amiliar names, however, are tipped to take off with the winners' trophies. The following is a list of talking points at the Australian Open:
A pioneering Kei Nishikori blazed a new trail for Japanese tennis with a shock win over World No 1 Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open on Saturday, becoming the first man from Asia to book a place in a Grand Slam final.
Djokovic dropped only three games against Klizan.
Spain's Garbine Muguruza, one of the rising stars of women's tennis, beat Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky to win the China Open on Sunday, her biggest title to date.
The 23-times Grand Slam champion looked a completely different player from the person who smashed her way into the semi-finals of the doubles with Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday but managed to do just enough to beat the 86th-ranked McHale.
Rafael Nadal is hungrier than Roger Federer and is likely to overhaul his Swiss rival's grand slam title tally to become the most decorated player ever, according to former world number one Mats Wilander.
Nick Kyrgios was involved in a heated row in his post-match news conference after being questioned about his behaviour during his five-set victory over Dustin Brown at Wimbledon on Friday.
Top seeds Leander Paes and Raven Klaasen of South Africa lived up to their billing and entered the semi-finals of the men's doubles event at the ATP Chennai Open with a hard-fought win over Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Saketh Myneni.
Spain's third seed Roberto Bautista Agut made a smooth entry into the men's quarter-finals at the ATP Chennai Open tennis tournament with a fluent 6-3, 6-2 win over German Peter Gojowczyk.
Andy Murray moved into the fourth round of the Australian Open in surreal circumstances on Saturday, completing a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Joao Sousa after his father-in-law had collapsed ill a few hundred metres away.
Andy Murray may have a dismal record in the Australian Open final, but he is not the only tennis star to come up short at the majors.
'It's a new era and will be like adapting to a different routine. Moya has come with new ideas and new methods of working that have worked well and we are excited'
Halep through but Stephens exits in Cincinnati
The start to the 13 Tests long season could not have been better for India. A convincing win in their 500th Test over New Zealand with spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja weaving their magic on a turning track to hand India a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq receiving the Test mace for their meteoric rise to No.1 ranking in cricket's traditional format. Also, football took precedence once again, a struggling Manchester United ran riot at Old Trafford as they beat Premier League champions Leicester 4-1. An outstanding first-half performance by Arsenal helping them beat London rivals Chelsea. Other top teams like Manchester City and Liverpool also taking full points.
'007, Why not? Maybe this is the year. Seven in 17. I'm not a numerologist but it sounds good'
Roberto Bautista Agut, the world No. 15, has confirmed his participation in the 20th edition of the Aircel Chennai Open, to be held at SDAT Stadium in Nungambakkam from January 5 to 11 next year.
Ana Konjuh was not a year old when Serena Williams played her first US Open match but both will be in the Arthur Ashe Stadium spotlight on Wednesday, with four gripping quarter-finals to take centre stage at the year's final Grand Slam.
German tennis legend Boris Becker has issued a stringing rebuke against second-ranked Andy Murray for saying that he has been suspicious of his opponents doping in the past and described his comments as "totally out of order".
The 35-year-old Swiss, showing no sign of losing his edge, improved to 19-1 this year, winning the Australian Open in five sets over Nadal, and BNP Paribas Open in straight sets over fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka.
A long year has taken its toll on some of the world's best tennis players but the relentless Novak Djokovic gives no indication that he is about to slacken the pace as he heads to the season-ending ATP World Tour finals in London.
The Australian fell to the floor in celebration after clinching the victory, before sticking a finger behind his ear and asking the raucous crowd to cheer louder.
Williams, a record 23-times Grand Slam champion, will be returning to the All England Club for the first time since giving birth to her daughter last September.
Nick Kyrgios has hit back at Bernard Tomic after his compatriot accused him of feigning illness to skip Australia's Davis Cup match against the United States at the weekend.
Marin Cilic hit all the right notes in a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 win over Kei Nishikori in the US Open final on Monday but it remains to be seen if the big Croatian is another one Slam wonder or perennial threat.
Roger Federer set up a mouthwatering semi-final with Rafael Nadal at the ATP World Tour finals after battling past Juan Martin del Potro in their Group B shoot-out.
Dhruv Munjal on why Novak Djokovic may yet win that highly contested title.
Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Indian Wells and Miami Open tournaments after aggravating the leg injury that forced him out of the Australian Open in January, the Spanish world number two said on Friday.
The latest tennis rankings have been announced by the ATP and WTA
In his darkest moments last year when he doubted if he would ever get back to full fitness following his knee injury, Roger Federer clung on to one thought -- he still had the game to maybe sneak another Grand Slam title.
A gallant Milos Raonic was left heartbroken by his Australian Open semi-final loss to Andy Murray on Friday, having pushed the Scot to his limits before a leg injury took the game out of his hands.
Spaniard Feliciano Lopez showed a compassionate streak in addition to a dangerous serve by apologising to the ball-boy he struck in the groin at the Australian Open.
Timea Bacsinszky has a simple message for women players wanting more of the media spotlight - get better.
Factbox on Switzerland's Roger Federer,
'I feel happy to be part of this rivalry, but at the same time, I played even more matches with Novak (Djokovic) than with Roger in such important matches, too'
Kei Nishikori has shrugged off the pressure of being Japan's highest-seeded player at Wimbledon in the Open era and believes he is getting closer to the levels of the world's top players.
The marquee clash between a vintage Roger Federer and classy Rafael Nadal, the legends of the game will be awaited keenly by the fans as the third leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) begins in New Delhi on Thursday.
With the American men experiencing their longest US Open title drought in the Open era, Venus Williams led the American charge into round two on Monday with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win over Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia.
US Open, the final Grand Slam of the season, starts Monday, August 28, at Flushing Meadows in New York.
Marin Cilic's debut appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals is fast turning into a nightmare after his second consecutive drubbing at the O2 Arena on Wednesday.
Novak Djokovic began his challenge for a hat-trick of ATP World Tour Finals triumphs in London with a 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Croatia's Marin Cilic.
