Nikolay Davydenko

QUESTION: Can Nikolay Davydenko break through?

Much like the Kim Clijsters-Justine Henin debate on the women’s side, tennis aficionados are wondering if Davydenko, the sixth-seeded Russian, can become a force at major tournaments, beginning with this event. Davydenko has defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in two separate events over the past two months, at the ATP World Tour Finals in November and again at the recently-concluded Qatar Open in Doha. No one’s playing better tennis at the moment on the ATP Tour, but Davydenko – for all his consistency and excellence over the past few seasons – has never reached a single major final. If he can win best-of-five matches – particularly in a possible quarterfinal against Federer – the one called “Kolya” could finally reign in the land of the koala.

THEME: Sustaining at the slams

Novak Djokovic had a superb 2009 season in non-major tournaments, but the Serbian star wilted in Australia’s heat against Andy Roddick. He sagged under the pressure of the French Open against Philipp Kohlschreiber. Then, he wobbled at Wimbledon in a surprising loss to Tommy Haas. Djokovic did reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open, a very positive result, but the No. 3 player on the planet blew a number of golden opportunities – including a break lead in the first set – to Mr. Federer.

It’s time for Djokovic to show that he can “man up” at the majors.

Juan Martin del Potro won the U.S. Open, but he’s now a marked man on the tour. The Argentine needs to show that he possesses more than a little staying power in his sport.

Robin Soderling shot into the top 10 after his breakthrough 2009 season, but the Swede is also going to receive a lot more attention from his competitors. Many eyes in Australia will be anxious to see if Rafael Nadal’s nemesis is ready to become an even bigger factor at the majors.

And oh, there’s this Andy Murray fellow, too. You might have heard just a few things about his inability to perform at the majors last year. His timid semifinal loss to Andy Roddick at Wimbledon, combined with a far more disappointing fourth-round loss to Marin Cilic at the U.S. Open, made 2009 a deeply disappointing year for a player who excelled in the ATP 1000 events, but couldn’t dominate in the Big Four tournaments that define reputations.

As you can see, many ATP contenders are faced with the need to develop consiste ncy at this year’s major tournaments.

QUESTION: Will we see anything like Fernando Verdasco’s sensational semifinal run last year?

Perhaps Cilic will get on a roll. Maybe Fernando Gonzalez can reprise his 2007 magic carpet ride in Melbourne. Could Jo-Wilfried Tsonga conjure memories of his feel-good 2008 trip to the final? A loaded and deep men’s field could very well unearth a surprising story. That’s part of why this tournament figures to provide compelling theater from start to finish.

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