The 2013 season has barely begun but the world’s finest players will soon be assembling at Melbourne Park to battle for the Australian Open titles at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.
Here we take a look at the British players out to make an impression in the heat of the Australian summer.
Men’s Singles
British No.1 Andy Murray will be arriving at a major championship for the first time as a Grand Slam Champion after his historic US Open victory.
Following a career best season, the 25 year-old Olympic champion will be confident of a successful campaign having performed impressively in Melbourne in recent years.
Murray has twice been a finalist on the Rod Laver Arena; falling to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic respectively in 2010 and 2011. Last year it took a monumental effort from the Serb to edge Murray 7-5 in the fifth set of an epic semi-final.
The World No.3 has always been comfortable in Melbourne reaching the fourth round as far back as 2007 when he stretched Rafael Nadal to five sets. Murray will be among the favourites to claim the title this year.
Jamie Baker and James Ward will line up in the qualifying draw as they aim to join Murray in the main draw.
Five years ago, British No.2 Baker qualified for the main draw and took a set from giant Croat Ivo Karlovic. The Scot reached a career high ranking of 186 in June last year.
British No.3 Ward will be making a fifth consecutive appearance in qualifying at Melbourne Park. Twelve months ago the Londoner reached the main draw for the first time, falling to Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic, before going on to claim his first main draw victory at Wimbledon in the summer.
Women’s Singles
Britain’s top two players Heather Watson and Laura Robson will both be seeking to make an impact this year at Melbourne Park.
Watson enjoyed the best year of her career in 2012 and will be hoping for a kinder draw after falling to eventual champion Victoria Azarenka in round one twelve months ago.
After becoming the first British woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon since 2002, Watson ended a twenty-four year wait for a British WTA singles champion when she won in Osaka and then cracked the top 50 for the first time.
Robson also made impressive strides in 2012 reaching her first WTA final in Ghangzhou, after winning an Olympic silver medal in Mixed doubles (partnering Murray) and progressing to the fourth round of the US Open.
The left hander, who turns 19 later this month, was twice a junior finalist in Melbourne and last year came through qualifying before missing out to former World No.1 Jelena Jankovic in round one.
Anne Keothavong and Johanna Konta will be aiming to win through three rounds of qualifying and seal a main draw berth.
British No.3 Keothavong has made three previous main draw appearances in the last four years and in 2011 came through qualifying before stretching Andrea Petkovic to three sets in round two.
Australian born Konta will be making her debut at Melbourne Park after winning her first main draw Grand Slam match at the US Open and subsequently breaking the top 150.
Doubles Draw
Britain will be well represented in the doubles draws with a number of teams ready to impress in the Melbourne heat.
Wimbledon champion Jonny Marray will be making his second Australian Open appearance when he and Brazilian partner Andre Sa line up in the first round.
The British No.1 was in strong form at the end of 2012 with a first Masters 1000 semi-final in Paris before a run to the last four at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. This year he has already reached the last four in Doha partnering Germany’s Dustin Brown and will be inspired by his fairytale run to the Wimbledon title with Freddie Nielsen last year.
Colin Fleming will be pairing up with Jamie Murray in Melbourne. The duo have played in a Masters 1000 and a Davis Cup previously and will be a dangerous partnership in Australia.
Dominic Inglot enjoyed a terrific 2012 season with partner Treat Conrad Huey from the Philippines. The duo lifted their first ATP World Tour title in Washington as well as reaching finals in Houston and Basel. Inglot will be making his Australian Open debut.
Jamie Delgado and Ken Skupski will be making their first appearance together at Melbourne Park after an excellent twelve months that saw them reach ATP World Tour finals in Eastbourne and Los Angeles.
In the women’s doubles, Heather Watson and Marina Erakovic will be continuing their blossoming partnership. The British/Kiwi duo won WTA titles in Stanford and Dallas in 2012 with Watson reaching two further finals with different partners.
Wheelchair
Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne and Lucy Shuker are among the 20 entries announced for the Australian Open Wheelchair Championships at Melbourne Park from 23-27 January, with both players contesting the first Grand Slam of the year for the third time.
With neither London 2012 Gold medallist Noam Gershony nor Lapthorne’s fellow Brit Peter Norfolk in the Melbourne line-up this year, world No.4 Lapthorne will be second seed for the quad singles behind American world No.1 David Wagner and will bid to reach the final for the first time since making his Grand Slam debut in Australia in 2011.
Lapthorne is already a two-time Grand Slam champion, having won the quad doubles in Melbourne for the last two years partnering Norfolk, with whom he won the silver medal in the quad doubles at the London 2012 Paralympics behind Nick Taylor and Wagner.
In the elite field of eight players for the women’s singles, world No.7 Shuker will bid to go beyond the quarter-finals for the first time in a field containing four of the world’s top ranked Dutchwomen.
British No.1 Shuker, twice a women’s doubles runner-up at Wimbledon, will also bid to reach her second Australian Open women’s doubles final in three years, having reached the final in Melbourne in 2010.
Juniors
Katy Dunne will be making her second appearance in the girl’s singles and will arrive in Melbourne at a career high 20th in the ITF junior rankings.
Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart will be making their Australian Open debuts when they appear in the qualifying draw.
In the Boy’s singles, Warwickshire’s Tom Hill will be making his junior Grand Slam debut when he lines up in the qualifying draw.
Keep track of the Brits progress in Melbourne online from Wednesday 9th January and follow @BritishTennis on Twitter and Official British Tennis on Facebook
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