Australian Open 2012: Sleepers Who Will Challenge Djoker for Title

First of all, let's get one thing straight. The chances of anyone beating Novak Djokovic in Australia are extremely low. He's just too good right now, and he's easily at his best on hard courts. 

With that being said, there are a few sleepers who can give Djoker a run for his money and even pull off a big surprise.

Here's a look at a couple of those players.

Gael Monfils

Monfils has only reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament four times in his career, and none of those have come in Australia. Furthermore, he's 0-8 in his career against Djokovic.

So what makes "La Monf" a sleeper for this year's tourney?

He's playing well recently.

In his last tournament in Qater, Monfils knocked off No. 2 in the world, Rafael Nadal, in straight sets. He went on to fall in the finals against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but this was a positive run from Monfils.

Qatar is played on a hard surface, so it appears he's ready to make a run in Australia. Monfils is still just 25, so it's possible his career still has a few upswings left in it. 

Andy Murray

I wouldn't necessarily call the world No. 4 a sleeper, but Murray tends to get overlooked by the "Big Three." That fact could make him very dangerous.

In his last two Australian Opens, Murray has made it to the finals both times. He's failed to even win a set in those two matches, but it's clear he has the skill to make a meaningful run. 

Also, Murray has been playing his best tennis as of late, and he's already started off the year with a victory at the 2012 Brisbane International. Look out for the Scotsman in Australia. 

Alexandr Dolgopolov 

The 23-year-old reached his first quarterfinals last year in the Australian Open, and I think he's ready to take the next step this year.

It's quite the long-shot that he actually knocks off Djoker, but don't forget that he played Djokovic quite well in last year's US Open as he took him to a 30-minute tiebreak in the first set.

Watch out for this kid.