Australian Open 2012: Andy Roddick and 5 Men Who Could Be Surprise Winners

With the 2012 Australian Open underway, all the talk on the men's courts is surrounding the big four in Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and, of course, Novak Djokovic. While they deserve the hype, don't be surprised if none of those names wins this tournament.

While those elite talents certainly are many people's odds-on favorites to walk away tourny champion, there are six men that come to mind who could pull off an upset down under. Here are six underdogs who could walk away top dog in Australia this year.

Juan Martin Del Potro

Remember him? Juan Martin Del Potro spent 2010 recovering from a nasty wrist injury, but he's still only two years removed from his US Open victory.

This year the Argentine has been on a comeback tour of sorts, clawing his way back to the 11th-ranked player in the world.

While Del Potro is obviously still only shortly removed from a major injury, other players may see him as less of a threat because of this fact.

The former US Open champion could sneak up on more than a few opponents on his way to a redeeming Australian Open victory.

Milos Raonic

Canadian Milos Raonic may not be the biggest name in the tournament, but he may just have one of the best serves.

Raonic is ranked 23rd in the tournament this year and easily defeated his first-round opponent, Filippo Volandri, in three sets.

At just age 21, the fast server has already become the 26th-ranked player in the world. His ranking was certainly helped by his Aircel Chennai Open win and second-place finish to Mardy Fish in the AAMI Classic.

While he may be young and still developing his skills, it wouldn't shock me to see Raonic make his presence felt in this tournament.

Tomas Berdych

Don't worry if you can't pronounce Tomas Berdych's last name. Just know that he's a force to be feared on the tennis court.

Seeded seventh in the Australian Open this year, Berdych made waves all through 2011. With multiple semifinalist finishes, as well as winning tournaments like the China Open, the Czech looks primed to strike in 2012.

He's defeated Roger Federer three of their past five meetings and can essentially make it to the quarterfinals before having to take on a top talent, most likely Rafael Nadal.

If Berdych can feed off a solid 2011 campaign and continue to impress, don't be surprised to see him win this thing.

John Isner

Like his Canadian competitor Milos Raonic, American John Isner has a serve that may just be the best in this field.

The Winston-Salem Open champion earned the 16th overall ranking in this year's Aussie Open. This rank makes sense considering one of Isner's finer moments last season was appearing in the third round of the tournament down under.

Isner is the third-highest ranked American in the field and will look to continue to represent his country in the tournament by defeating David Nalbandian.

Gilles Simon

Earlier in this list we talked about Juan Martin Del Potro, one of a few men Gilles Simon knocked out of the 2011 US Open.

Simon doesn't enter this tournament with the greatest of winning streaks, with several first-round exits last year, but still ranks 12th among all competitors in the field.

He narrowly defeated his first-round opponent this time in Danai Udomchoke, but perhaps with the first-round monkey off his back, he'll be able to get himself back together and on his way to a Gland Slam victory.

Andy Roddick

American Andy Roddick may be just the 15th-ranked player in this tournament, but the fact remains he's still one of the most respected and threatening tennis players on the men's side.

Roddick was hindered by an oblique injury last year, but don't forget his triumphs in 2011. Roddick finished runner-up in the Brisbane International tournament and won the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, defeating Milos Raonic in the process.

At age 29, there are some who believe Roddick is close to his final years in tennis, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a few more moments in the sun left.

The American easily disposed of his first-round opponent, Robin Haase. As in any of the Grand Slam tournaments, if Roddick gets going early on then he's just as deadly as any other player taking the court.