The world ranking still show Andy Murray as number one and Novak Djokovic close behind at number two. No-one is expecting them to change places with those below them any time soon.
But come the French Open in May, will they be competing in the final at Roland Garros, or will the usurpers, both young and old, take their places?
For Murray, failure in Melbourne was nothing new. He’s well-versed in not winning the Australian Open and it could be that it will be the one major to elude him into retirement.
Djokovic is a different matter. The Australian Open was almost considered personal property, such is the frequency of his success but both were undone by opponents employing aggressive ‘all-court’ play.
The tournament was won by the pre-eminent exponent of the style, Roger Federer. Is his triumph going to see a resurgence in players adopting the same game plan, eschewing the baseline rallies preferred by those at the top of the men’s game at the moment?
We already have ‘Little Roger’ in Grigor Dimitrov, impressive in winning the Bulgarian open in Sofia, while Zverev Alexander, was impressive in winning the Open Sud de France with a ‘serve and volley’ game which rolled back the years.
Murray and Djokovic will be the favourites to win at every tournament they enter such is their dominance but as Federer and Nadal proved, there is plenty of scope for an upset. It helps that the latter pair possess a rare quality which evades the younger generation right now; experience more than compensated for “age-diminished” speed.
For a return to the vogue of ‘all-court’ players, there needs to be sustained success from pupils of the Federer and Nadal Style School. That’s not a given, either.
By breaking the mould this winter, the pair will reinvigorate Teams Murray and Djokovic. Drawing boards will be scrubbed, tactics and techniques relentlessly reworked and practiced. The small army of coaches and staff the pair employ won’t rest until they have found a solution in time for the next major, the French Open.
In between, there are a wealth of minor tournaments to refine their plans and hone the skills developed in the hours of practice. The element of surprise Federer and Nadal had on their return from injury, is lost; the world knows the duo are back in business.
Judicious tournament play may help. Tyros believe they can go on forever; the wiser heads know that peaking for each major is more important. If they are to repeat anything like the success of the Australian open, the pair cannot afford to pick up strains and muscle injuries along the way. Recognising their limitations may be the strongest foundation for future success.
He asked awkward questions of his opponents with his baseline returns. The volley is still strong but the speed of mind with his forehand was more of a potent weapon, pushing the ball in territories which probed his opponents’ weaknesses.
Of course, the question is more whether any of the other top ten seeds can step in and shake the top two’s confidence any further?
Murray and Djokovic weren’t the only ones licking wounds as they look ahead to Roland Garros. Kei Nishikori, probably more than most, is wondering where his first major will come from. Consistently featuring in the world top ten, the Japanese peaked at four, before steadfastly fixing at five.
Having reached the final in Brisbane, Nishikori had high hopes for Melbourne but he fell to Federer in the fourth round. It was a match the 27-year-old knew he had to win if he was to achieve his twin aims of winning a Masters or Grand Slam this year. Falling short begged the sort of questions about his progress which have dogged his career.
It’s a record he hopes to put back on track in Buenos Aires at the Argentina Open. The 250-tournament is fodder for a player of his quality and there is a suggestion that Nishikori needs to play less of these and concentrate more on the bigger competitions.
That’s a charge which can be laid at the door of many of his peers. Milos Raonic is recovering from his adductor injury suffered in Melbourne while Stan Wawrinka withdrew from Rotterdam with a knee injury. Over-playing the minors, the 250s and 500s, exacerbates these issues.
The French Open which seemed so far away is now just three months from beginning. Injuries are part and parcel of the game but ensuring their fitness for Paris is now a priority. Tactical withdrawals from tournaments between now and May are inevitable as they look to time their returns to perfection.
Even so, is anyone looking past Murray and Djokovic to win at Roland Garros? Not many, that’s for certain.