Australian Open 2012: Roger Federer and Contenders Who Won't Get Past 1st Week

The 2012 Australian Open is now upon us, as the game of tennis has graced its fans worldwide with the opening of the 2012 season.

Through one week of play, four rounds will be played in the men's and women's singles brackets, as several of the sport's top talents will find themselves out earlier than expected in 2012.

Roger Federer, currently the No. 3-ranked player in the world, is one of the handful of players expected to shock the tennis world with an early departure in this year's Aussie Open.

These are Rodger Federer and the five contenders in this year's tournament who will be knocked out of contention before the quarterfinals.

Roger Federer (Ranked No. 3)

Roger Federer is one of the more talented, classy tennis players the sport has seen, as he is not only a top-notch talent, but a player who knows how to win and lose with proper sportsmanship.

Yet despite his passion for the game and the spectacular play he has put together throughout his career, he will be sent home early at the Australian Open in 2012.

With one Australian Open championship (2010) in the last four seasons, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have taken control of this tournament in particular.

In the 2011 Australian Open, Fed had a significantly easier schedule in the tournament, before eventually losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in straight sets.

Expect the great Fed-Ex to face defeat prior to making the 2012 quarterfinals of the tournament.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Ranked No. 6)

Tsonga is one of the stronger up-and-coming players on the men's side, yet he will face bitter defeat prior to the second week of the 2012 Australian Open.

As solid a player as Tsonga has shown to be throughout the course of his career, the Australian Open has been trouble for the talent in more recent seasons.

Last season, Tsonga was eliminated in the third round of play by Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets after holding a 2-1 set lead in the match. It was a tournament that featured 13 sets played, two of which went to a tiebreak.

With the Aussie Open not considered one of Tsonga's stronger tournaments, expect it to be much of the same for the young, steadily improving French talent this time around.

Maria Sharapova (Ranked No. 4)

No.4-ranked Maria Sharapova made a memorable run in 2011 that featured a career-high 43 wins with some big-time play at the Grand Slams.

At Wimbledon and French Open play, Sharapova had several solid performances.

At Roland Garros, Sharapova managed to make the finals in an impressive run that ended in a loss to former No. 8 Petra Kvitova.

Yet when it came to the Australian Open and U.S. Open, Sharapova demonstrated she was not up to the task of taking home a title. At the U.S. Open, she was eliminated in the third round, while losing in the fourth round in the 2011 Aussie Open.

Struggles at both the 2011 U.S. and Australian Open will have Sharapova only continuing to struggle in 2012.

David Ferrer (Ranked No. 5)

Not only is Ferrer a contender in this 2012 Australian Open, but he is also gradually climbing up the rankings and now joins elite company as a member of the top five in the sport.

If one is right on the tail of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray in the rankings, there's much credit to be given to David Ferrer.

Despite an especially solid run in the 2011 Aussie Open—as he would make the semifinals of the tournament—Ferrer will face bitter defeat prior to making the quarterfinals in this year's tournament.

With a fairly unlucky draw with some talented players on his side of the bracket—Richard Gasquet (17), Pablo Andujar and Mikhail Youzhny—Ferrer should find himself exiting by the fourth round in the 2012 Australian Open.

Kim Clijsters (Ranked No. 2)

As admirable and humble a player as there is in the game of tennis, Kim Clijsters is also set to find difficulties overcoming her competition in the first week of play.

Her first match against solid lefty Maria Joao Koehler will be arguably one of the tougher first-round matchups Clijsters could have received, as she will be a tough obstacle to take down early in the tourney.

The other worry for Clijsters has to be the fashion in which she would end the 2011 year. To finish the season, Clijsters won just two of her last five matches.

One of the tournaments during the span was the French Open, where Clijsters was eliminated off the bat in the second round to Arantxa Rus.

With a tough first-round match and a sluggish finish to end the 2011 season, expect Clijsters to fail to get through the first week without facing defeat.