12 January,2019 03:00 PM IST | | Rahul Ramakrishnan
On the eve of the Australian Open 2019, we take a look at some of the usual suspects to take the crown. We also take a look at a few dark horses that can make this Australian Open a Grand Slam to remember.
We check out the usual suspects first:
Roger Federer: The Swiss ace is in better form than his arch rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Roger Federer would love to start off his 2019 campaign with his 21st Grand Slam
Rafael Nadal: After ending the 2018 season early and pulling out of the Brisbane International, Rafael Nadal raised concerns about his participation at the Australian Open 2019. But he shrugged off all rumours by saying, "If I am not feeling good, I will not be here".
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Serena Williams: Serena Williams is back at the Australia Open for the first time after becoming a mother. 2018 was a mediocre year for the 23-Grand Slam champion, with the most talked about issue being her ugly spat with the chair umpire in the final of the US Open 2018, a match which she lost to Naomi Osaka. Can she turn the tables this year and pick up her 24th grand slam title? We will have to wait and watch.
The dark horses consist of a very well known face and a newcomer, a young lady from Belarus and an Englishman in pain.
Aryna Sabalenka: After spending 2018 by climbing the global tennis ranks rapidly, Aryna Sabalenka started where she left off after her breakthrough campaign, becoming the first WTA titlist of 2019 by defeating Alison Riske, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, in the final in China. Let's see if the feisty girl from Belarus can bring down some big names at the Australian Open.
Andy Murray: The former world no. 1 Andy Murray shocked his fans and the entire tennis fraternity recently by stating how he is most likely to retire in the next few months. The English ace is carrying a hip-injury which is giving him immense pain and making it impossible to continue on court. But as they say, a wounded lion always goes for the kill. It will be interesting to watch if Andy Murray can fight through pain and conquer the challenge thrown by the big three, that is Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
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