Australian Open 2014: Breaking Down Favorites in 1st Grand Slam of Year

Despite temperatures so hot that a ball boy and one player, Frank Dancevic, fainted on the court, play continued at this year's Australian Open, the first of four Grand Slam titles to be contested on the year.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the favorites survived the first round of play.

On the men's side, everything goes through Novak Djokovic. The men's No. 2 has won this tournament three times in a row and nearly won three Grand Slams a year ago, finishing as the runner-up in both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Djokovic also has the easiest draw, as he won't have to face Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Roger Federer until the final, should he advance that far. Of course, a potential semifinal against David Ferrer is no walk in the park.

Murray is not to be taken lightly on the other side of the draw. He has finished as the Australian Open runner-up in two of the past three years and has won two of the past five Grand Slams, including Wimbledon last year. He could potentially face Federer in the quarterfinals, however.

Nadal is another huge favorite. He won two Grand Slams a year ago and justifiably comes into this tournament as the No. 1 seed. The crafty Spaniard was incredibly dominant a year ago, and he'd like nothing more than to extend that form into this season.

He'll likely face Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals, however—a difficult draw.

And then there is Federer, who has fallen to the No. 6 seed in this tournament. Federer has won just one Grand Slam title since 2011 and clearly is no longer the dominant player in the men's game, but he's still more than capable of making a run through this tournament.

Still, he'd likely have to go through Murray, Nadal and Djokovic to win in Australia, a brutal stretch of play and one he isn't likely to survive.

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On the women's side, you might think it's all about Serena Williams, but Victoria Azarenka has won the last two Australian Opens. Azarenka loves the hard courts at Grand Slams, apparently, as she's finished as the runner-up in consecutive years to Williams at the U.S. Open as well.

Azarenka has a perilous draw, however—No. 13 Sloane Stephens could be awaiting in the fourth round, while either No. 5 Agnieszka Radwanska or No. 10 Caroline Wozniacki could be her opponent in the quarterfinals. Not an easy draw for the two-time defending champion.

As for Williams, she has returned to being the dominant force in women's tennis, having won four of the last six Grand Slam titles. 

Williams' side of the draw is no cakewalk. She'll likely face either No. 17 Samantha Stosur or No. 14 Ana Ivanovic in Round 4 and will likely have No. 4 Li Na or No. 9 Angelique Kerber awaiting her in the semifinals. 

If she advances to the final this year, she'll certainly have earned her place.

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Williams and Azarenka have combined to win four of the last five Australian Open titles, so they are the runaway favorites at this tournament. 

Still, there are other contenders.

Maria Sharapova won this title in 2008 and comes into this tournament as the No. 3 seed. More importantly, she avoids Williams until the final, should she advance that far. The potential of a Sharapova versus Azarenka semifinal is quite enticing, though No. 8 Jelena Jankovic will likely await Sharapova in the quarters.

And the talented players standing between an Azarenka versus Williams final will all fancy their chances. One thing is for certain: It's a stacked draw for both the men and women, and it should be another brilliant tournament Down Under.