Wozniacki, Federer are on different ends of spectrum

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA >> Caroline Wozniacki is entering new territory at the Australian Open as a defending champion for the first time at a major. For Roger Federer, it’s a wellworn experience.

A women’s final last year featuring two players aiming for their first Grand Slam title finished with Wozniacki holding off top-ranked Simona Halep for the championship.

Federer beat Marin Cilic to win the Australian Open for the sixth time — claiming his 20th major crown — and successfully defend the title he won the previous year in a career comeback of sorts.

At 37, he’s still targeting records at his recordequaling 20th Australian Open: to be the first man to win seven Australian Open titles, the first man to win at least seven singles titles at two Grand Slam tournaments (he has eight Wimbledon titles), and the first man to win five major titles after turning 30.

Of course, he’s got strong competition from Novak Djokovic, who has won the last two majors and is also aiming for a seventh Australian title. Then there’s a resurgent Rafael Nadal, the likes of Cilic and Sasha Zverev. But there’s unlikely to be another run to the final for Andy Murray, who wants to start the tournament where he has reached the final five times but is unsure how much longer he can play because of the pain in his surgically repaired right hip.