James Martin
Editor-in-Chief

Nikolay Davydenko: Fresh off his title run in Doha, where he beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Davydenko is playing the best tennis of his career. No longer just content to be a backboard, he’s going for winners and putting pressure on his opponents. It won’t be an easy road to the title—he’ll likely face Federer in quarters, Novak Djokovic in semis and Nadal or Juan Martin del Potro in final—and he’ll need to prove he can handle the best-of-five format for two weeks. But this could be his best shot for a major.

Kim Clijsters: There are a number of wild cards, metaphorically speaking, in the women’s draw: Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Melanie Oudin in the top half, and Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina in the bottom. Will any of them find their form, or flame out? Serena probably stands the best chance among this group, but it’ll be the tour’s most consistent and driven player of the moment, Clijsters, who’ll add to her Grand Slam trophy collection in Melbourne.

Steve Tignor
Executive Editor

Novak Djokovic: He won this tournament two years ago, he came on strong at the end of 2009, and he says he’s learned his lesson about the Australian summer heat. Most important, he has the clearest road of any of the Top 6 players.

Kim Clijsters: She may have to conquer her personal demon, Justine Henin, or get past the occasionally dangerous Elena Dementieva. But the U.S. Open champ should like this bouncy surface, and she’ll only have to go through one of the Williams sisters to claim the title. Aussie Kim may finally get an Aussie Open.

Sarah Unke
Managing Editor

Nikolay Davydenko: With its stable of surprise men’s finalists, the Australian Open seems to be Davydenko’s best hope for winning a Slam. And with the way he’s been playing, maybe this is his year. He won the World Tour Finals to finish 2009 and defeated both Federer and Nadal a week ago in Doha. His workhorse style should also fit in nicely on Melbourne’s slower hard courts. Look for Davydenko to make a run, but don’t be too surprised if it doesn’t happen for him. He’s proven to be more of a tour-event player—in nine years, the furthest he’s gotten at a major is the semifinals.

Maria Sharapova: One of the game’s toughest and most audible competitors was missing on the winner’s stand for most of 2009, but look for Sharapova to make a comeback Down Under. While everyone’s watching a pair of Belgians in her half of the draw, Sharapova will have the chance to stealthily make it through to the second week. And as the matches get bigger, her shrieks will get louder. She’s won here before, and after so much time away, I have a feeling she’s ready to pose with a Slam trophy again.

Peter Bodo
Senior Editor

Andy Murray: I'm going with Murray because I believe he learned a lot about what he needs to do at a major in a somewhat disappointing 2009. Davydenko may be the flavor of the month and Federer may be the favorite at any Grand Slam he enters (and justly so), but the combination of this surface and Murray's record of figuring out the game as he goes along is about to pay off.

Kim Clijsters: I like Clijsters. She plays a physical game, and pressing the action from the baseline can really pay off at this event—if you're willing to move in to take advantage of the short ball. I think her Belgian rival Henin may have trouble standing up to the grind of a Grand Slam event under potentially brutal heat conditions. The big threat to Kim is Serena, but I can pick here because at face value it's such a no-brainer. Got to keep things interesting, right?

Tom Perrotta
Senior Editor

Rafael Nadal: Nadal’s victory here last year was no aberration: When he’s playing well, he’s the best player in the world. After a difficult second half of 2009, it’s time for the real Nadal to reemerge. The defending champion has a tough draw, including some early-round firepower (possibly John Isner and either Radek Stepanek or Ivo Karlovic) and a possible quarterfinal against Murray. I was impressed with his early season form, though, and even more so with his confidence, despite the lead he let slip away against Davydenko in Doha.

Maria Sharapova: Serena, Venus, Kim, Justine—oh my. Women’s tennis is back, but I’m not picking one of the Big Four to win. At this year’s Australian Open, Sharapova is going to find the game that won her the 2008 title. Sharapova, who returned to her old service motion at the end of last season, with good results, has a reasonable draw. After a tough first-round match against Maria Kirilenko, she could face Dominika Cibulkova in the third round and then Safina in the fourth round (Safina faded at the end of 2009 and is a weak No. 2 seed). Look for a semifinal pitting Sharapova against Clijsters, Henin, or Dementieva.

