters.
Of course, it is not uncommon to see major surprises and upsets at the Australian Open, so the names prominently featured on any tournament preview shouldn’t be taken too seriously. There always seems to be one player that makes an unexpected run deep into the second week.
But at the end of the day, that just makes the next 14 days even more interesting.
Matt F
Guest
very true. despite the talent he certianly has a sense of entitlement which was evident, from all reports, during his junior days. however in defence of TA they only gave him this wildcard because he beat three top 100 players in qualifying for the sydney tournament. given the current state of mens tennis that seems like a good enough reason. also he's currently 2 sets up in the 1st round against chardy (ranked in the 40's) so it's looking good so far
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Tomic could be great, however my problem at this stage is that he thinks he's entitled. I think that Tennis Australia made a mistake giving him the wildcard; he needs to understand that he isn't 'owed' anything, he's not special, and he has to earn his achievements rather than expecting them to be handed to him on a silver platter.
Colin N
Guest
"But Nadal,being a lefty serves naturally to Federer’s backhand and this is one of the best in the business." Federer's backhand, compared to Murray, Nadal and Djokovic, Del Potro, is erratic. It's part of the reason why he struggles so much against the Spaniard. Because it is is one-handed, it's much more difficult to control, so when Nadal, using an enormous of top-spin, gets it up to shoulder high, he can't control it as well and thus can't get on top in the point. Murray, on the other hand, seems to enjoy that extra bounce of the hard courts. Certainly, it is a beautiful shot when he is at his best, but it does have tendency to break down.
Koops
Guest
Yes, left handers normally slice serve away from a right handers backhand, and when returning serve to a left hander, the normal right handers shot is to the left handers forehand, which is also the shot that allows for the most distance, hence the safest and easist shot for the right hander, but also the easiest shot for the left hander to pick up and attack the net with, using his forehand. A mouthful, does anyone follow that ?. Anyways, i always have trouble with lefthanders, i play in the local Perth comp, and have a singles rating of 6.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
True that, plugger. Bernard Tomic seems to be our next great hope, he's done well the past two years making the 2nd round at ages 16 and 17. But there's still along way to go and his attitude at times hasn't endeared him to Aussie fans. Let's see how he goes this year!
plugger
Guest
Let's hope we can produce a world class male player soon other than poor Leyton having to carry the whole load on his bony shoulders all the time.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Scott, I can only think of someone like McEnroe and Goran I, who both had a slice and kick on their serves. Rafa tends to hit them flat. But Nadal,being a lefty serves naturally to Federer's backhand and this is one of the best in the business. So while nadal may have an advantage against lesser players this is negated when playing Federer. These are both great players and a cut above the rest. We did not see these two in a grand slam last year so it is something to look forward to. Michael, Clistjers looks good and Zvonereva looks strong. Stosur has the game and it will depend on how she copes with the home crowd. She seems to play her best Tennis overseas.
Scott minto
Guest
Interesting comment Koops. I do agree re Nadal, but could you explain your comment on left handed players having an advantage in Tennis? Cheers -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Koops
Guest
Probably Nadal, it's extremely hard for right handers even of the calibre of Federer to match it with great left handers, but i much prefer to watch Federer play, best back hand ever. Left handers IMO have a distinct advantage in tennis.