From 2006 to 2012 the Australian was won by either Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, but last year plucky Stanislaw Wawrinka underdog stole the show.
A number of rising stars are looking to enter the upper echelon of the ATP World Tour in 2015 and there’s no better way for a young player to make a name for himself than by having success in the first grand slam of the season.
This year’s tournament promises to be an intriguing one — especially once we get to the quarterfinals — so with that in mind, here are five favourites and one dark horse to keep an eye on in Melbourne.
Novak Djokovic
Seeding: 1
2014 Aussie Open result: Lost in quarters to Wawrinka
The world’s best player aims to win his fourth Australian Open title in five years – it would be the fifth of his career – and he shouldn’t run into any trouble until the semifinals because he got a favourable draw as top seed. Better still, he couldn’t face either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal until the final. One concern if you’re cheering for the ultra-talented Serbian is the fact he was upset by Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic in the quarterfinals at the Qatar Open on Jan. 8.
Roger Federer
Seeding: 2
2014 Aussie Open result: Lost in semifinals to Rafael Nadal
What can’t this man do? He is raising two sets of twins, recently played tennis with Lleyton Hewitt while riding on a boat and now he’s going for his 18th career grand slam victory. The 33-year-old is off to an impressive start in 2015, picking up his 1,000th (yes, you read that right) career victory in the Brisbane International final when he beat Milos Raonic. Federer has four Aussie Open titles, but hasn’t won the tournament since 2010. In fact, he has been eliminated in the semifinals in each of the last four years.
Rafael Nadal
Seeding: 3
2014 Aussie Open result: Lost in final to Wawrinka
The Spaniard has reached the final in two of the last three Australian Opens, but hasn’t won since the 2009 tournament. Nadal is always a threat to come out on top at a grand slam, even though he had a forgettable conclusion to 2014 following his ninth (ninth!) victory at Roland Garros in May. Despite going 48-11 and winning four titles on the ATP Tour last year, Nadal isn’t happy with how he has been performing lately. But if that frustration translates to him playing on the edge with energy, the field will have trouble dealing with the lefty.
Stan Wawrinka
Seeding: 4
2014 Aussie Open result: Champion
Wawrinka should be as confident as anyone in the field after what he did last year. The 29-year-old went on a miraculous run, defeating Canadian Vasek Pospisil, Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Nadal en route to winning the tournament as the No. 8 seed. On top of that, his 2015 started out perfectly, winning the Aircel Chennai Open. At times the native of St. Barthelemy, Switzerland is inconsistent, but when he’s healthy and focused he has the tools to beat any man on the tour.
Kei Nishikori
Seeding: 5
2014 Aussie Open result: Eliminated by Nadal in fourth round
While the top three are locked in as the favourites for most major tournaments and Wawrinka is the defending champion, this final spot was a toss up between Nishikori and Canadian Milos Raonic. Depending on how the opening rounds unfold, Raonic is lined up to face Djokovic in the quarterfinals, which doesn’t bode well for his chances. Nishikori has played consistently well in recent months posting wins over Raonic, Wawrinka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray among others in the second half of 2014, not to mention his semifinal upset of Djokovic at the U.S. Open.
Dark horse:
Tomas Berdych
Seeding: 7
2014 Aussie Open result: Lost in semifinals to Wawrinka
Berdych recently announced he will skip his country’s Davis Cup tie against Australia in March to focus on his individual career, a sign he’s ready to take his game to a new level. He is also now working with Andy Murray’s old coach, Dani Vallverdu. The 29-year-old has been in the hunt annually at the Aussie Open since 2011. Following three consecutive quarterfinal appearances, Berdych advanced to the semifinals last year only to fall to the eventual winner in four sets.
