The first major of the tennis season is set to get underway next Monday as the Australian Open gets rolling in Melbourne. The draws for the tournament were released on Thursday and offer a range of interesting possibilities and matchups.
On the women's side of the draw, U.S. Open champion Serena Williams will be trying for two majors in a row, but she will have to go through Victoria Azarenka, who she beat in Flushing, in the semifinals as they are on the same side of the draw.
Azarenka will be hoping for an upset along the way, as she has lost 11 of the past 12 matches she has played against Williams, who also won Wimbeldon in 2012 to bring her career total for Grand Slams to 15. Williams has always been comfortable in Melbourne and is riding a hot streak as she looks to add a sixth Australian Open trophy to her resume, winning 35 of the past 36 matches she has played, including the WTA Brisbane International last week.
Azarenka has a first-round match against Romania's Monica Niculescu and will face above-average competition in her quarter draw with former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki and seventh-seeded Sara Errani, who lost to Sharapova in the French Open final last year. Serena Williams will play Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania in the first round and has possible matchups against 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and American Sloane Stephens.
The rest of the women's side offers stiff competition, as No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova, who won the French Open last year, is the top player on the other half of the draw. She will face some depth against No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 5 Angelique Kerber and No. 6 Li Na could also face off against Venus Williams in the third round and will have to deal with Azarenka or Williams if she makes it to the finals.
The men's side of the draw offers even more high-profile matchups, as top seed Novak Djokovic goes for his third straight win at the Australian Open. Djokovic has a clear path to the finals, as No. 2-ranked Roger Federer and U.S. Open champion Andy Murray are on the other side of the draw, offering a possible semifinals matchup between the two.
Djokovic's path to the finals includes Paul-Henri Mathieu in the first round as well as possible matchups with fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych in his quarter match of the draw and fourth-seeded David Ferrer in his half as well. Ferrer will be the highest-ranked Spaniard of the tournament, as Rafael Nadal is sitting out of the tournament due to a stomach virus, but he likely will return sometime soon as the clay season and the French Open get closer.
The Spanish star has also been dealing with knee injuries and hasn't played since losing in the second round at Wimbeldon over the summer against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 7-6 (9), 4-6, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, which was the earliest exit from Wimbledon since 2005 for Nadal.
Federer has a matchup against Benoit Paire of France in the first round and could play against Bernard Tomic in the third round on his way to a possible showdown with Murray, who Federer defeated at Wimbeldon but lost to in the Olympics. Federer has won four Australian Open titles, but not since 2010.
Murray is coming into the tournament fresh off his first major win at the U.S. Open and will face off against Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Murray became the first British man to win a Grand Slam in over 70 years, but faces a tough road in Melbourne. Murray m ay face off against past U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the semifinals and likely will face Federer in the semis if he advances.
"Obviously, the last few years I got close but never managed to get over the final hurdle," Murray said to USA Today. "So whether it was a mental thing, whether it was things in my game I needed to improve, physical things, who knows exactly? But now that I've managed to do it, I hope that when I'm in those situations again I'll deal with them better and put less pressure on myself, which obviously will help me play better."
The 25-year-old will have some pressure on him after taking home that first Grand Slam, but no one will hit on him too hard in the media if he doesn't win two in a row. This is the first chance since playing in Queens for Murray to prove that he belongs in the conversation with Federer and Djokovic and he enters the tournament having won the Open warm-up in the ATP Brisbane International last week.
Djokovic has the best clear path to the finals for the men, but he will face a tough test with Tomas Berdych if he advances, since he had an excellent year last year while making it to the quarter-final stage at all four Grand Slams. Djokovic has been remarkably consistent at major tournaments and hasn't been beaten before the third round in any Grand Slam since 2008 at Wimbeldon. American Sam Querrey has upset Djokovic before at the Paris Masters and could have the chance to do so again if they meet in the fourth round.
There could be some wild cards in the draw, as Nicolas Almagro has made it to the fourth round in three straight years and could get to his first Grand Slam quarter-round. There are also a number of solid first round matches, including Janko Tipsarevic versus Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
