The 16-time Grand Slam champion and second seed Roger Federer is looking to defend his one and only Grand Slam title he won last year and based on recent form, he's the man to beat. His first test may come in the form of either Gilles Simon or Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round, but I foresee him comfortably getting through to the fourth round where an American, either Mardy Fish or Sam Querrey, will likely be waiting for him. 8th seed Andy Roddick, Gael Monfils, and fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka are his possible seeded quarterfinal foes.
Third seed and former champion Novak Djokovic is looking to make a strong start of the year. His early round matches should give him little trouble, with only a possible clash with fellow Serb Victor Troiki in the third round looking interesting. 6th seed Tomas Berdych, 9th seed Fernando Verdasco, and last year's semifinalist Nikolay Davydenko will look to meet him in the quarterfinals.
The 9-time Grand Slam champion and top seed Rafael Nadal is riding a 21-match streak at Grand Slam events and if he wins this tournament, he will be the first man to hold all four major titles since Rod Laver. Other than getting hit with a fever a few weeks ago, he should be match fit. Like other top seeds, he should be able to reach the second week without too much drama. He can meet Marin Cilic or John Isner in the fourth round and then 7th seed David Ferrer, 10th seed Mikhail Youzhny, or even David Nalbandian in the quarters. Nalbandian will first have to get through an insanely tricky first round match against Lleyton Hewitt.
Finally, fifth seed and last year's finalist Andy Murray is looking for a repeat performance of last year and hopefully going one match better. He shares this quarter with 4th seed Robin Soderling and I fully expect to see them clashing that very round. Murray should have an easier time reaching the quarters, cruising his early rounds until a fourth round match-up with Jurgen Melzer, Marcos Baghdatis, or unseeded Juan Martin Del Potro. Baghdatis-Del Poto look to clash as early as the second round! Soderling, who fell in the first round last year, should do better this year with only Jurgen Melzer or Ernests Gulbis in the fourth round to worry about.
Quarterfinals
Rafael Nadal d. David Nalbandian
Andy Murray d. Robin Soderling
Fernando Verdasco d. Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer d. Gael Monfils
Semifinals
Rafael Nadal d. Andy Murray
Roger Federer d. Fernando Verdasco
Finals
Roger Federer d. Rafael Nadal
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