Federer teams up with the Big Three to kick off the Australian Open; who could be the dark horse in the men's singles?

The Australian Open will officially commence tomorrow. Today, a super lineup composed of Grand Slam champions Federer, Agassi, Hewitt, and Rafter took center stage at the tournament’s opening ceremony.

Despite attracting all the top players this year (except for a few like Draper), some competitors did not earn seeded status. Among these, who is most likely to cause a major upset?

Mahach

Anber

The first to mention are these two players who recently delivered a thrilling final for fans in Adelaide. Both are in great form: one is a former French number one, known for collecting tour titles; the other is a Czech star who remains unshaken even against top players like Alcaraz and Djokovic. Both should have comfortably been seeded, but due to the intense competition in men's tennis today and their less impressive results late last season, they missed out.

Dimitrov

Korda

Hurkacz

These three were hampered by injuries last season, causing their rankings to drop dramatically. However, the first two have recently reached finals in Australian Open warm-up events, showing their expertise on Melbourne courts. Hurkacz is considered the most likely to pull off an upset among seeded players, largely because after six months without competition, his near-flawless performance at the United Cup drew much attention. He is no stranger to beating top opponents, having defeated players like Zverev and Fritz at that event.

Berrettini

Perricard

As the Australian Open is played on fast courts, big servers naturally thrive here. Representatives of the powerful servers from the mid and new generation, Berrettini and Perricard, despite their current rankings and form being below their peaks, still possess the ability to disrupt the draw. Notably, Berrettini’s first-round matchup against local favorite Demoliner has already excited the home crowd.

Monfils

Wawrinka

These two stylish veterans will be making their final appearances in Melbourne at this tournament, and their progress will be closely followed by fans. Comparatively, Wawrinka, who showed decent form at the United Cup earlier this year, seems more reliable, though physical fitness remains the biggest challenge for these seasoned players.

Of course, players ranked lower among the seeds are often favorites for upsets. With last year’s Shanghai Masters results—a title and a runner-up finish—Lindgrenich has earned a seed at this year’s Australian Open. Along with his cousin Vasherro, who has gained a fresh aura after reaching a Masters final, it remains to be seen how well they adapt to being seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time when the tournament unfolds.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Chengqiya)