It's that time of the year again when the blue Plexicushion courts gleam ever so brightly at Melbourne Park as hundreds of tennis players wage battles to win the first Grand Slam trophy of the year. There will be tears, injuries and possibly a graveyard of destroyed rackets. But while the outcome is a bit different each year, the pre-game dramas are always entertaining.
The return of Roger Federer, or not?
It is not very often we see the No. 16 next to the name of 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer but, alas, that is Federer's ATP ranking coming into the 2017 season after he took a six-month break from the professional circuit to recover from a knee injury.
At the inaugural tournament of his return, the Hopman Cup in Perth, the man affectionately known as the Fed Express or, perhaps, the greatest tennis player of all, lost his match to German teenager Alexander Zverev in three sets.
His serious all-business persona seems to also have let up after he was caught goofing around playing "virtual bongos" on the big screen at the Hopman, only to incur his father's wrath.
Is this year's Australian Open the fork in the road for the 35-year-old and father of four?
Wedding jitters
The new world of betrothal must be unnerving for 22-time grand slam winner Serena Williams.
The 35-year-old tennis champion was bundled out of the Auckland Classic on January 4 in the second round – one of her earliest exits in grand slam history – just a week after announcing her engagement to 33-year-old tech mogul and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Perhaps the weight of her engagement ring slowed down Williams, who is playing in her first tournament since losing in the semi-finals of the US Open in September last year.
After all, in an interview with ESPN just before Christmas last year, she should have been, in her words, "considered the greatest a long time ago", if she were a man.
The shorn Spaniard
Former world No. 1 and tennis pin-up Rafael Nadal has, like Federer, begun his Australian Open campaign with an unusual ranking – 9 – and an equally unusual hairstyle.
Nadal has shaved off his famous longer locks for a neat little crew cut.
Dogged with injuries and even a case of balding, Nadal has not been his usual fighting self since the heydays of his rivalry with Federer from 2004 to 2013.
Will we see a return of that lasso forehand or is the Spanish master, like Federer, about to veer off into the unknown?
Perhaps his loss to newly minted No. 3 Milos Raonic at the Brisbane International in the past week – his maiden appearance at the tournament – was a sign of different things to come.
Returning
Ashleigh Barty, the young Aussie starlet known for making several grand slam doubles finals with partner Aussie Casey Dellacqua, has returned to tennis.
After successful years in 2012 and 2013, Barty took a break in late 2014 to play cricket in the Women's Big Bash League.
At her comeback at the Brisbane International this month, she lost her singles and doubles matches.
Not returning
And while Barty was coming, Ana Ivanovic was going. The former French Open winner announced her retirement on December 28, after 13 years on the professional circuit.
The Serbian native never made it back up after going downhill post her 2008 win, and became known more off-court for her famous boyfriends including Aussie golfer Adam Scott.
Her inconsistent performance might have led to her saying: "I can only play on if I can perform to my own high standards, and I can no longer do that, so it is time to move on."
But perhaps the 29-year-old just wanted to play wifey to her new husband, German superstar footballer and Manchester United player Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Sir Andy
Will Andy Murray, or, rather, Sir Andy, have new powers on court since being knighted by the Queen on New Year's Day?
The 29-year-old should also be on top of the world after a new daughter, winning Wimbledon, again, and defending his Olympics singles gold.
But perhaps those new powers emanate from his new No. 1 ranking, bumping off reigning tennis king, Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Where is Maria?
The former world No. 1 was last seen sunning herself in Hawaii over the New Year's holiday.
We won't be seeing Maria Sharapova at this year's Australian Open, after she failed a drug test at last year's tournament. The Russian has been suspended from professional tennis until April.
But the Australian Open will be the last major tournament missed by the five-time grand slam champion. Word on the street is she will make her comeback at the French Open in May and may even feature in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
In the meantime, the former highest-earning female athlete has kept busy with some business endeavours. She has been promoting her new line of premium candy, Sugarpova.
Legal tangle
Tennis Australia has shone the spotlight on itself rather than on the gleaming courts of Melbourne Park after one of its former board members and tennis stars, Janet Young, launched a defamation lawsuit against president Steve Healy.
Young alleged her role as a director was unfairly questioned in meetings, destroying her reputation.
She was not the only one. Former player Kerryn Pratt also quit, claiming she has been victimised for speaking out on "difficult issues" while serving on Tennis Australia's board.
Who to watch
Australians Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, who have been denied a trip to the trophy stand, will be brandishing very aggressive strategies on court.
First time in the top four, Canadian Milos Raonic is also one to watch, especially after mastering a new serve-volley game.
Also watch out for Aussie teen Destanee Aiava, who knocked out seasoned player Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the Brisbane International. Other female teens to keep an eye on are Russian Daria Kasatkina and Haitian-Japanese Naomi Osaka.
The Australian Open is on from January 16 to 29.
