Ten Grand Slam winners will be in Melbourne next week and, even though the Australian Open often throws up a host of shocks, there is only one question on most people's lips this time.

Can anyone stop Roger Federer [Images]?

The defending champion returns to Melbourne Park in imperious form, with three of the four Grand Slams in his possession, 21 consecutive competitive victories, a huge lead at the top of the rankings and wins in his past 14 finals.

The 23-year-old Swiss swept all before him in 2004, landing 11 titles, including the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the US Open and the Masters Cup.

Not surprising, then, that he is full of confidence as he returns to the scene of his victory over Russian Marat Safin [Images] 12 months ago.

"It's going to be very interesting for me to come back as defending champion and try to do it all again," Federer said.

"I had a great end to 2004, I've had a good start to 2005, everything's going well and I think it's going to need a good player to beat me in the Australian Open."

Safin, Andy Roddick [Images] and Lleyton Hewitt [Images] are among those hoping to dethrone Federer, but the Swiss won all his matches against top-10 players last year.

CHASING PACK

Despite Federer's supremacy, several of the chasing pack go into the year's first Grand Slam in good form.

Third seed Hewitt, bidding to become the first Australian winner since Mark Edmondson in 1976, showed signs of his best in the warm-up events in Adelaide and Sydney.

The former Wimbledon and US Open champion climbed back to number three in the rankings last year, reaching the final at Flushing Meadows, and lost to Federer in three of the four Grand Slams.

In spite of a wealth of pressure from an expectant home crowd and though he has never gone beyond round four, Hewitt believes Federer may not have it all his own way.

"There's always going to be a couple of outside guys there causing trouble," he said after naming Roddick and Safin as the biggest threats.

"Carlos Moya [Images] is going to be tough to beat and there's a handful of guys...you never know if the draw is going to open up in the second week as well."

Safin went into last year's event as the world number 86 after a succession of injuries in 2003. He stunned Roddick and Andre Agassi [Images] to reach the final, and then ended the year with back-to-back Masters Series titles in Madrid and Paris.

GOOD HEART

Back in the world's top four, the Russian, whose only Grand Slam crown came at the US Open in 2000, enjoyed a good week's practice at Melbourne Park, putting him in good heart for another run at the title, having also lost to Thomas Johansson in the 2002 final.

"It will give me a little more confidence when I get back and win a couple of matches," Safin said.

"But I'm pretty confident. I'm very confident of playing well."

Roddick, seeded two in Melbourne, will be hoping to forget a disappointing end to 2004, when he lost in the semi-finals of the Masters Cup and was part of the US team beaten by Spain in the Davis Cup final.

"We play mind games with ourselves and tell ourselves all the time but I definitely feel like I had a good off-season," he said.

"I spent more time on court this off-season than I have before so I'm excited. I am really, really excited about the upcoming year."

Briton Tim Henman and Argentines Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian are also among the contenders for the title.

But four-times champion Agassi, who was considered one of the favourites, is a doubtful starter after suffering a hip injury in the warm-up event in Kooyong.

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