Australian Open: Seven stories to follow
19.01.2015 20:00
A year ago at the Australian Open, Stan Wawrinka achieved something not done in five years. He became the first man outside tennis' "Big Four" to win a major since Juan Martin del Potro in 2009.
The women's champion was less surprising, in the form of the now retired Li Na.
With this year's opening grand slam starting Monday, here are seven things to watch as the tennis season bursts into life.
Rafa's comeback
If Rafael Nadal wins in Melbourne, he might cherish his second title more than his first.
That's because after beating Roger Federer in a thrilling five-set final in 2009, Melbourne Park has been less than kind to the 14-time grand slam champion on the health front.
Check out this list: In 2010 he retired with a knee injury, a year later he suffered a hamstring injury in his quarterfinal and last year a back problem surfaced while warming up for the final.
It was the clear turning point and Wawrinka took advantage. It was his long-time rival Federer who wept after losing to Nadal in 2009, but it was the Spaniard's turn to cry in 2014.
Nadal hasn't competed at a grand slam since Wimbledon, having skipped the U.S. Open with a wrist complaint, and his buildup has been marred by two bad losses in the Middle East.
But Friday's draw for 2015's first major was kind to Nadal. He appears to have a smooth path to the semifinals.
Should Nadal somehow be the last man standing, only two triumphs would separate him and 17-time grand slam winner Federer.
Serena's quest for 19
If it was an odd-numbered year over the last decade, chances are that Serena Williams won the Australian Open. She took home the title in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009.
But Williams' recent appearances mirror Nadal's.
There was the ankle she hurt at a warm-up tournament in 2012 that led to a fourth-round exit in Melbourne. In 2013 a back injury was probably to blame for a quarterfinal loss and last year the back flared up again in the quarterfinals.
Williams' play early in 2015 is sure to have worried her fans, too. The 18-time grand slam singles winner complained of a lack of energy at the Hopman Cup in Perth and subsequently split two of her four singles matches.
Like Nadal, Williams' longest grand slam drought now happens to be in Melbourne.
She won the U.S. Open in September by topping her BFF, Caroline Wozniacki, but they can't face off in the Australian Open final since they're in the same quarter.
Roger's bid for one more major
With Nadal's performances patchy, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic getting off to a less than stellar start in 2015 and Andy Murray struggling for grand slam form, the 33-year-old Federer can't be discarded.
While Federer didn't have to face any of his fellow "Big Four" members as he shone in Brisbane -- where he collected his 1,000th match win -- he defeated two players thought of as outside grand slam contenders in 2015.
He dispatched Milos Raonic in the final having routed Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals.
Aiding Federer would have been a kind draw, but unfortunately for him, it didn't happen. He found himself in the same quarter as Murray and same half as Nadal.
Eugenie Bouchard and the Genie Army
Can the "Genie Army" propel Eugenie Bouchard to glory?
Although she showed flashes in 2013, last year in Melbourne was when the tennis world truly took note of the 20-year-old.
Her semifinal showing wasn't an anomaly, with Bouchard then reaching the last four at the French Open and the final at Wimbledon.
But Bouchard couldn't duplicate her success from August onwards, the low point perhaps coming at the year-end championships where she failed to win a set in her three matches. Fatigue no doubt played a role.
Bouchard arrives in Melbourne this year without a permanent coach, and you wonder how high her confidence is.
The return of Juan Martin del Potro
Only The Grinch wouldn't be happy that del Potro is back playing tennis.
Skipping most of last year with further wrist troubles, his supporters must have been holding their breath when the Argentine pulled out of Brisbane.
But he returned in Sydney this week -- unsure of how his left wrist would cope -- and made the quarterfinals. The pain hasn't gone away yet, he said.
None of the contenders would want to face del Potro early, though only the very optimistic would suggest he could win a second major over the coming fortnight.
Maybe claiming a few rounds and coming through the tournament unscathed would be enough for him.
He doesn't face a top-10 player in his opener but it's still an enticing -- and imposing -- encounter. The 6-foot-6 "Tower of Tandil" plays 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz, who stands 6-foot-8.
Simona Halep's opening major?
In an era where players on the women's tour all seem to be towering 6-footers, Simona Halep -- 5-foot-6 -- is an exception.
She still packs a punch from the baseline, but it's her use of angles that so often gets her into winning positions in rallies. Her backhand is one of the best around.
If Halep's breakthrough was in 2013, she went one better last year by making the difficult jump into the top 10 and top five.
How close was the Romanian to winning the French Open? Very. She extended one of the game's top competitors, Sharapova, to 6-4 in the third set of the final.
Halep -- the most clicked on player on the WTA's website last year -- began this year with a title in Shenzhen.
(CNN)
ANN.Az
Latest news 
More news
Photo 
Video 
