Last year’s Australian Open caused one of the biggest shocks of 2014 on the ATP tour; Stanislas Wawrinka did the unthinkable, beating both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to take the title. Could there be another upset on the cards at this year’s Australian Open or will the top three regain their dominance?
Just what can we expect from reigning Aussie Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka? ‘Stan-the-man’ has started the year off to a flyer, picking up straight where he left off in 2014, with a victory. Stan ended 2014 helping his country bring the Davis Cup title to Switzerland, defeating France, where he played a monumental part in the tie. Stan has also started off 2015 in the same way he did in 2014 by winning his opening ATP tournament of the year, taking home the title in Chennai by defeating Slovenian Aljaz Bedene. With Wawrinka looking red hot at the moment and entering the Australian unbeaten it is not to say he cannot repeat his exploits of 2014 and retain the title; he will certainly be one of the firm favourites to take the title.
Another player not to be taken lightly in Melbourne is Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who has proved on multiple occasions that he can mix it with the top players. Kei had a fantastic year on tour in 2014. Settling no more for Japan’s project 45, Kei went as far as pushing the top guys to their limit and breaking into the world’s top ten. Kei’s biggest achievement of 2014 was upsetting Stanislas Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic, beating the two Grand Slam champions back to back at the US Open, making it to the final, eventually settling for runner up after losing to Marin Cilic. Kei managed to qualify for the world tour finals, reaching the semi-final stages and eventually ending the year at a world high ranking of world number five. Kei has proven that his exploits in 2014 have made him one not to be underestimated in Australia, when on form he has proven more than once that he can beat the best, and on hard outdoor court he will prove to be a handful for the top guys. It is not too far of a stretch to predict Kei will feature in the second week of the tournament.
One player never to be underestimated in high pressure situations is Tomas Berdych, Tomas had a relatively quiet 2014 by his standards, however that is down to the emergence of Stanislas Wawrinka and Marin Cilic in the winner’s circle. Tomas has teamed up with Dani Vallverdu, a former member of the Andy Murray coaching team. Tomas has had a blistering start to 2015, making it to the final of Doha, to be pipped to the post by in-form David Ferrer; another contender not to be taken lightly. Tomas has always be referred to as the ‘nearly man,’ but given his good showing in the Doha tournament, Tomas has clearly worked hard on his form in the off-season, with his forehand looking to be in imperious form. With Tomas expectant to make it to the second week in Melbourne, he will prove to be a tough opponent for anyone of the top players.
One more of the young emerging talents on tour proving harder and harder to put away in matches is big serving Canadian Milos Raonic, who narrowly got past Kei Nishikori in the 2015 Brisbane semi-final, only to then lose by the smallest of margins to 17 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer in the final. Milos had shown considerable growth in 2014, making his first Grand Slam semi-final, again losing to Roger Federer, this time on the grass courts of Wimbledon. One of the main reasons why Milos is such a threat to anyone on any surface is due to his enormous serve, with a capability of hitting a constant speed of 150mph, and in the heat of the Australian summer time it will prove to be a massive weapon for the Canadian and an even bigger challenge for his opponents to overcome.
Will anyone be a match for Djokovic, Federer, Nadal or Murray at this year’s Australian Open? Should the top guys falter look no further than Wawrinka, Nishikori, Berdych or Raonic to take their chances, perhaps now with more belief than ever.
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