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2017 Australian Open predictions

David Gray / REUTERS

Will Novak Djokovic capture his unprecedented seventh Aussie Open crown? Will Andy Murray finally break through to win his first? Will Serena Williams pass Steffi Graf with her Open Era-record 23rd Slam title? Can Angelique Kerber defend her title? theScore's esteemed tennis writers, Joe Wolfond and Michael Amato, are here to help handicap the year's first major tournament.

Here are our predictions for the 2017 Australian Open:

Men's champ

Amato: Novak Djokovic

Andy Murray overtook Djokovic for the No. 1 ranking late last year, but Djokovic owns Australia. He's taken the title in five of the past six years, and his phenomenal conditioning has always allowed him to excel while others wilt in the heat Down Under. Some might say Djokovic is heading into this tournament with some uncertainty after splitting with coach Boris Becker and playing inconsistently late in 2016, but he is coming off a win in Doha where he beat Murray in the finals. Expect Djokovic to add another major to his mantle in two weeks.

Wolfond: Novak Djokovic

There are red flags for Djokovic, and reasons to believe his Aussie Open empire may be ready to fall. He crawled to the finish line after an incredible (but emotionally taxing) first half last season, and this will be his first Slam since 2013 without Becker in his corner. But the world No. 2 has been gifted a cupcake draw (past the first round, anyway), and he's made Melbourne his personal playground the past six years. Even though he hasn't looked the same since last year's French Open - not even in Doha - it'll be tough to imagine anyone beating him here until someone actually does.

Women's champ

Wolfond: Serena Williams

After skipping the fall swing for a second straight year, Serena should be coming in fresh and focused, and though she won't have much time to shake off any rust thanks to a cruel early-round draw, a fresh and focused Serena is still a clear cut above her competition. A semifinal match against Karolina Pliskova could pose problems, but Pliskova may have to get past Aga Radwanska, who has won all seven of their head-to-heads without dropping a set. Serena's coming for sole possession of the Open-era Slam title record, and for the No. 1 ranking Angie Kerber snatched from her at the US Open. She'll be hungry.

Amato: Karolina Pliskova

Pliskova's rise up the rankings will culminate in an Australian Open championship. The world No. 5 impressed last season on the hardcourts and reached the final at the US Open thanks to a win over Serena, before losing to Kerber in a hard-fought three-setter. She did beat Kerber to win the Western & Southern Open before that, though, and is a former Australian Open junior champion. It's all going to come together for Pliskova under the bright lights of Melbourne.

Men's runner-up

Amato: Stan Wawrinka

Anytime you don't have to deal with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Djokovic, or Murray before the semifinals, it's a good thing. Wawrinka has an excellent draw before a potential collision with Murray in the semis, and there's no guarantee the world No. 1 will even get that far. Murray could potentially be dealing with Sam Querrey, John Isner, and Lucas Pouille in the early rounds, before likely facing either Federer or Kei Nishikori in the quarters. Wawrinka's draw sets up much better than Murray's to reach the finals, and Stan's played well in Melbourne of late, winning in 2014 and making the semis in 2015.

Wolfond: Andy Murray

Murray is the world No. 1 (still weird to type) for the first time at a Slam, as he looks to finally end his Aussie drought. He's lost five finals in Melbourne, already the most finals losses anyone's suffered at any Slam without winning it. His three-set loss to Djokovic in Doha showed how little there is to separate the two right now, but I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Djokovic, who I think still has a slight mental and physical edge, plus an easier path to the finals. Expect it to be closer than his last four losses here to Djokovic, but ultimately, expect Murray to complete the dining-room set with his sixth runner-up plate.

Women's runner-up

Wolfond: Simona Halep

There are a few potentially tricky opponents in her quarter (Monica Puig could make for a particularly intriguing third-round matchup, and Elina Svitolina's no joke), but Halep is better than all of them, full stop. Her road to the semis will mostly involve staying out of her own way, and avoiding the kind of energy-sapping defeatist spirals that have plagued her in the past. If she can do that and make it through her quarter, she could meet Kerber, a matchup that's produced some scintillating tennis the past couple years. I think Halep makes it through, before falling to Serena in the final.

