The Australian Open has, for some time, arguably been the men's Grand Slam that has been the one to look forward to the most for the "neutral", because it's proved to be so relatively wide open.
I think that's because a lot of pros gear their entire seasons around building up to Roland Garros, Wimbledon or the US Open (some, like Kuerten back along, seemed to focus exclusively on just one of them) and while the Australian Open is treated with respect, it's just not anyone's primary focus. It has also, until this year, been played on a carpet surface that most equalizes the specialisms of the clay court guys, the grass court players, and the hard-court specialists (although this year it'll be played on a surface very smiilar to that at the US Open, which while good for the hard-court specialists like Federer and Murray, will take a little of the uniqueness away).
So while Wimbledon and Roland Garros have had their succession of Federer-Nadal finals, and the US Open has invariably been Federer against (insert hard court specialist here, Roddick, Hewitt, Djokovic, Murray), we've had Australian Open finalists as diverse as Rainer Schuttler, Arnaud Clement, Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
That suggests that - while the top 4 seeds will still all be expected to reach the semis - realistically any of the top 32 should consider themselves in with a shout here, more so than at the other Grand Slams.
This year's event will also be virtually unique in the modern era for another reason, in that there are no Australian players in the top 50 - indeed, apart from the injured Lleyton Hewitt, none in the top 100. What's the betting that, on a wave of patriotic fervour, some young unknown Aussie qualifier makes it to the semis?
I think that's because a lot of pros gear their entire seasons around building up to Roland Garros, Wimbledon or the US Open (some, like Kuerten back along, seemed to focus exclusively on just one of them) and while the Australian Open is treated with respect, it's just not anyone's primary focus. It has also, until this year, been played on a carpet surface that most equalizes the specialisms of the clay court guys, the grass court players, and the hard-court specialists (although this year it'll be played on a surface very smiilar to that at the US Open, which while good for the hard-court specialists like Federer and Murray, will take a little of the uniqueness away).
So while Wimbledon and Roland Garros have had their succession of Federer-Nadal finals, and the US Open has invariably been Federer against (insert hard court specialist here, Roddick, Hewitt, Djokovic, Murray), we've had Australian Open finalists as diverse as Rainer Schuttler, Arnaud Clement, Marcos Baghdatis and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
That suggests that - while the top 4 seeds will still all be expected to reach the semis - realistically any of the top 32 should consider themselves in with a shout here, more so than at the other Grand Slams.
This year's event will also be virtually unique in the modern era for another reason, in that there are no Australian players in the top 50 - indeed, apart from the injured Lleyton Hewitt, none in the top 100. What's the betting that, on a wave of patriotic fervour, some young unknown Aussie qualifier makes it to the semis?
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