Australian Open 2013, which offers the biggest prize money purse in the history of tennis, starts in less than a month. The 2013 tournament kicks off on Monday, January 14th and runs until Sunday, January 27th.

Novak Djokovic, five-time Grand Slam champion and three-time Australian Open winner, who played second successful season to end the No. 1 in ATP Rankings, hopes to win the AO title for third consecutive time next month. He won it in 2008, 2011 and 2012.




One of his biggest competitors for the title will be Andy Murray, who won his first grand slam crown in 2012. In one of the best matches ever, Andy, who played remarkable tennis, beat Novak in US Open final in five sets with a 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.



And a great news came from Rafael Nadal team, it's been confirmed that Rafa is ready to return to tennis, confirming Tuesday that he'll play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month following a six-month break to recover from a knee injury.


The Abu Dhabi tournament starts Dec. 27 and will feature a six-man field that includes top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray.





Roger Federer, the current world No. 2, will not join them. He played three exhibitions in ten days. First in Sao Paolo, then Buenos Aires and last in El Campin, Bogota. A busy schedule for all top four players which makes me think that this Australian Open will be more interesting then ever!

If you wanna bet who will be our 2103 Australian Open champion, both TAB and Luxbet offer extensive markets on the AU Open.

I think it is going to be very interesting to watch out top four players at the Australian Open next month.



Ladies also had busy schedules, playing exhibitions in Milan (Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova) and in Sao Paulo (Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki).





My favorites for winning 2013 AO crown are defending champion Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova. I do personally cheer for my Serbian girls Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic!



(Photos/AP Photo, Getty Images)

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