Roger Federer may have to go through Andre Agassi and Marat Safin to defend his Australian Open title. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim peers into his crystal ball to predict how the men's and women's seeds will fare at this year's Australian Open. Scroll down to see the can't-miss first-round matches, some dark-horse candidates and his final predictions.

Top 16 seeds

1. Roger Federer: Da Fed's quest for the Grand Slam could be tennis' dominant storyline for 2005. The world No. 1 enters with a 23-match winning streak and a new coach. In his first event of the year he didn't drop serve. First-round match against Fabrice Santoro will be must-see TV. Unless a big server gets hot against him -- Taylor Dent and Joachim Johansson are both in Federer's quadrant -- it's hard not to predict a title defense.

2. Andy Roddick: He as a new coach and, we hope anyway, a new game plan (go netward). So long as he has his old serve and old forehand, he ought to be OK -- plus the draw deities smiled expansively on him.

3. Lleyton Hewitt: It'll be interesting to see what effects, if any, the discord in his private life will have on his tennis. Hewitt's results in Melbourne have been underwhelming, never advancing beyond the fourth round. And he comes in on the heels of an upset loss at his hometown Adelaide tournament. But he competes as well as anyone in the sport and will have the crowd behind him, especially in this centennial year.

4. Marat Safin: We've come to expect the unexpected from Safin, but last year's surprise finalist ought to cruise through Week One. A likely quarterfinal smackdown against Moya could be terrific.

5. Carlos Moya: Maybe the Davis Cup triumph will imbue Moya with the mettle that has been lacking in Slams. He is always something of a wild card. He started the year strong, winning in Chennai; on the other hand, he lost to Radek Stepanek last week. Hasn't done much in Melbourne since reaching the '97 final, but he can't complain about his draw.

6. Guillermo Coria: Still easing into things after an injury-plagued second half of '04, and a tough first rounder against Tomas Berdych may make for a short trip Down Under.

7. Tim Henman: In '04, Henman reached the semis of Roland Garros and the semis of the U.S. Open, but can he do it again in Melbourne? Slow courts and the kiln-like heat aren't to his advantage and neither is a first-round match against Cyril Saulnier. But after that his draws opens up, and he tends to play well against Roddick, his possible quarterfinal opponent.

8. Andre Agassi: As of this writing, Agassi is still entered in the draw, but the aggravation of his hip injury dims his prospects considerably. (As does his unfortunate placement in Federer's quarter.) It's a shame because he's made a ritual of playing well in Australia (career record: a ridiculous 44-4), and he can handle the heat.

9. David Nalbandian: Nalbo had a rough '04, but he is still a player no one likes to face. In a wide-open quarter, he has a chance of making real noise.

10. Gaston Gaudio: Gaudio has pretty much turned into a pumpkin since the French Open. It won't be a total shock if Justin Gimelstob serves him off the court in Round One.

11. Joachim Johansson: After a strong '04, "Euro-Roddick" (as Miki Singh calls him) came out of the gates this year with a win in Adelaide. You just hope his withdrawal last week was more precautionary than anything else.

12. Guillermo Canas: Slick Willie is a real player to watch. Reached the Australian fourth round last year (beating Henman in the process) and has proven time and again he is not fazed by a fast court. A cushy draw has him in a rematch against Henman in Round Four.

13. Tommy Robredo: Robredo is due for a real Slam breakthrough, but it won't come here, especially since he's scheduled to meet Federer in the Round of 16.

14. Sebastien Grosjean: The scrambling Frenchman has a new coach, but it's been a while since Grosjean's been a real factor. He's likely to live up to his seeding -- no more, no less.

15. Mikhail Youzhny: Star this pony. This talented Russian with a big game could make a deep run.

16. Tommy Haas: Is the body willing? It's always the big question with the hyper-talented, hyper-fragile German.

Seeds No. 17 to 32: Players to watch

18. Nicolas Massu: The Olympic champ is still getting into form after offseason hernia surgery, but he sure can't complain about his draw.

19. Vince Spadea: Vinny, Vidi, Vinci? Spadea has already turned in a double-bagel (over David Sanchez) in '05. A solid run in Melbourne will add more fodder for his Davis Cup case.

21.Nicolas Kiefer: If Kiefer can pick up where he left off before he suffered a wrist injury at the U.S. Open, he has a good shot at a deep run.

23. Fernando Gonzalez: It's hard to sustain his swing-for-the-fences game for seven matches, but, man, is he fun to watch.

25. Juan Ignacio Chela: He may well be the last Argentine standing. We wouldn't be surprised if he beats Hewitt.

29. Taylor Dent: After the Aussie Open in '04, Dent was never really heard from again. He started this year by beating Hewitt and reaching the Adelaide final. With his titanic serve and some crowd support, he could certainly advance beyond the fourth round for the first time in his career.

31. Juan Carlos Ferrero: Is he really seeded this low? Looks like a typo.

Dark-horse nation

Fernando Verdasco: The slugging Spaniard has been overshadowed by Rafael Nadal and, to a lesser extent, Feliciano Lopez, but there is a lot of game there. Jumped 71 places in the rankings, albeit without a Slam breakthrough. He's due.

Tomas Berdych: Everyone's heard about the Berd. Breakout '04 included a win over Federer, making him the last player to achieve that feat. He could score a big first-round upset over Coria.

Oliver Rochus: Pocket Rochus has been gangbusters so far this year.

Tommy Johansson: Far better player than his ranking would indicate.

Cyril Saulnier: He's never been beyond the second round of a Major, but he is a quintessential dangerous floater.

Rafael Nadal: Probably the best player in the draw after the top-10 seeds. One worries, though, about his recent bout of chest pains.

Doubles winners

Bob and Mike Bryan: So dominating in Houston and then at the Davis Cup that it's about time the twins added to their Grand Slam haul.

First-round matches to watch

Federer vs. Santoro: The top seed won't lose a set, but the entertainment value ought to be terrific.

Kiefer vs. Rochus: Rematch of last week's match, won by Rochus.

Robby Ginepri vs. Gael Monfils: Forgotten American against ATP's hottest prospect.

Xavier Malisse vs. Haas: Underachievers special.

Coria vs. Berdych: Brutal opening match for the sixth-seeded Coria.

Henman vs. Saulnier: Their Tim opens against ultimate "dangerous floater."

Semifinals

Safin vs. Federer
Youzhny vs. Roddick

Final

Federer vs. Roddick

Winner

Federer

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.