Australian Open 2012 Scores: Roger Federer and Players Who Need Fast Starts

The start of the 2012 Australian Open brings with a new year of hope for all of the top players in the world. But for someone like Roger Federer, who is closer to the end of his peak than the beginning, it is a time to see just how much is left in the tank. 

Last year was clearly a sign that Federer does not have a lot of time left as one of the best players in the sport. He failed to win a grand slam tournament for the first time since 2002, and in the last two years he has made it to just two grand slam finals. 

His first match is against Alexander Kudryactsev. If he wants to build his confidence and prove that he has what it takes to compete against the best players in the world, he needs win this in straight sets in 60 to 70 minutes. 

That is what he was doing in first- and second-round matches when he was dominating, but things haven't been going that way for him in his "old" age. 

Here are some other players that have to get off to fast starts in this tournament before getting into the meat and potatoes of the schedule. 

Serena Williams

With Williams, the question about her has never been can she dominate; rather, does she want to dominate? When her mind is focused on tennis, she is unstoppable.  

Things will be slightly different for her this year, because she is battling an ankle injury in addition to her own mental instability on the court. 

The skeptics will be out in full force if she struggles early on in this tournament, so it is critical for her to prove that her ankle will not be a problem as she moves on. 

Caroline Wozniacki

The top seed on the women's side, Wozniacki has never won a grand slam event. In fact, she has only made it to one final in her career—the U.S. Open in 2009.

She did make it to the semifinals at last year's Australian Open, so she has had some level of success. But just for confidence's sake, she needs to get off to a quick start. 

A lot of fans seem to think that she is unworthy of being ranked No. 1 in the world because she has yet to win a grand slam, but she can turn all that around over the next two weeks if she plays up to her potential. 

Mardy Fish

Fish represents America's best chance to win a grand slam. With all due respect to Andy Roddick, you can forgive me if I don't put any of this country's eggs in his basket. 

On the other hand, Fish has proven himself to adept at making runs through tournaments before meeting up with Federer, Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic. He is not finding a lot of success at this tournament, however. 

He hasn't made it past the third-round at the Australian Open since making it to the quarterfinals in 2007. He needs to get over the mental roadblock that has prevented him from playing up to his potential in order to make a deep run.

NOTABLE MEN'S SCORES FOR JAN. 16

Rafael Nadal (2) def. Alex Kuznetsov: 6-4, 6-1, 6-1

Roger Federer (3) def. Alexander Kudryavtsev: 7-5, 6-2, 6-2

John Isner (16) def. Benjamin Mitchell: 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)

NOTABLE WOMEN'S SCORES FOR JAN. 16

Caroline Wozniacki (1) def. Anastasia Rodionova: 6-2, 6-1

Jelena Jankovic (13) def. Laura Robson: 6-2, 6-0

Follow @adamwells1985