Serena Williams
Well to start off with I think Serena Williams given her current form having won two of the four majors last year, having been victorious at the French (as pictured) and the US Open, is top favourite to win the title. Victoria Azarenka maybe the two time champion and current defending one, but she did not face Serena Williams in either final and with that its hard to imagine if Serena is in the final this year that she won't win it. Also given her incredible record last year of having only lost four matches out of over 80 I would be insane to write off her chances of picking up her 18th career grand slam title. The only thing that might get in her way is herself and that has proven to be the problem in the last two years as she seemed to implode in her defeats against Ekaterina Makarova in 2012 and Sloane Stephens last year. But overall Serena is the overwhelming favourite, whether or not she will is a different matter but time will surely tell. Prediction: champion or finalist.
Victoria Azarenka
Next to Serena, the second favourite has to be Victoria Azarenka who is already the two time Australian open champion have won the title in 2012 and 2013. Vika still remains a strong favourite also because of her rivalry with Serena Williams over the last year or so has really blossomed and turned into something exciting to watch, which the women's game really needs in order to have any chance of competing the men's current strong field. So next to Serena does Vika stand a chance of winning? Yes she does and also given this is her first grand slam and she has won it twice, this should give her the confidence and belief enough in herself to beat the current world no.1. However that is easier said than done and Azarenka isn't always rock solid on serve, even though she is capable of breaking Serena its quite rare that she's get the chance. However after Serena, Vika is the strongest competitor in the women's game and she will pose a massive threat to the rest of the field out there and she still has an excellent chance at retaining her title. Prediction: finalist or champion.
Maria Sharapova
The next favourite in line would have to be Maria Sharapova who has just come back from injury this week having already managed to reach the semi finals of the Brisbane International tournament where she lost a tight match to Serena Williams, she still poses a strong threat as ever. But does Maria have a strong chance of winning??? Well to be honest yes and no, as her chances of winning really depend on how the draw opens up and if she is in the final with Serena I don't rate them as she has a tendency to implode on serve and she is also guilty of serving too many double faults in a match. And Maria's fighting spirit is more than strong enough to get past any other player, and on her day this can even include Victoria Azarenka, who is also her nemesis, but not against Serena and that will always be her biggest obstacle. Having said that depending on her draw, Maria still has a fair chance of winning the title in Melbourne, but it will again depend on how well she plays and serves, and if she does both of those exceptionally well, then she's got a shout (certainly a screech at any rate!). Prediction: semi finalist.
Li Na
Up next would have to be Li Na, who has already reached the final in Melbourne twice although she fell to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and Victoria Azarenka last year. But Li Na also has the advantage of having won a major at the French Open in 2011, so that can definitely work in her favour if she can utilise that belief. Li Na also has a big game as well as she has powerful groundstrokes and on her day she can toe to toe with the very best, and both her finals in Melbourne were very close matches so does pose a big threat. Where Li Na does fall down however is that she has lapses in concentration and in those moments her serve can go off and that in itself could cost her if she reaches the final again. However given her record in Melbourne it would be silly to write off her chances and I still think she has a good one here. Prediction: semi finalist.
Agnieszka Radwanska
My next choice would be Agnieszka Radwanska who's uncanny ability to read the game and her intelligence to create deft, amazing and highly entertaining points has made her one of the most popular players on the ladies tour. And while she doesn't have a powerful game or one big shot, she has the wits to outfox many of her opponents which has helped her to the top of the game. However Radwanska's main problem is that she lacks power in her shots, and next to the big hitters she is largely defenceless as the likes of Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka can hit her off the court with ease and her second serve remains very vulnerable as it is very slow. But that's not to say Aga hasn't got a chance as she does, but it would depend again on how her draw will open up and if it works in her favour then she could be in with a shout, but it has to be said its still a longshot. Also Aga hasn't made it past the quarter finals of the Australian open before and that in itself could prove to be a problem, however its still not impossible to imagine she has a chance, but next to the big three it remains a tall order. Prediction: quarter finalist/semi finalist.
Jelena Jankovic
Next up would have to be Jelena Jankovic who last year alone made a strong comeback after having suffered a dip in form for a couple of years and her best result saw her reach the semi finals at the WTA championships in Istanbul as well as the quarter finals of the French open. Jelena while she isn't the biggest hitter in the game, as she is morely a counterpuncher, what she does have is great foot speed and defensive skills which make her a real thorn in most players sides, and that in itself saw her reach the US Open final back in 2008 even though she lost out to Serena in that final. Where Jelena does fall down is in her lack of consistency on serve and she is also prone to making unforced errors, as well as possessing a weak second serve. However Jelena still has an outside chance if she can play well enough, but next to the three big hitters in Serena, Vika and Maria, it will be tough for her power past them unless she plays the match of her life, but you never know. Prediction: quarter or semi finalist.
Caroline Wozniacki
And for my next choice I would go for Caroline Wozniacki, the former world no.1. Caroline even though she was a former World No.1 she has never won a grand slam and unfortunately for her at that time she came under severe scrutiny. However that is not to say that Caroline doesn't have the ability to win a slam as I still think she can do it one day and for me I see as the Andy Murray of the female players, as she has a special talent in taking on the big players and giving them a match. The only real problem for Caroline however is her lack of power, as a counterpuncher so many of the big hitters can hit through her with ease, so more times than not the likes of Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova can make short work of her on the court and blow her away with little trouble. And this in itself remains her key issue as mentally Caroline is a very tough player and she isn't fragile in her build, and if she can up her aggression and power a bit more then she just might be able to contend with the big hitters. So I can see Caroline go fairly deep into the tournament, although she only made the 4th round last year where she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova, but this year hopefully she can go a little further. There is always a danger of an upset or an early exit with Caroline, as has been the case over the last two years since her descent from the top spot, but sooner or later something has to give and I can see her probably make her way back up the ranks in 2014. Prediction: quarter finals.
Angelique Kerber
And lastly I will go for Angelique Kerber who announced herself in 2011 by reaching the US Open semi finals, and she also had an amazing season in 2012 where she reached the semi finals at Wimbledon. Angie even while she isn't a big hitter, she does possess a bit more firepower than the likes of Caroline Wozniacki or Agnieszka Radwanska and she also has great speed and athleticism around the court. Where Kerber falls down though is on her serve as it is inconsistent and her second serve speed is woefully slow and is therefore punishable. Kerber also lacks the mental edge when it comes to the business end of tournaments as she has proven in the past and even in the bigger WTA finals she has reached, she has also fallen short of the mark. And last year in 2013 she suffered a dip in form, with her best result in the majors was reaching the 4th round of the Australian, French and US Open, so she failed to make it into the quarter finals of any of the slams. But sooner or later I'm sure Angie can bounce back and she has proven over the last two years that she is still a player to be reckoned with and she has a chance to go fairly deep in Melbourne this year. Prediction: quarter finals.
Right so that's it for my look at the ladies pick of the bunch, next up is the men....
See you soon.
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