For the first time in a long time, it feels like we can finally pick men's dark horses who can actually win the Australian Open, not just those who can go for a deep run before being taken out by one of the “Big Four.” With those four getting older and the next level of players picking things up, we might finally see some real surprise champions in men's tennis.

Andy Murray: Why is Murray a dark horse? Isn't he one of the aforementioned “Big Four?” The fact is that Murray has fallen out of the top five and hasn't reached a Grand Slam final since his historic victory at Wimbledon in 2013. Some are counting him out, but here's why you shouldn't. He still hasn't suffered a major upset since then, having reached the quarterfinals or semifinals in the last six majors, and he plays some of his best tennis in the grueling Melbourne conditions. As long as his matches stay outdoors, no one in the game can feel comfortable against him. He may have taken a slight step backwards in 2014, but Murray is still very close to the top of the game.

Roberto Bautista-Agut: Bautista-Agut made his first big breakthrough at last year's Australian Open, where he upset Juan Martin del Potro in five sets. It wasn't just that he won that match, though. It was how he did it. Bautista-Agut has the kind of raw power off the baseline that has often found success in Melbourne. If he can put his whole game together and get a little luck from the draw, he could show something special here.

David Goffin: Goffin probably doesn't quite have the talent to ever win majors. But what he has done in the last six months is nothing short of amazing. He has been racking up wins in Challengers and ATP 250 events (against quality opponents) and has pushed himself almost into the top 20. He has never really been able to challenge the very top players when he meets them in a match, but his confidence has to be sky-high right now and his game has never looked better.

As usual, along with the dark horses, here is a group of unseeded players who are probably as dangerous as many of the tournament's seeds and could cause upsets that can break open the draws.

Lleyton Hewitt:  Lleyton is not going to challenge to win this tournament. It will be very unlikely that he even reaches the second week. But as Hewitt gets older, speculation is rising that this will be his last Australian Open. We don't know if this will be his last, and we don't know if he even knows that yet. What we do know, though, is that he would love a first- or second-round match against someone like Federer or Nadal that would give himself a chance at one final hurrah at his home major.
 

Jerzy Janowicz:  I have not been Janowicz's biggest fan, to say the least. I think that his style and thought process on court leave much to be desired. His lack of consistency will prevent him from ever being a constant threat to go deep in Slams, unless he improves that area. But his massive groundstrokes mean he can upset just about anyone when he can find the court more often than he misses.
 

Borna Coric and Nick Kyrgios:  Both of these rising stars are in the same position, and it's pretty simple. They are top-30 players who just haven't had a full season of top-level play under their belts to get their rankings into the top 30. They are both inexperienced, and that could hurt them in tight matches against top players, but no top player wants to see either of these two young guns in their early draws.