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It is safe to say that Melbourne Park will be the most happening place in the world when the 2022 Australian Open finally kicks off on January 17.
Several players will fight to lift the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup at the event which culminates at Rod Laver Arena on January 30.
The men's singles category of the 110th edition of the tournament will be without some of the biggest names in the sport's history. Roger Federer has opted to skip the tournament, as have former champion Stan Wawrinka and 2020 US Open winner Dominic Thiem.
Meanwhile, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic's future in the tournament remains just as muddled with only five days left before it kicks off.
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But the next generation of ATP players have risen from their slumber in recent times. Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will be eager to topple the Big 3's era of dominance and usher in one of their own.
Rafael Nadal and Gael Monfils have begun their year with titles under their belt, announcing that they too are not to be counted out just yet. Andy Murray has come into the tournament as a wildcard and will look to be a nightmare draw for every top-ranked player.
But these are the names that are always discussed prior to the beginning of every Grand Slam. What about those who have largely flown under the radar all this while? Who could potentially spring a surprise or two at the first Grand Slam of the year?
Without further ado, here are three players who could be considered dark horses for the 2022 Australian Open:
#3 Carlos Alcaraz
At just 18 years of age, Carlos Alcaraz is touted to be the "next Rafael Nadal." He is the biggest player to come out of Spain since the 13-time Roland Garros winner.
In 2021, Alcaraz climbed over 100 spots to finish the year as the World No. 32. He reached the quarterfinals or better at five different ATP tour tournaments and also won two ATP tour titles, including the year-end ATP Next Gen Finals.
At the Australian Open last year, Alcaraz made his debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam and progressed to the second round before falling to Mikael Ymer. This time around, the 18-year-old is the 31st seed and is capable of making a much deeper run into the tournament.
At the 2021 Vienna Open, Alcaraz disposed of Murray and World No. 7 Matteo Berrettini on his way to the semifinals. He followed it up by stunning Cameron Norrie and Tsitsipas to reach as far as the quarterfinals in the US Open.
Both these tournaments were played on hardcourts, so there is no doubt regarding Alcaraz's capabilities on the surface. With an easier draw, he is all but guaranteed to improve on his performance from last year. Alcaraz may even send a few favorites packing if a few things go in his favor at the Australian Open.
#2 Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz broke into the top 25 for the first time in his career in 2021 and also received the distinction of becoming the USA's top-ranked ATP player. Based on the form he exhibited during the second half of last season, that record is set to improve this year.
2021 saw Fritz drop from World No. 29 all the way down to World No. 42 before climbing up 19 spots. He reached the quarterfinals or better in seven different tournaments. Most notably, Fritz made it to the final at St. Petersburg, but ended up losing to World No. 29 Marin Cilic.
At the Australian Open last year, Fritz progressed to the third round and stretched Djokovic to five sets, even coming back from two sets down. But the Serb ultimately proved to be too good in the end. This time around, Fritz is seeded No. 20 at the tournament.
In the recently-concluded ATP Cup, the 24-year-old played some of the best tennis of his life to defeat Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime and Great Britain's Norrie. Both players are currently ranked better than the American and the victories will be a massive boost ahead of the first Grand Slam of the season.
His form, combined with his dominant serve, is a good recipe for an upset at the Australian Open.
#1 Hubert Hurkacz
Hubert Hurkacz made his breakthrough in 2021, winning his maiden ATP Masters title and cracking the top 10 for the first time in his career. He also reached his first Grand Slam semifinal last year at Wimbledon, and is more than capable of repeating the same at the 2022 Australian Open.
The Pole climbed 26 spots from World No.35 to finish the year as the World No.9. Hurkacz reached the quarterfinals or better in seven different tournaments and won three ATP titles, all of them coming on hardcourt.
At the Australian Open last year, he suffered a shock defeat in the first round against Mikael Ymer. However, on current form, the 24-year-old should be able to make a deeper run and will have his sights set on the second week of the tournament.
Representing Poland in the recently-concluded ATP Cup, Hurkacz won all three of his singles ties in the group stage. This included a rout of World No. 13 Diego Schwartzman in straight sets. He went on to lose a closely-contested match against Roberto Bautista Agut in the semifinals, which went to a third-set tiebreaker.
He will be seeded tenth at the Australian Open this year and will be eager to put in a performance that lives up to his billing. Hurkacz has all the weapons at his disposal to do so and could cause quite a few upsets in Melbourne.
