Juan Martin Del Potro kicks off his bid for a first Australian Open title on day one against France's Adrian Mannarino.
Del Potro has never really performed to his full potential in Melbourne. The further he's ever got has been the quarters back in 2009 but he's got the game to win a handful of Aussie Open titles at some stage in his career. Obviously the past two Aussie Opens have been a bit of a washout for the Argentine due to injury. He suffered a serious wrist injury at the tournament in 2010 and was in the early stages of his comeback at the event last year.
However Del Potro's form at the end of 2011 suggests he could be a serious contender over the next fortnight. The 11th seed hasn't enjoyed the best preparation though, losing in the Sydney quarters last week to an inspired Marcos Baghdatis.
He'll be happy with his draw though which could see him taking on eighth seed Mardy Fish in the last sixteen, a very winnable encounter for the Argentine.
Mannarino beat him at Queens Club last summer in two tiebreaks but Del Potro is far more comfortable on hard courts and the Frenchman has since slipped to 87 in the rankings. He's hardly sparkled in 2011, losing first round in Brisbane and second round in Auckland.
Prediction: Del Potro in straight sets.
