2010 seemed like just another Rafa-Roger year, and in a way, it was.  The top two players in the world have dominated proceedings for so long, one forgets that the competition was hardly at its best.

Let’s take a look back.  Karlovic was injured for half the year.  Tsonga was pretty much gone after Wimbledon.  Simon was gone the first part of the year, and didn’t have a great 2009.  Even Murray and Djokovic had far better 2009 than 2010 with the exception of both players reaching a Slam final, something neither did in 2010.  Davydenko got injured and was never the same the rest of 2010.  And, of course, Juan Martin del Potro only played three tournaments all year long.

A few players made some noise.  Alexander Dolgopolov, Denis Istomin, and Thiemo de Bakker had decent years.  These players were unknown the year before.

This Australian Open saw Gilles Simon playing good tennis once again, and hopefully, it means a return to the top 10, or certainly, the top 20.

But there are a few new names that may rule the roost in a few years time.  Bernard Tomic, once one of the best juniors in the world, has been waiting in the sidelines.  Often likened to US’s Donald Young, Tomic has one huge edge.  He’s much taller.  Tomic is about 6’5″.  If there’s one lesson to be learned from tennis, it’s that height matters.  Donald Young was once number one when Marin Cilic was two and Querrey was not even close.  These days, Young is not even close.  The difference?  Height.  When John Isner and Kevin Anderson finished college, the class of the field was Somdev Devvarman.  It’s Isner and Anderson, towering giants, that have had success, while Devvarman toils around 100 in the world.

Tomic has had tough early round matches, but has yet to drop a set against Jeremy Chardy and Feliciano Lopez.  Chardy and Lopez aren’t exactly world-beaters, but they are the kind of steady players that consistently stay in the top 40.  For a player like Tomic to beat either one, let alone both, shows that Tomic may be ready to move on.  He now has a chance to have a signature match against world number 1, Rafa Nadal, who had a beatdown over Ryan Sweeting of the US.  If Tomic can push Rafa to five sets (admittedly, unlikely), he may have Aussies cheering, especially in the twilight of Hewitt’s career.  Tomic is a bit moody, which hasn’t made him that well-liked, even in his own country, but I think the Aussies will take a winner, when prospects for Aussie men’s tennis looks pretty obscure otherwise.

Another name that is making news is Yugoslav-born Canadian, Milos Raonic.  While his first two wins aren’t nearly as significant as Tomic, Raonic is far more unknown.  Raonic beat speedy Bjorn Phau in the first round, then beat Michael Llodra in straight sets in the second round, which is a far more impressive win, given how unusual Llodra’s style is in this day and age.  Raonic has the easier of the two matches in playing Mikhail Youzhny, but Youzhny is a crafty veteran who made it to the semis of the US Open last year.  If Raonic can somehow beat Youzhny, we may be seeing a resurgence in Canadian tennis.  It’s hard to think of the last good Canadian player?  The only Canadian player of note is doubles specialist, Daniel Nestor.  Oh yes, there was Canadian-turn-Brit, Greg Rusedski from a decade ago.

Speaking of players from the former Yugoslavia, Marin Cilic might be getting back to playing well.  He was another player that the tennis cognoscenti thought might be ascending.  With his defeat of del Potro in the Australian Open, people said 2010 was going to be Cilic’s year.  Except it wasn’t.  2011 might see Cilic returning more to form.  He hasn’t played anyone too tough so far.  He beat junior rival, Donald Young in the first round, and top Colombian player, Santiago Giraldo, today.

Youzhny needed 5 sets to beat Slovenian Blaz Kavcic, but won easily in the fifth set.  Rafa only needed 3 quick sets to beat Ryan Sweeting.  Aleksandr Dolgopolov needed 4 sets to move to the third round, and shows that he might be ready to move up the ranks some more.  And Garcia-Lopez, the last seeded player, beat Schwank the tank from Argentina in straight sets.

Tsonga is looking to close a tight match against Andreas Seppi.  David Ferrer is up early in the first set 3-0 over American Michael Russell in the first round.  Thomaz Bellucci is struggling against Jan Henrych, dropping 2 of the first 3 sets, and barely winning the set he did win in a tiebreak.

Soderling, Isner vs. Stepanek, Nalbandian vs. Berankis, Jurgen Melzer, and Andy Murray are scheduled to play today.