Tennis: Young Guns Can Put Paid to Agassi Era

At the Australian Open, where the withering sun ought to favour youth's early-season fling, it is Andre Agassi, 34 in April, who has diligently pursued an astonishing sequence of success which has seen him win three of the past four men's singles titles at Melbourne. Call him Mr Evergreen.

However, this could be the year when the great man finally turns a little curly at the edges. For he faces what will be the most concerted barrage of attack to have rained down on his shaven head in the new millennium: Andy Roddick, the 21-year-old US Open champion; Roger Federer, 22, the Wimbledon champion; and Juan Carlos Ferrero, 23, the French Open champion.

All three won their first grand slam titles last year, and all are ranked and seeded ahead of Agassi this time. The veteran American will pride himself that thanks to his trainer Gil Reyes he will be as fit as anybody, but it may not be enough now if all survive the first week.

Yet it remains true, as was very much the case last year, that if the younger players fail to find their rhythm or fall by the wayside, Agassi may rush past them all like the searing winds that frequently gust across Melbourne Park.

Roddick reached the semi- finals last year, and in this respect has the edge in experience over both Federer, who has yet to get past the last 16, and Ferrero, a quarter-finalist last year. Roddick said this week that it was Federer above all others who had inspired him to improve his game, notably his return of serve. Federer holds a 5-1 career lead over Roddick and is the more naturally gifted. But the American is not one to tread water: "I feel I gained a little bit more respect by winning the US Open. That being said, there's also a bull's eye on my back every time I go out there now. They'd all love to beat the guy who is ranked No1. But I enjoy a challenge like that."

In theory this tournament should favour a player who played only lightly during the latter half of last year but who was successful. This applies to both Lleyton Hewitt and Tim Henman - Hewitt having led Australia to their Davis Cup victory and Henman having won his first major tournament, the Paris Indoor championship. Neither has reached the last eight of the Australian Open and it is time they did, although of the two only Hewitt seems likely to go the whole way.

However, in recent times Melbourne has thrown up a series of unlikely finalists - Germany's Rainer Schüttler last year, Sweden's Thomas Johansson, the 2002 champion, and Arnaud Clément of France in 2001. Henman has more talent than any of these three, yet outside Wimbledon his nerve has continually failed him.

Of the other contenders Spain's Carlos Moya and Argentina's David Nalbandian, the surprise 2002 Wimbledon finalist, seem to have the best chance. Moya is in form and was a finalist seven years ago and Nalbandian, assuming his wrist does not worsen, is as tough as old boots and came close to defeating Roddick in last year's US Open semi-finals - and went one better yesterday when he beat the American in the Kooyong warm-up.

However, it is difficult to see a winner outside the top four, with Roddick the marginal favourite over Federer and Ferrero, simply because he is the most consistent. This may be one year too far for Agassi.

Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne, winner of two of the past three slams, must have pinched herself every morning during the past week as most of her main rivals have pulled out or gone lame. Just as Serena Williams was the overwhelming favourite last year and duly completed her "Serena slam" of four successive major titles, so Henin appears unbeatable. Both Jennifer Capriati and Serena have stayed at home, and Henin's compatriot Kim Clijsters has been struggling with an ankle injury.

This leaves France's Amélie Mauresmo and Venus Williams, despite the fact that she has not played since losing the Wimbledon final to her sister, as Henin's key obstacles.