Watch List: Juan Martin del Potro returns, final Aussie Open tune-ups

The Watch List highlights the must-know storylines for the upcoming week in tennis. This week, Juan Martin del Potro makes his return at the Sydney

Courtney Nguyen | Jan 10, 2015

Watch List: Juan Martin del Potro returns, final Aussie Open tune-ups /

The Watch List highlights the must-know storylines for the upcoming week in tennis. This week, Juan Martin del Potro makes his return at the Sydney International as the final tune-ups for the Australian Open get underway.

Sydney International

[Complete men's draw] [Complete women's draw]

Top 5 predictions, comparing Halep and Sanchez Vicario and more mail

Men

Fabio Fognini and David Goffin are the top two men's seeds in Sydney but the big story is the return of Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine pulled out of last week's Brisbane International but returns to Sydney to defend his title and prepare for the Australian Open. He opens against Sergiy Stakhovsky and could play top seed Fognini in the second round. Sydney also sees the return of Nick Kyrgios, who withdrew from Hopman Cup due a back injury. It will be Kyrgios' first tournament since September. He plays Jerzy Janowicz in the first round.

Women

It's a much deeper field on the WTA side, with No. 3 Simona Halep and No. 4 Petra Kvitova topping the field. There are plenty of first round matches to keep an eye on, with Caroline Wozniacki playing Barbora Zahalavova Strycova, Agnieszka Radwanska playing Alize Cornet, and Madison Keys against Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Heineken Open

[Complete draw]

Ernests Gulbis lead the field in Auckland. John Isner and Gael Monfils announced their withdrawals late last week, with Isner citing fatigue from Hopman Cup and Monfils citing personal reasons. Dominic Thiem also starts his season here this week. Top seed David Ferrer withdrew after winning the Qatar Open.

Hobart International

[Complete draw]

Casey Dellacqua and Zarina Diyas are the top two seeds in Hobart. Sloane Stephens, Alison Riske, Lauren Davis, and Christina McHale are also in the draw

Australian Open draw ceremony

The draw ceremony will take place on Friday in Melbourne.

[This post has been updated]

Published Jan 10, 2015

COURTNEY NGUYEN

Contributor, SI.com Nguyen is a freelance writer for SI.com, providing full coverage of professional tennis both on and off the court. Her content has become a must-read for fans and insiders to stay up-to-date with a sport that rarely rests. She has appeared on radio and TV talk shows all over the world and is one of the co-hosts of No Challenges Remaining, a weekly podcast available on iTunes. Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1999 and received a law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2002. She lives in the Bay Area.