With the Australian Open setting the stage for 2018, a ton of questions are swirling, mostly about the health of the men.

Let’s take a look at the three burning questions that the men’s players will be all about answering:

1

Will Nadal, Djokovic and Wawrinka be healthy enough to contend for the crown?

Possibly the single biggest thing that could dictate how the Australian Open plays out is injuries. Injuries have hampered the men’s game for the last six months and questions over three of the sport’s biggest stars’ health will be the story of the first week.

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How will last year’s runner-up Rafael Nadal recover from a knee injury that hampered his final stretch of 2018?  Will six-time winner Novak Djokovic or 2014 champ Stan Wawrinka be healthy enough to even reach Week 2?

Only time will tell. Wawrinka had knee surgery near the end of last season, but has also been dealing with a shoulder injury. Djokovic pulled out of all the lead-up events, aside from one day of exhibition play.

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2

Will the defending champion make it 20?

One man who couldn’t be healthier—knock on wood—is defending champion Roger Federer. The Swiss looks to be the only top men’s star not carrying any niggling injuries. He'll be chasing his 20th Grand Slam crown.

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3

Can the young stars finally breakthrough?

With so many of the usual top contenders on the men’s side either out or having to battle through injury concerns, this could very well be a fortnight for the youth.

Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios are all gunning for their first major breakthrough.

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Main draw action from Melbourne Park kicks off on Monday.

Three biggest
questions for the
Melbourne men

Three biggest questions for the Melbourne men

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