Bill Gray
Senior Editor

Nikolay Davydenko: The Rodney Dangerfield of the men’s tour will finally get some respect. I’m going with Davydenko just because he’s the hottest player in the show, with back-to-back wins over Federer, three in a row over Nadal, and a win each over del Potro and the Djokovic. And, puh-lease, don’t say these guys were just having bad days, because while nobody was paying “Mr. Invisible” much attention, Davydenko has raised his game in the past six months by adding some defensive smarts to his fireball offense, and he’s even carving up some deft point-ending volleys at the net.

Serena Williams: Henin probably won’t be ready for prime time until the French and Venus is past her prime. Maria Sharapova still hasn’t shown she can shoulder a comeback. And don’t expect much from the Choker Quintet of Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic, Jankovic, Safina, and Vera Zvonareva. Clijsters doesn’t have it in her to make it two Slams in a row. Which leaves us with…Serena. She’ll lend a deaf ear to the boo-birds and zero in on successfully defending her title.

Sarah Thurmond
Associate Editor

Nikolay Davydenko: I’m going out on the crazy limb with the men’s draw. Marcos Baghdatis will meet Federer in the fourth round, and in one of those fluky situations where a player who has never beaten the Maestro ends up beating him, Bagdhatis will win. He’ll face Davydenko next. If Davydenko can channel Oudin and believe, he’ll beat Bagdhatis and follow that up with a win against Djokovic in the semis. Meanwhile, del Potro will beat Andy Roddick and, in the semis, Nadal. The final: Davydenko believes in himself, and beats del Potro.

Maria Sharapova: If she can stay healthy, Victoria Azarenka will defeat Serena in the quarters. She beat Williams last year in the Miami final, and I think she can win again in Melbourne. Azarenka will then go on to beat Venus in the semis to reach her first Grand Slam final. On the other side of the bracket, Clijsters will prevail against Henin in the quarters, then meet a tough semifinal opponent in Sharapova. The Russian will close the book on the Belgian’s Cinderella story. The final: Sharapova beats Azarenka in a tough three-setter.

David Rosenberg
Photo Editor

Rafael Nadal: The defending champion has a lot riding on this year’s Open, but should rise to the occasion. What about Roger, you say? Once Federer loses to someone he regularly handles, he seems to lose to them a few times in a row. I think Davydenko knows that, and will be ready to end the Swiss' semifinal streak in the quarters.

Kim Clijsters: Who would have guessed Clijsters would be ready to take home two Slams in a row? She’ll probably play the other comeback player, Sharapova, in the final. Venus, who seems to lose early and often in Melbourne, could do it again in the first round against Lucie Safarova.

Abigail Lorge
Managing Editor, TENNIS.com

Novak Djokovic: His retirement in the quarters last year was not his finest moment, but the 2008 Aussie Open champ is too talented to be a one-hit wonder. I like him to beat Federer in a rematch of their semifinal two years ago, then take it all.

Svetlana Kuznetsova: It's hard to pick against Serena, the four-time and defending Aussie champion, but I think 2004 U.S. Open winner and reigning French Open champ Kuznetsova will collect her third major in Melbourne.

Ed McGrogan
Assistant Editor, TENNIS.com

Roger Federer: Federer’s most difficult test through the first four rounds might be in his opening match against Igor Andreev, who took the Swiss to five sets at the 2008 U.S. Open. Roger shouldn’t have as much trouble this time around—does he ever, early on in majors?—and then, come quarterfinal time, he’ll reassert his superiority over Davydenko. From then on, it’s a crapshoot, but I’ll side with experience—and no one has more of it at the Slams than Federer.

Kim Clijsters: The safe pick is Serena; the trendy pick is Henin—but the smart pick is Clijsters. The comeback mom proved she can handle the rigors of a major by winning the U.S. Open in commanding fashion, dropping just two sets. She won’t catch anyone off guard in Melbourne, but that’s ok: She’s arguably the top player in the game right now anyway. Clijsters is in a tough quarter and could very well meet Henin in the quarterfinals, but I like the Belgian with the two-handed backhand to advance, and to win her second straight Slam.