Australian Open Preview by Iain Carter - BBC Sports Correspondent - Exclusively written for Vision4Sport Events

It was back at the turn of the century when a media relations officer tipped me off about the coming force in tennis.

We were in Melbourne at the home of the Australian Open.  “This Roger Federer is the future,” he said.  “You should interview him and watch closely how he plays.”

I followed the advice and I’m so glad I did.  As we all now know, Federer brought an unparalleled athletic grace to a tennis court and an elegant brilliance that has electrified the sport for two decades.

It was clear the then pony-tailed Swiss master was destined for huge success.  He illuminated and ultimately overwhelmed an otherwise drab and prosaic era led by the ultra efficient Pete Sampras and the industry of Andre Agassi.

But few would have predicted back then that Federer, who reached only the third rounds at the 2000 and 2001 Australian Opens, would be returning in 2019 as defending champion and the holder of a men’s record twenty grand slam titles.

Now 37, he has not lost a singles match at Melbourne Park since the 2016 semi-final and last year’s victory was the sixth time Federer lifted the Norman Brooks trophy.

While I remember taking note of him in those early years down under, it was at Wimbledon that I was genuinely awe-struck by this incredible athlete.  Yes, Federer  has proved king of Melbourne’s hard-courts but that trails in the wake of his prowess on the grass of SW19.

It was his fourth round Wimbledon win over the previously all conquering Sampras in 2001 that propelled the Swiss to prominence beyond hard-core tennis fans.  It was a breathtaking victory that took him to the last eight.

Two years later Federer lifted tennis’ most famous trophy for the first time and it was the start of five in a row.  

I had moved away from tennis to cover golf in 2003, the year of his initial triumph. But thankfully I get to return to Wimbledon each year as part of the BBC 5Live team and the biggest thrill is always to see Federer in action.  

Witnessing his majesty up close should be at the very top of any sports fan’s bucket list.

And the fact is he elevated standards which contributed to the unprecedented era that continues to endure in men’s tennis.  Suddenly Federer had a rival in Rafael Nadal, who has proved so much more than just a Spanish king of clay.

Then came Novak Djokovic, who has had peaks and troughs in a glittering career which is ascendant once more having won the two most recent grand slams, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018.

And muscling in too was Andy Murray, the Scot who has twice won the Wimbledon title among three grand slam singles victories and two Olympic golds.  He is nearing the end of a career which contributed massively to the lustre of the modern game.  Let’s hope his troublesome hip allows arguably Britain’s greatest sportsman the chance to bow out at Wimbledon this year, a moment no one would want to miss.

The rivalries between the big four have been the lifeblood of tennis and boosted the standing of events such as the Aussie Open and Wimbledon within the sporting firmament.

Grand slam tickets are as prized possessions as they have ever been because of the epic contests we have witnessed in the 21st century phase kickstarted by Federer.

Can this ageless veteran make it a hat-trick of wins in Melbourne this month?  It is the juiciest of sporting questions and one that makes me pine, somewhat, for my former career.

Especially as there is, at last, a generation emerging of male tennis players who could become the successors to the big four.  Watch out for Alexander Zverev (21), Karen Kachanov (22) Stefanos Tsitsipas (20) and Borna Coric (22).

These are the players today’s media managers are pushing towards reporters, bloggers and podcasters (we didn’t have them when Fed was starting out). And with good reason, too, because each showed last year that they have games to challenge the old order.

So 2019 might just prove a changeover year, the time when such an extraordinary generation were caught up by the coming band of talent.  But the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal will not surrender without a Herculean fight.

They’ve shown so much resilience throughout their careers and certainly Djokovic has many more miles in the tank. And no one should ever write off Federer, until he calls time on his career on his own terms.  

It has to happen relatively soon and the end can come quickly as poor Murray is finding out.  In the meantime treasure every moment they are on court, whether it’s watching on TV to warm the January chill or in person in high summer at Wimbledon.