The first major of 2016 is just days away, and talk about who on the ATP side is going to have a good two weeks in Melbourne is gathering steam.  Names like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are among some of the first to come to mind as regular favorites at the majors, but they are not the only competitors looking to go deep in the Australian metropolis.  There are more than a few dark horses who could upset the expected narratives as they look to make a splash early in the season.

Among the most popular dark horse picks to not only go far at this year's Australian Open, but one who arguably has a legitimate, albeit long-shot look at the title, is Milos Raonic.  The Canadian is currently ranked outside the top 10 at No. 14, but he has been as high as No. 4.  He reached the last eight in Melbourne last year and went one better two years ago at Wimbledon, so he is no stranger to making the second week of a major.  Raonic arrives here brimming with confidence after defeating Federer in the final of Brisbane this past weekend, and he is quite at home on the hard courts.  His powerful serve and forehand have always made him a dangerous opponent, but the improvements he has implemented in his game have made him even more lethal, such as making a concerted effort to stay up on the baseline and run around his backhand with greater frequency.  He is undeniably a force to be reckoned with as he looks to break new ground in Melbourne.

Two men who will be equally eager to go deep and delight the home crowd are Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios.  The young Aussies have reputations as “bad boys” of tennis, but many believe that both of them also have Grand Slam potential.  They each reached the second week of this event last year, and they have quarterfinal finishes at Wimbledon to their names as well.  After Kyrgios won the Hopman Cup with Daria Gavrilova and Tomic's semifinal run in Brisbane last week, it is safe to assume that each man is feeling good about his game too.  Of the pair, Kyrgios is more apt to impose himself on the rest of the field.  He gets more mileage out of his serve and pop on his shots, and he is generally the more explosive from the ground.  But nobody will be taking Tomic, the higher-ranked of the two at No. 17, lightly.  He has added some zip to his serve and groundstrokes, boasts plenty of variety in his game, and appears to be more committed to fighting until the very last ball.  One or both of these men definitely has the tools to make somethings special happen Down Under.

Among the other players looking to produce some magic in Melbourne are Dominic Thiem and Borna Coric.  Few, if any, believe either of these upstarts is going to somehow waltz away with the title here, but most analysts and fans agree that the talent is there for them to one day hoist a major singles trophy.  Thiem, currently ranked No. 20, is more at home on clay, where he has already secured three titles.  He has an impressive forehand, though, and reached the second week of the US Open two years ago.  After reaching the semifinals last week in Brisbane, this youngster is quickly showing that he knows his way around a hard court, too.  Likewise, Coric is continuing to demonstrate that he has promise.  The Croat is still a teenager, but he was knocking on the door of the top 30 in 2015.  He has yet to make the second week of a major in his burgeoning career, but after reaching the championship match in Chennai, he could be poised to make that breakthrough at the year's first major. 

Naturally, where these five competitors fall in the draw will have some influence on how they fare in Melbourne, and some will be more dependent on the kindness of the draw than others.  But irrespective of whether fortune smiles or frowns upon them, these are five men to keep an eye on to not only see how they perform at the Australian Open, but as an indicator of what we might expect from them as the season progresses.