He beat Nadal in a five-set final for his 18th Grand Slam title — and his first since 2012 — and later won Wimbledon. This time, Federer breezily walked into the Australian Open drawcarrying the trophy just a few days after helping Switzerland win the Hopman Cup mixed team even. 9 Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open winner who is also returning from injury. And so if the 2017 Australian Open was one for the ages — the revival of the Federer- Nadal rivalry and another Williams sisters final — the 2018 edition is shaping as a survival of the fittest. Venus Williams says Serena is "here in spirit" supporting her in Australia, where she's hopeful of ending an almost decade-long Grand Slam title drought.

Source: ABC News January 12, 2018 04:52 UTC