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With the first Grand Slam of the year upon us, could we expect a new champion to come up? It is tempting to say yes; after years of dominance by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, this year's Australian Open may well provide a passing of the baton moment.
The Big 3 had a stellar 2018, dominating the Slams and proving to the world that age is no longer a barrier. The younger generation were impressive in bits and pieces throughout the last year, but they just couldn't maintain the consistency at the big tournaments, faltering in the pressure semifinals or finals.
The Australian Open this year has undergone many changes; for instance, there will now be a tiebreaker in the fifth set after 6-6. Marathon matches will soon be a thing of the past. With these changes, will there also be a new champion?
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The Big 3 have won all the men's singles titles in Melbourne since 2004, except on two occasions. Russia's Marat Safin won in 2005 and Swiss Stan Wawrinka in 2014. We have seen only one champion other than the Big 3 in the last decade.
There are many players who possess the potential to win a Grand Slam, but they lack in a couple of aspects when compared with the senior pros:
1. Lack of pressure / big match experience; and
2. Inability to play consistently and confidently throughout the tournament.
Federer had a good Hopman Cup, which he won at Perth with Belinda Bencic, but he hasn't won a big tournament in a while. Nadal is returning from injury. And Djokovic, though he won two Grand Slams last year, lost in the summit clash at the ATP Finals last year and in the Qatar semifinal last week. The Big 3 aren't going to Melbourne in the best of form.
Though Djokovic and Federer seem to still be the favorites, they are far from being unbeatable. On that note, here's a look at the three most promising players to watch out for this year, who have a chance of causing a major upset.
1. Kevin Anderson
The 6 feet 8 inches tall South African has a game which is well suited for faster courts. A player who has a very quick serve and powerful groundstrokes, Kevin Anderson created a couple of major upsets last year.
The most predominant of those was defeating Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He ended up reaching the final of that tournament, where he lost to Djokovic.
In 2017 he had reached the final of the US Open as well, so he is no stranger to big game experience.
Armed with a mammoth forehand and a bamboozling serve, Anderson approaches the net frequently and plays those volleys well. He has a slightly weak backhand, but he compensates for that with his quick movement on the court.
Last year after Wimbledon he didn't have very good results, but he has had a great start to 2019 by capturing the Maharashtra Open. He would hope to carry on from where he left off and capture his elusive first Grand Slam.
2. Kei Nishikori
The Asian and Japanese No. 1 couldn't have asked for a better start to 2019, as he captured the Brisbane International.
Last year wasn't the best of years for Kei Nishikori, as he returned from an injury and failed to win even a single title. But he regularly made it to the later rounds of big events, and qualified for the ATP Finals where he defeated Federer in the group stages.
Yet to win a Grand slam title in his career, Nishikori would love to carry on his Brisbane form to Melbourne and win his first career Major. It won't be easy, but he has the talent and temperament to do so. He has already reached a Major final - in 2014, at the US Open.
A well rounded player with equally good forehand and backhand, Nishikori has a game that is well-suited game to the fast Melbourne hard courts. He would be hoping to become the first Asian men's singles champion.
3. Alexander Zverev
The young German lad Alexander Zverev is considered to be the next big thing in tennis. He is yet to showcase his full potential on the Grand Slam stage, but has already won three ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Zverev produces brilliance in patches and suffers dips in form every now and then. This has affected his consistency, and his immense talent has not been put to proper use yet.
He would like to turn his fortunes around this year. He didn't have the perfect start to 2019, as he went down to Federer in straight sets at the Hopman Cup, and yesterday suffered a hamstring pull that threw his preparations into jeopardy. But he hopes to be fit in time for Melbourne, and would be raring to prove that he is capable of performing well in best of five sets too.
Zverev would love to rediscover his 2018 form, where he won the ATP Finals defeating Federer and Djokovic in the semi-finals and finals respectively. He also won three other titles last year - at Munich, Madrid and Washington.
A baseline player who hits consistent groundstrokes, Zverev can generate a lot of power with both his backhand and forehand. His backhand is particularly considered to be his strength, and he also has the capability to generate fast serves.
Just 21 years old, this youngster has age and energy on his side. If he has a fabulous and consistent two weeks at the Australian Open, there is no doubt he can be the man to beat and a potential title contender.
