With just over a month to go until the 2009 season and less than two months to go until the season’s first Grand Slam event, it’s time to start taking a look at some of the contenders at the upcoming Australian Open 2009.

First, let’s meet a rising star (or so most fans think) of tennis, Ernests Gulbis.

Gulbis was supposed to be the Juan Martin Del Potro of 2008. At least that was what many fans thought, based on his big game and almost other-worldly talent. Instead, it never really materialized for Gulbis on a consistent basis. But he is still just 20 years old, and therefore he is still on the rise and still has the potential for a breakout 2009 campaign.

Country: Latvia

Height: 6’3”

Age: 20 (8/30/88)

Ranking: 53

Career-High Ranking: 38

Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarterfinals of the French Open in 2008

Claim to Fame: One of the most exciting players to watch on the entire ATP Tour

Australian Opens played: 1 (2008)

Best Australian Open performance: First Round (2008)

Best Shot: Serve. Gulbis’ two-handed backhand is his most solid shot, but he can single-handedly win matches with his serve. The first is absolutely massive, and the second is often bigger than a fair amount of players’ firsts. If Gulbis can just increase his percentage and learn when the right times are to go for the huge seconds, he will become tough to beat.

Needs Work: Mental game. That’s one of the few things keeping Gulbis back. He just can’t seem to maintain focus in the clutch moments of big matches. Sure he reached the quarterfinals at both the French Open and the Masters Series Cincinnati, but none of the matches he won at either event were particularly nail-biting. Serving out sets and matches is not Gulbis’ forte. His forehand can be out of control at times, but for now the mental game is what most needs to be addressed.

2008 Summary, 2009 Outlook: After making a name for himself in 2008, 2009 was supposed to be Gulbis’ breakout year. It was just that on a few occasions, but certainly not on a consistent basis. The season was a mixed bag of good and bad; unfortunately most of it bad. For Gulbis, the good news (or is this bad news?) is that it could have been so much better. He served for a two-set lead against Andy Roddick in the second round of the U.S. Open and blew it, served for the match against David Nalbandian in Indian Wells and blew it, and had match point against Nikolay Davydenko (not to mention an easy backhand winner on match point) in Miami and blew that as well. At least Cincinnati and Roland Garros salvaged the Latvian’s year.

Now the question is will Gulbis fulfill his potential one season later than expected. 2009 is an absolutely huge year for the 20-year-old. Another 10 months with Gulbis stuck in neutral could cripple his confidence and make the concerns over whether or not he will actually live up to all the hype louder than they already are. The talent to put it all together, however, is there. In terms of having all the shots, Gulbis literally has no weaknesses: serve, forehand, backhand, size, movement, touch, volleys, drop-shots; everything. He has it all, he just can’t seem to use them all with any consistency. Or he hasn’t yet. Saying the sky is the limit for Gulbis would not be anything less than the truth. He could be the No. 1 player in the world in a matter of two or three years. He could also be out of the Top 100 by the summer of 2009. Neither would be surprising. It all depends on what is going on inside his head.

Australian Open 2009 Outlook: Gulbis will be taking part in the Kooyong Classic the week before the Australian Open. This could be very good news for the youngster, who thrives on momentum and needs some after a lackluster finish to 2008. When Gulbis is playing well, he can really be on fire. When he is off, he sometimes can barely hit a single shot in the court. It was more of latter towards the end of this season, so he needs something to get him going right away next year. Kooyong could be the answer.

The problem for Gulbis is that he did not have a good enough 2008 campaign to be seeded for the Australian Open 2009 (not even close). That puts him at the mercy of the draw, potentially playing a seeded player in the first round, or second. If Gulbis gets a favorable draw, he can go on a quarterfinal run similar to the one we saw at the French Open. He could also go out in the first round regardless of who he plays, like he did in straight sets to Marat Safin earlier this season. With Gulbis, you just never know.