2015 Australian Open Preview

Welcome to my preview for the 2015 Australian Open! As I do with all my Grand Slam previews, I list ten things to look for in the tournament. Enjoy!

#1. Victoria Azarenka is the wild card in this event: Azarenka is unseeded in the Australian Open which makes things very interesting since her talent level is that of a top-five player. [1] Serena Williams and [8] Caroline Wozniacki are in her quarter, but she definitely has the game to crash the party and be the one to reach the semifinals. Note: When I say Azarenka is a wild card, I mean she's a wild card in the sense that she's the unknown variable in the event. She is not a "Wild Card" in the literal meaning of the term as it applies to tennis tournaments.

#2. Novak Djokovic has to win it all: Novak Djokovic is usually at his best on the hard courts of Australia. I know he won Wimbledon in 2014, but all the same, if he doesn't win down under, he could be looking ahead at a year in which he doesn't win a Grand Slam.

#3. Maria Sharapova is as far away from Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka as possible: The only two players who Maria Sharapova should fear in this event are Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. Thankfully for Sharapova, she can only face Serena or Vika in the Final, which means that the draw is very kind to her. This is what she gets rewarded with for earning the #2 seed in the tournament.

#4. We have no idea what to expect from Rafael Nadal: Nadal's health is always a concern on the hard courts which makes it very hard to predict how he will do at the Australian Open. All the same, Nadal was in the Final last year and he is seeded 3rd overall. Nadal will either go out very early or he'll go very deep in the tournament. I expect him to go very deep.

#5. How will Eugenie Bouchard handle the pressure? Eugenie Bouchard has morphed from the pretty darling of the tennis world to a viable threat to win a Grand Slam. Bouchard appears to be focused and driven to handle the pressure, but we will have to wait and see if she delivers.

#6. Does Roger Federer have one more in him? We ask this at every Grand Slam and it appears as though Roger Federer has enough gas in the tank to win one more Grand Slam. This might be a good time for him to get another one given that his main rivals Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray have clouds of doubt hanging over their heads.

#7. Can Sabine Lisicki threaten to win a Grand Slam that isn't on grass? We all know Sabine Lisicki is a threat to win Wimbledon every year. She loves the grass. However, the hard courts haven't exactly been her friend. She's seeded #28 but has to be viewed as a dark horse coming into this event. Maybe this is the non-grass Grand Slam she breaks through on.

#8. Can we really predict the Men's draw? It used to be that we could book some combination of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, or Federer to be in the Final. But after seeing Marin Cilic and Stanislas Wawrinka win slams last year, we have no reason to be sure that things will return to their normal order. Perhaps there really is a changing of the guard happening.

#9. Look for Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open: Normally I would pick Serena Williams to win since she is the best player on the planet, but something tells me Serena won't reach the Final this year. In addition, it feels as though Sharapova is due for another title at the Australian Open. Unless she has to face Serena Williams in the Final, I think Sharapova is going to get it done down under.

#10. Look for Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open: On the men's side, I expect Novak Djokovic to come out on top. Even though there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding men's tennis, Novak Djokovic is still the #1 ranked player in the world for a reason. He loves the Australian Open and is most comfortable on its hard courts. I see Novak Djokovic restoring order in the tennis world and winning his 8th Grand Slam title.

Projected Men's Quarterfinals: [2] Roger Federer vs. [6] Andy Murray. [3] Rafael Nadal vs. [7] Tomas Berdych. [5] Kei Nishkori vs. [4] Stanislas Wawrinka. [1] Novak Djokovic vs. [8] Milos Raonic.

Projected Women's Quarterfinals: [1] Serena Williams vs. [8] Caroline Wozniacki. [4] Petra Kvitova vs. [6] Agnieszka Radwanska. [5] Ana Ivanovic vs. [3] Simona Halep. [7] Eugenie Bouchard vs. [2] Maria Sharapova.

Interesting 1st Round Matchups:  Nicolas Almagro vs. [5] Kei Nishikori. [3] Rafael Nadal vs. Mikhail Youzhny. Sloane Stephens vs. Victoria Azarenka.

---Ben Parker: follow me  on twitter @atp_guy for tennis news