Australian Open 2012: Serena Williams and Superstars That Need Aussie Success

The Australian Open isn't the year's most talked about Grand Slam event, but it could very well be the most important. A strong showing can help stars like Serena Williams carry momentum throughout the entire season, while an early exit can start a downward spiral a player will struggle to recover from.

Let's take a look at three stars who could really use an extended stay down under.

Serena Williams

Williams will be carrying the family flag for the tournament because Venus Williams had to withdraw due to lingering health problems. The younger sister has claimed the Australian Open five times during her storied career and is one of the favorites to claim the trophy in 2012.

The last thing most fans will remember about Williams is her meltdown during last year's US Open final when she lashed out at a chair umpire for a questionable call.

Sadly, it's not the first time she verbally abused an official and she really needs to make sure her temper remains in check because it's not good for the sport for its biggest star to make headlines for a negative reason.

When she's in top form there are very few, if any, players that have any chance to stop her, but a lack of match fitness could come back to haunt her.

Williams is still my pick to take home the title thanks to a promising draw and her overall dominance when healthy, which she is right now.

Caroline Wozniacki

Wozniacki got off to a solid start with an easy two-set victory over Anastasia Rodionova, which wasn't the easiest first-round draw. She's been criticized for her lack of a Grand Slam title and rightfully so. No player without a major triumph can truly be the game's best.

For Wozniacki, it all comes down to aggressiveness. Her defensive style is enough to survive the early rounds, but it's never going to get her past a player like Williams or Kim Clijsters in the marquee events. So incorporating more offense in her game is essential to her success over the next two weeks.

She did show some of that against Rodionova, which is a positive sign, but the true test will come when she faces her first ranked foe. Will she continue to push forward or revert back to her counter-punching style which has doomed her in the past? Hopefully, for her sake the former. 

The top seed helps her draw as she should face a serious threat until the quarterfinals, but advancing beyond that point will be crucial for her mindset heading into the rest of the season.

Roger Federer

It's been a long time since Federer entered a major with so many question marks. Fans and analysts alike are unsure if the once unstoppable force will be able to rediscover his place atop the sport. He got off to a good start with a quick win over Alexander Kudryavtsev.

There's no doubt that Federer is still one of the game's marquee players and, when he's clicking on all cylinders, can beat anyone on any given day. Surviving the two-week grind isn't as easy as it used to be for the veteran, however.

He's won this title four times, so he's a contender for sure. Whether he'll have enough gas left in the tank to defeat Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or another elite player is a legitimate concern, though.

The next couple of weeks will go a long way in telling us how much of a threat Federer is going to be this season. Anything less than a strong semifinal showing would signal the end of the Federer era in tennis.