Amato: Angelique Kerber

Kerber finally put it all together last year for an incredible season that saw her capture a pair of majors and reach the Wimbledon finals. The defending Australian Open champion was handed a strong draw for this year's tournament, which should allow her to cruise to the finals once again. All that stands in her path is a potential quarterfinal match with the wildly inconsistent Garbine Muguruza, and a possible semifinal clash with Halep, who she's taken four straight sets off of.

Men's dark horse

Amato: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Tsonga has fallen out of the top-10, but he still has the game to beat some of the world's best players. His performance against Murray at Wimbledon last year should be evidence of that, as the two battled in a classic that Murray had to pull out in five sets. Tsonga also finds himself in the aforementioned good quarter of the draw, with only Wawrinka and Marin Cilic blocking his path to the semis.

Wolfond: Grigor Dimitrov

Though Djokovic drew a tough first-rounder in Fernando Verdasco (who had five match points against him in Doha), the rest of his quarter is almost laughably free of threats. But if there's one guy who might be able to disrupt his march to the semis, it's Dimitrov, who's played Djokovic tough recently (despite a 1-6 head-to-head record overall) and could meet him in the Round of 16. Coming off a confidence-inspiring run in Brisbane - in which he beat three top-10 players and won his first title since mid-2014 - Dimitrov appears to have put his struggles of the past two years behind him. His backhand remains a liability, but the rest of his game has looked solid. Could he be turning over a new leaf?

Women's dark horse

Wolfond: Naomi Osaka

Osaka is a budding star and one of the most exciting young players in the game, not just for her ridiculously endearing pressers, but for her great booming groundstrokes, atomic serve, and intimidatingly aggressive style. Her third-set collapse against Madison Keys at the US Open is still fresh in mind, but so too is the fact that she had Keys on the ropes to begin with - to say nothing of her subsequent march to the Tokyo final. If the 19-year-old can bash her way past Jo Konta in the second round, the draw could really open up for her.

Amato: Laura Siegemund

Siegemund's rise produced two third-round finishes in majors last year, including one at the Aussie Open. She also won the mixed doubles championship at the US Open, perhaps helping her build confidence in her ability to play on a big stage. Siegemund could face her first big test in the third round against Svetlana Kuznetsova, but the German should feel confident, having won their most recent meeting in Madrid.

Bold prediction

Amato: Serena Williams doesn't reach the quarterfinals

It was down year by Serena's standards in 2016, winning just one major. Is it possible the rest of the field is catching up to her? That's probably true for some players like Kerber and Pliskova, although it's more likely that the challenge of remaining on top of the tennis world as she creeps closer to 36 years of age is becoming harder to accomplish. 2017 could be the year where multiple other top 10 women's players enjoy a breakthrough.

Wolfond: Alexander Zverev topples Nadal in Round 3

In what should be one of the most exciting matches of the first week, look for the fire-breathing teenager to finish what he couldn't in Indian Wells last year, when he duffed a volley on match point as part of a monumental collapse against the 14-time Slam champ. Since he went into decline after the 2014 French Open, it's been the big hitters who've given Nadal the most trouble, and Zverev can flat-out rip. With a popping serve and a flat, searing backhand, Zverev should be able to break down Nadal and his wonky wrist en route to a big third-round upset.

Match we most want to see

Wolfond: Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray, Quarterfinals

This would just be delightful. After his long hiatus, we don't know how Federer's form will hold up over a grueling week of five-setters, but if he can make it past Tomas Berdych and Nishikori to get to Murray in the quarters, the popcorn will most definitely be popping. The world No. 1 would be the heavy favorite over the 35-year-old, but given Federer's recent head-to-head dominance - five straight match wins, 10 straight sets - a Murray victory would be far from a foregone conclusion.

Amato: Rafael Nadal vs. Gael Monfils, Round of 16

This one doesn't need much of an explanation. The shot-making in an encounter between Nadal and Monfils could be off the charts, and the way both players can defend may mean rallies that last for days.

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