The Australian Open is now over and we wait until May for the next Grand Slam to start. I would like to take a quick look back on what we learned from the Australian Open and what we should expect going forward in the tennis season.
#1. Novak Djokovic is still the best on the hard court: Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0 to win the 2015 Australian Open Men's title. After a year in which there were two surprising Grand Slam champions on the hard court with Marin Cilic winning the US Open and Stanislas Wawrinka winning the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic re-established himself as the best player in the world on the hard courts.
#2. Serena Williams is the best player in the women's game: Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova 6-3, 7-6 to win the 2015 Australian Open Women's title. Sharapova played her tough, but at the end of the day Serena Williams reminded us why she has now won 19 Grand Slam singles titles. What will be interesting to see is if Serena can carry that momentum into the French Open, but she certainly has to be the favorite to win Wimbledon and the US Open.
#3. Andy Murray is back: Andy Murray didn't defeat Novak Djokovic to win the title, but he did get back to a Grand Slam final after having not reached one at all in 2014. It also appears as though Amelie Mauresmo is a good fit on his team.
#4. Maria Sharapova still can't beat Serena Williams: Serena improved to 17-2 all-time against Maria, having won their last 16 matches against each other.
#5. Tomas Berdych is getting there: It was tough for Tomas Berdych to go out in the semifinals, but overall he should feel very good about his performance at the Australian Open. Look for him to be a serious threat at Wimbledon and the US Open.
#6. Stanislas Wawrinka is still a contender: Stanislas Wawrinka came up short against Novak Djokovic in the semis, but he did push him to a fifth set. Wawrinka should feel very confident about his abilities to win another Grand Slam in 2015.
#7. Madison Keys is the best young American: Madison Keys, now a Top 20 player, played Serena Williams really tough in her semifinal match, losing 6-7, 2-6. If there is any young American player who we can have hope in to carry the torch for American tennis once the Williams sisters are gone, it's the 20 year old Madison Keys.
#8. Venus Williams is still a threat: In case you thought Venus Williams is only playing tennis because she loves the game, you are wrong. She's still playing tennis because she thinks she can win another Grand Slam. I don't see why she can't. She reached the Quarterfinals and it took Madison Keys three tough sets to take her out. Venus Williams might be my pick to win Wimbledon.
#9. Eugenie Bouchard still has work to do: Eugenie Bouchard had a solid outing, reaching the Quarterfinals, but she lost 3-6, 2-6 to Maria Sharapova. Bouchard might be the future of women's tennis, but she isn't there yet.
#10. Rafael Nadal should be the favorite to win the French: After reaching the Quarterfinals in Australia on his least favorite surface, Rafael Nadal has to feel really good about his ability to win the French Open come May.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy for tennis news
