THE first major of the tennis calendar – the Australian Open – will get underway in a couple of days and will continue until 31 January. There is a feeling that this could perhaps be one of the most competitive and exciting slams to take place down under for some time. Roger Federer is still, amazingly, playing at a high level, even if he has not managed to win a major since 2012. He has recently split from his coach – and childhood idol – Stefan Edberg, who, incidentally, supports Leeds United, not least, he claims, due to his fellow countryman Tomas Brolin having played for the Yorkshire side during the 1970’s. No matter how far Federer will get in the competition, he will undoubtedly be entertaining to watch.
His old rival, Rafael Nadal, had a mixed 2015, sometimes demonstrating his powerful forehand and monstrous shots, other times getting bundled out of the third round in Wimbledon by Dustin Brown. The Spanish matador also lost his French Open Crown too last year, which is only the second time he has conceded the title since 2006, an amazing achievement, but perhaps something which shows his decreasing chance of competing at the high level that we have been accustomed to expect from him.
Fresh from winning the Davis Cup and BBC Sport Personality of the Year, Andy Murray can once again concentrate on major titles, ahead of his defence of the Olympic gold that he won in London 2012. The Scot has an impressive record in getting to the quarter-finals consistently and has only once in his last nine majors failed to get to that stage. But, it is clear that he needs to step up his game at the latter stages of major tournaments if he is to add to his major wins, which currently stands at two. The Scotsman is, on his day, one of the best players in the world and so you can never rule him out of a major. 2016 could be a great year for him.
Novak Djokovic, however, is still the man to beat and the best player on the planet. The Serbian’s all-round game is phenomenal, and his record over the last couple of years is staggering. The world number one was the winner of three out of last year’s four grand slams, only losing the French Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka and has an even better record of quarter-final appearances than Andy Murray, having failed to reach the last eight only three times since 2008 and has not done so since 2009. There is clearly a reason why he is still the man to beat on the tour.
The controversial Australian, Nick Krygagos, is hoping to put up some good performances in front of his home crowd in Melbourne, although the young talent has recently pulled out of the Kooyong Classic and is desperately hoping to appear for the opening major of the year. Lleyton Hewitt will be playing his 20th, and final, Australian open. The world ranked 307 will not be expecting to get too far in the tournament, but, romantically, this may be a story to keep a close eye on.
Other key players could be the likes of David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Stanislas Wawrinka, Milos Ranoic and Thomas Berydych, who will be hoping to break into the top echelons of the sport by winning a major title. As aforementioned, unless Novak Djokovic plays his best tennis, nobody seems to be able to predict where the winner may come from. This Australian Open will be competitive and a great way to begin 2016.
Serena Williams managed to win three grand slams in the calendar last year. It is unlikely that she will better that achievement this time around, but her record at the Australian Open is outstanding, and naturally, she won it in 2015. The American star has won this competition an impressive six times, and her form shows no sign of abating. However, she does have to control her occasional health problems, if she does so, she will go very far.
Her sister, Venus Williams, will be hoping to stop her in a bid to add to her solitary major title win in Australia. Whilst Venus Williams does not quite have the glittering record that her sibling has, she is still a world-class player in her own right, especially given that she has won the crown at Wimbledon five times. The world number 10 opens up against the British number one Jo Konta. Before the draw, many people thought that Konta would have the best chance of any of the Brits on the WTA circuit of doing well. Indeed, the Australian turned British citizen had a breakthrough year in 2015, bettering her previous records at all of the majors but the Australian Open. Let’s hope she can do that this year, though the draw has been unkind to her.
British tennis seems to be on the up, maybe perhaps also for Heather Watson. In particular, Watson had a good Wimbledon tournament and was unlucky to be knocked out against Serena Williams. Having been drawn against Timea Babos, the world number 59 and a player who knocked her out in Cincinatti last year, Watson will indeed be hoping to cause an upset fuelled by revenge. Laura Robson, however, has decided not to play at this year’s Australian Open, due to her wrist injuries.
Victoria Azarenka, who has won the Australian Open twice, has had a battle over the last couple of years with injuries, and will be hoping to set the record straight. One of Belarus’s finest ever sportspersons, at the age of 26, she still has a lot more to give to the sport. Perhaps 2016 will be a turning point in her career.
Maria Sharapova is another player who can never be ruled out. Due to the draw, though, she could face Serena Williams in as early as the quarter-finals stage. The Russian, though, has not won this particular competition since 2008, and with the emergence of new stars such as Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard, this should be another competitive tournament.
So, Monday sees the beginning of the tennis season. Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are both, rightly, the favourites for their respective titles after dominating the tennis world in 2015. Yet there are plenty of quality players for both tournaments and many whom deserve to win a title. It will depend on who can control the blustering heat of Australia, of who makes sure the pressure does not get to them, and, crucially, as always, the winners will be the players who play their best tennis consistently, perhaps even with a bit of luck along the way.
James Felton
Featured image: World Tennis Magazine