So this is it, the start of the first Grand Slam tournament of the new tennis season and I will be looking forward to watching highlights for the most part this week. With the matches taking place during the night on most occasions, it does mean getting up early to catch some of the matches that have taken place while us in the UK catch our sleep, and then seeing some of the live tennis thanks to the evening session.
I have focused on both men's and women's tournaments with a preview and breakdown of both draws as well as outright picks which can be seen here.
These are my picks from Day 1 of the tournament as the First Round gets underway in the bottom half of the men's draw and the top half of the women's draw gets going.
Stanislas Wawrinka - 8.5 games v Andrey Golubev: The First Round of tournaments can see players ease their way into what is going to be a tough two weeks, especially in the conditions in Melbourne Park. It is going to be hot out there as the tournament begins, which could lead to silly mistakes from players as that affects their concentration.
Stanislas Wawrinka is not normally someone I look to when covering large spreads, but the match up looks a good one for him on paper as Andrey Golubev has struggled for form over the last couple of years.
The way Wawrinka has been playing, he will create chances to break serve in this one, although the Swiss player can also be guilty of dropping his serve in erratic fashion. That is probably the biggest hindrance to him winning this match comfortably, although I think Wawrinka finds a way to come through at least one set with a couple of breaks of serve that sets him up for a fairly routine First Round win.
I will say that Andrey Golubev has a pretty good serve when he cranks it up and finds a rhythm behind that shot, but these players are in vastly different places since Golubev beat Wawrinka in three sets at the Cincinnati Masters in 2011.
Most of Golubev's time is now spent on the Challenger Tour and I think Wawrinka will come through a tight first set and then win this match 75, 62, 63.
Alejandro Falla - 1.5 games v Mikhail Kukushkin: It is only because I don't necessarily trust Alejandro Falla that I can only have a small interest in him in this match, but I do think he has the edge in the First Round against Mikhail Kukushkin.
Falla has enjoyed success on the hard courts and comes to the Australian Open with a Challenger title under his belt on the hard courts in France so his confidence has to be much better than Kukushkin who reached the Final in Moscow at the end of last season but has suffered an injury which has led to 2 defeats to open 2014.
I expect Kukushkin to cause some problems with a decent serve behind him, but the left handed Falla has a decent serve himself and I do think the Colombian is in a better place mentally. However, I don't feel I can be completely comfortable over a player that can throw in some special performances, as he did against Roger Federer at Wimbledon, but also throw in a real shocker so this will only be a one unit play.
Richard Gasquet - 8.5 games v David Guez: Coming through the qualifiers will give David Guez some confidence, but he is facing a compatriot who he would know all about in Richard Gasquet and that can be a tough mental obstacle to overcome.
Like Stanislas Wawrinka, Richard Gasquet had something of a 'break out' year in 2013 where he must feel he can compete with the very best players on the Tour. Since beginning to work with Sebastien Grosjean, Gasquet had improved to the point that beating those he was expected to became a common occurrence, but now he is beginning to take that on and put up big displays against the top players.
I'm not sure he has enough to win a Grand Slam, but it is those performances that will see him come through some of the earlier Rounds at the Grand Slam with more comfort than he has in the past. You would expect this match to be to Gasquet's liking as Guez is not someone that is used to these extended matches and not used to playing at this level.
He hasn't exactly put a stamp on the Challenger Tour either and I can see Gasquet pressuring the serve and covering the spread as long as he keeps his concentrating behind holding his own serve. I would expect a couple of breaks in a single set to get it going and I like Gasquet to get through with a 63, 62, 63 win.
Tommy Haas - 1.5 sets v Guillermo Garcia-Lopez: I know Tommy Haas is coming off a surprise early exit in Auckland but I still think the veteran German player is going to be too good for Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in this First Round match.
It just seemed that Haas was a little off coming off the break in the loss to Jack Sock, but this match gives him a little more time to get into it with the best of five scenario and I think the first match of 2014 will have at least removed the cobwebs.
He is also playing Garcia-Lopez who doesn't have the most efficient serve which gives opponents a chance to break and that can be critical on the hard courts. It hasn't surprised me that he only had a single win on the hard courts last season, although he has trebled that in the first two weeks of 2014.
It was an especially bad year for Garcia-Lopez on the hard courts in 2013, but Haas has a serve that can keep him under pressure and I do think the German comes through in three or four sets. Haas can be a little erratic at times which has cost him a chance to win a Grand Slam, dropping too many silly sets early, but I think he will find chances to break the serve of his opponent which should give Haas the chance to make amends of any poor service games he plays.
MY PICKS: Stanislas Wawrinka - 8.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Alejandro Falla - 1.5 Games @ 1.92 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Richard Gasquet - 8.5 Games @ 2.00 Pinnacle (2 Units)
Tommy Haas - 1.5 Sets @ 1.92 Paddy Power (2 Units)
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