Australian Open 2014: Experts' picks for the men's draw

2. Early exit

Tomas Berdych

Abhishek Desikan: Tomas Berdych has been in a bit of a rough patch, having failed to win a single title last year. And that drought could continue Down Under.

Adnan Akhtar: Richard Gasquet has had a subdued start to his season and would be my choice to be knocked out early.

Avantika Tikmany: A tough draw and a history of injuries make Rafael Nadal a contender for a possible early exit.

BallnRacquet: This is a tough call to make given that the season is still in its nascent stages. Going by the form so far and his overall record, Tomas Berdych seems to be headed for an early exit at this year’s Australian Open. He could face either of the Croatians, Ivan Dodig or Ivo Karlovic, in the third round. He earlier lost his season opener to Karlovic in Doha.

Musab Abid: What is Andy Murray‘s sate of mind right now? He lost the second match of his comeback from surgery in Doha last week, and more significantly, his play there didn’t really inspire much confidence. Murray will get back to his Slam-winning ways eventually, but the 2014 Australian Open may be too soon for that.

Roh: Despite having telling talent, Grigor Dimitrov has failed to make it count in the Majors, a trend that can be expected to continue Down Under in the 2014 season as well.

Varun Jog: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is coming off a long injury layoff and though he has always performed well at Melbourne Park, he may find it hard to do that so soon after his comeback. He is seeded 10th and finds himself in a tricky section of the draw with a potential third-round matchup against Croat Marin Cilic. Cilic is rejuvenated and raring to go, and I could definitely see him sending Tsonga out early.