As the Australian Open begins in Melbourne, pressure is mounting for some of the key players.

Rafael Nadal no doubt carries the biggest pressure as he will be fighting to keep his place at the top. He is also attempting to hold all four Grand Slams at once, and if he succeeds, he’ll be only the third player ever to have done it.

Rod Laver, whom the arena at Melbourne Park was first named after, and Don Budge are the only two other players who have ever managed such a massive triumph. So of course this is a huge stress on Nadal as a victory will go down in history. And he’s only 24.

But Rafa has commented that he feels under no more pressure than usual, and said that the pressure is the same at every Grand Slam event. He also said that winning a fourth Grand Slam is not on his mind, and he is solely thinking about playing well.

Federer who currently holds 2nd place already seems to think that Rafa will win. He reportedly said that Rafa deserves to win, “He deserves it, he’s number one, he’s going for four in a row”. And it would seem that both Federer and Rafa should be at least a little worried with the current strength of Serbian player Djokovic.

Of course, everybody involved is feeling the stress, including Sam Stosur who is the Australians’ favourite for the women’s tournament. The fact that she is the favourite for her country undoubtedly carries a lot of pressure with it.

The pressure is reportedly off Andy Murray though, as he has been playing some of the best tennis that he has ever played, but is yet to win. He made a comment about the rankings “I don’t think it really makes a whole lot of difference where you’re seeded”.

But Murray has had a stroke of luck this year with news that he will not be playing the big boys until at least the semi finals. He is in different quarters to Djokovic, Federer and Nadal. Instead he is set to play Soderling, who currently holds the 4th place in the world rankings. But his work is truly cut out if he gets to the finals as he’s likely to be up against one of the three very strong players.

And of course for most of the players, this is the tournament that they’ve been awaiting eagerly, and so have the fans. It seems that everybody knows that we’re in for a real nail biting tournament, and it looks like we’ll all be on the edge of our seats for this one.

But the pressure on the players might just get them playing some of the best tennis we’ve ever seen as they battle it out for the title which is currently held by Federer. It’s going to be hot, it’s going to be tense, and it will be a thoroughly enjoyable championship for everyone to be a part of.