Imagine if the Super Bowl was played just two weeks into the season. Or if male professional golfers had to tee it up at the Masters with only a couple of warm-up tournaments under their belts.
It may seem unfathomable, but that’s actually the situation tennis players on the ATP and WTA tours find their selves in with the Australian Open getting underway on Jan. 14.
It can be beneficial to ride the momentum of a good start in the first week of the season on through Melbourne, with some players this decade winning early and finishing up January with a major title in tow.
This year, Roger Federer—the two-time defending champion at the Australian Open—will be looking to repeat his feat from last year of helping Switzerland win the Hopman Cup and following that up with success in Melbourne.