Australian Open 2012: Top 20 Players to Look out for as Tourney Progresses

The 2012 Australian open draws are out.

Despite a few absences that will be truly missed, like Andrea Petkovic on the women's side and Robin Soderling on the men's, the field looks pretty complete and competitive.

Although Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova will start the tournament as favorites, it has been a while since the titles are this much for grabs, especially in the men's draw.

In that note, the season of 2012 is set to be one of the most interesting of the past few decades, with multiple major winners and changes on the top of the rankings being true possibilities by the end of the year.

This year's edition of the Australian Open will be the first opportunity for us to observe whether or not this pattern will happen.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the top 20 players—10 women and 10 men—who could make a difference starting this Monday when the main draw kicks off. 

Women's No. 10: Ana Ivanovic

Ana has been away from the spotlight for awhile after being No 1 in the world and winning the French Open in 2008. A loss of confidence has made her struggle ever since.

She is currently ranked No. 22 in the world.

Despite an early exit in the first round last year, Ana Ivanovic is always an attraction for the expectations about her come back as a top player, her charisma and her good looks.

Men's No. 10: Mardy Fish

Mardy Fish deserves attention after what he did last season, finishing the year inside the top 10 for the first time and qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals.

He is fit as ever and will be playing on his favorite surfaces under the tough, hot weather conditions that he so enjoys.

Expect good things from the best ranked American.

Women's No. 9: Sabine Lisicki

Sabine Lisicki is a talented young rising star from Germany and became known after reaching the semifinal at Wimbledon in 2011.

Being currently ranked 15 in the world and having won two titles in 2011—Birmingham and Dallas—she is expected to do well in the 2012 Australian Open.

Men's No. 9: Bernard Tomic

Bernard Tomic is the next great Australian hope. He is only 19 years old and is expected to break through sooner rather than later.

He is off to a good start in 2012, reaching the semifinal round in Brisbane, losing to Andy Murray.

Playing at home with the crowd’s support, Tomic should have a good tournament.

Women's No. 8: Agnieszka Radwanska

This underrated Polish player is as steady as they come and is always a tough opponent to be beaten on any surface.

She is the eighth best player in the world and reached the quarter final round last year in the Australian Open, losing to Kim Ckijsters.

Flying under the radar, as usual, she could cause some damage in 2012.

Men's No. 8: Milos Raonic

Milos Raonic became known to the tennis world at the 2011 Australian Open, when he went through the qualifying tournament and reached the round of 16 in the main draw.

At age 21, he is one of the next big things expected to happen in professional tennis in the short term.

Expect a good run from the Canadian.

Women's No. 7: Li Na

Li Na’s breakthrough happened exactly in the last year’s edition of the Australian Open, where she reached the final before falling to Kim Clijsters.

She went on later in the season and captured her first major at the French Open, becoming the first Chinese player to ever do so.

Li Na is currently ranked No. 5 in the world and it will be interesting to see how she will handle the pressure of defending all the points she won there last year.

Men's No. 7: Juan Martin Del Potro

There is great expectation on Juan Martin Del Potro, not only in the Australian open but also for the season as a whole.

The big hitting Argentine stunned the world in 2009, winning the US Open beating the dominating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the time. Unfortunately a wrist injury left him out of the circuit for a year and he couldn’t even defend his title in New York in 2010.

Delpo is back in top form and playing on his favorite surface in Australia should push him through he later rounds.

Women's No. 6: Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka is the third best player in the world, according to the WTA ranking.

She is always a contender despite the fact that she has yet to win a major title.

Last year she lost to eventual finalist Li Na in the round of 16 and is expected to do better in 2012 playing on her favorite surface.

Men's No. 6: David Ferrer

David Ferrer is one of the toughest competitors on the tour and the greatest example of how to make the most out of one’s game.

The Spaniard finished last year as the fifth best player in the world behind only the big four who have been dominating tennis for awhile.

Ferrer reached the semifinal in the Australian Open 2011, falling to Andy Murray, and proved to be strong on hard surfaces as well as on clay. His mental toughness and fighting spirit could take him a long way in the tournament again.

Women's No. 5: Vera Zvonareva

Vera Zvonareva went from being a strong player to being an elite player after she worked on her mental toughness and managed to be emotionally balanced on the court.

She is currently ranked No. 7 in the world and reached the final of both Wimbledon and Australian Open in 2012.

Last year she reached the semifinal, losing to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. She feels comfortable on hard surfaces and is a candidate for a good run in 2012 at the Australian Open.

Men's No. 5: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The Frenchman started the year winning the title in Doha and is showing signs of being in great form lately.

The Australian Open is the tournament that introduced Tsonga as an elite player when he reached the final in 2008. He surely feels comfortable there and could make a statement.

Women's No. 4: Caroline Wozniacki

Caroline Wozniacki held the No. 1 spot in the WTA ranking for one more year in 2011 without capturing her first major.

While facing a lot of criticism and pressure, she should lose the top spot in the ranking very soon, which paradoxically could work in her favor as it will take her away from the “number one without a major” discussion.

She is not the favorite for the title in Australia but it will be interesting to see how she will handle this critical moment of her career.

Men's No. 4: Rafael Nadal

Rafa Nadal showed vulnerability for the first time last season when he became Novak Djokovic’s customer.

After saying that he lost his motivation for awhile he came back and said he got it back.

It will be interesting to see what the tough Spaniard can do in the tournament.

Women's No. 3: Samantha Stosur

Sam Stosur won her first major last year at the US Open, which creates great expectations for her performance in Australia, which is played on the same surface.

She did not have a good run last year, being ousted by Petra Kvitova in the round of 32.

If she can handle the pressure of playing at home and uses this as an advantage, she could go far in 2012.

Men's No. 3: Andy Murray

Andy Murray made a smart move hiring tennis legend Ivan Lendl as his coach for this season.

Lendl seems like a good fit for Murray in every aspect, especially when it comes to being able to show his new pupil the shortcuts for a major title.

Andy has been in the final twice down under and with the help of the new coach can and should have a great run in the tournament.

Women's No. 2: Kim Clijsters

Defending champ Kim Clijsters has a special relationship with Australia as she is well liked there by the fans since the days when she dated Lleyton Hewitt.

She is the second most accomplished player in the draw this year.

Clijsters had health issues during great part of 2011. If she manages to be healthy, she is always a candidate to the title.

Men's No 2: Roger Federer

This season is probably Roger Federer’s last chance to win a major title and definitely his last chance to win an Olympic gold medal.

After dominating tennis in the second half of last year, despite the absence of the other his four rivals in top form, he sent a message as for in what kind of shape he will be in this tournament.

Expect the Swiss to treat this Australian Open as if it were his last and have a great run.

Women's No. 1: Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova will surely and shortly be the next No. 1 player in the world. This could happen right after the Australian Open.

Last year she won Wimbledon and the WTA Championships establishing herself as a top force in women’s tennis.

Petra Kvitova is the clear favorite to winning the 2012 Australian Open.

Men's No. 1: Novak Djokovic

The eyes of the tennis world are all on Novak Djokovic, at least for the first part of the season.

The Serbian will be under a lot of pressure to live up to the expectations and to defend all the points he won last year.

However, he is in top form and goes in as the favorite, seeded No. 1.