All eyes will be on Andy Murray, to see if the world number one can finally break the Australian Open hoodoo and beat Novak Djokovic, who you know he's going to meet in the final, to the title. While the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic might want to have a say, the two best men's singles players in the world remain the favourites for the title.
Serena Williams is the cynosure of the women's singles, while Angelique Kerber will attempt to defend her title and No.1 ranking.
Here are a few of the players to watch out for the Australian Open 2017 in Melbourne.
Men's singles: Andy Murray: All the pressure is now on Murray. He is the world number one, he won Wimbledon, the Olympic gold medal and the ATP World Tour Finals in 2016; everyone now expects him to show why he should be considered the undoubted best player in the world. The only way to do that is by winning Grand Slams, and taking the title in the first major of the year will be a really good start.
Novak Djokovic: He might have been a shadow of his usual self in the second half of last year, but Djokovic showed he means business by beating Murray in the final of the Qatar Open last week. There is still a lingering feeling of "he is still not quite as his dominant best", but only a brave man would bet against Djokovic reaching the final of his favourite Grand Slam.
Roger Federer: The great man is seeded 17, just 17. So, he will run into seeded players, seeded higher than him, early in the tournament. While playing strong opposition is not something Federer will frown at too much, what will be in the back of his mind will be the injury that kept him out of the second half of the season in 2016. As long as he is fit and ready, Federer is a match for anyone.
Rafael Nadal: Nadal and injuries are as prevalent as a millennial and the word "lol". After another injury-ravaged season, Nadal will hope 2017 is the year he finally plays pain-free. Because, if Nadal is completely pain free, he is an immediate title contender, simple as that.
Stan Wawrinka: The man who always seems to get lost in the "who will win the title" conversation. Wawrinka, though, is the player who won the last hard court Grand Slam title – the US Open – and the Swiss will have no problem flying under the radar again and taking another major.
Women's singles:
Serena Williams: The American struggled towards the fag end of the season last year, but will hope to come in reinvigorated and re-motivated. If Serena plays at her absolute best, there will be only one winner.
Angelique Kerber: The current world number one is coming off a dream year when she won the Australian Open and US Open titles and reached the final of Wimbledon. Having won the two hardcourt majors in 2016, Kerber will be the main threat to Serena (yes, yes, obviously).
Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, Dominika Cibulkova, Karolina Pliskova: Take you pick among these on who will challenge Kerber and Serena. Radwanska always seems to be there or thereabouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals, before not quite being able to take the major step often enough.
Pliskova reached the US Open final, so she will be a definite threat, while Cibulkova has that moxie in her, which can take her deep. Halep is always there amongst the top seeds, but seems to struggle quite often under the bright lights of a Grand Slam.
There is also Garbine Muguruza, but she hasn't quite solved the hardcourt problem yet, while Johanna Konta could be a real threat, with the Brit coming into the tournament on the back of a title win.
