The 2015 Australian Open is set to begin on Monday, Jan. 19 in Melbourne Park, Australia, and while numerous South American nations have been dominating the soccer, basketball and baseball world over the decades, South America has struggled to win at the Australian Open in a long time.

The last time a South American won the Australian Open was 1979, when Guillermo Vilas won the tournament.

With Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic dominating the 21st century, it hasn't been easy.

This year's rankings have 10 South American players ranked in the top 100:

Argentina

Leonardo Mayer (28)

The highest-ranked Latin American born player is Leonardo Mayer. Mayer has competed and done well in all four majors, most notably making it to the fourth round of last year's Wimbledon Tournament. Last year, however, he suffered a disappointing finish at the Australian Open when Mayer was eliminated in just the second round.

Federico Delbonis (57)

A young and up and coming player who has the veteran players turning heads. The 24-year-old out of Azul is ranked No. 57 in the world, and he's out to show everyone he can compete with the very best. This will be Delbonis' second consecutive year competing at the Australian Open.

Diego Schwartzman (58)

Similar to Delbonis, Diego Schwartzman is a young player who is on the rise. Just 22 years old, Schwartzman has competed in the French and US Open, and this will be his second chance at the Australian Open.

Juan Monaco (59)

Juan Monaco is a great tennis player who is still seeking his first major tennis title. Monaco successfully made it to the third round of the 2008 and 2010 Australian Open. Monaco has competed in every Australian Open since 2005.

Carlos Berlocq (68)

Carlos Berlocq has qualified and competed in the last four Australian Open championships and six in his career. He'll have a tough challenge ahead of him because of the high seeding, but Berlocq's return game should keep him alive for some time.

Maximo Gonzalez (97)

The final Argentinean to make the top 100 is Maximo Gonzalez. The 31-year-old from Tandil is experienced and he brings a great backhand shot. It's unlikely he will go on to pull off the incredible upset over the higher seeds, but Gonzalez is here to prove the doubters wrong.

Colombia

Santiago Giraldo (32)

Maybe the most underrated player in tennis today. Never before has a Colombian-born player won the Australian Open, but Giraldo will be making another attempt this year. Giraldo has successfully qualified for the last five Australian Opens, making it to the second round twice in his career.

Brazil

Thomaz Bellucci (62)

Believe it or not, Brazil has made great strides in tennis on a global scale. Despite not winning a single tennis grand slam title in the 20th century, Brazil has captured three grand slam championships in the 21st century alone thanks to Gustavo Kuerten. Unfortunately, still no Australian Open championship yet. Thomaz Bellucci has done well at the Australian Open in recent years.

Uruguay

Pablo Cuevas (29)

One of the best South American players today is Uruguay's own Pablo Cuevas. Although a good player who has played well at Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open, Cuevas has struggled to get a single victory at the Australian Open. Cuevas knows he has to silence his critics with a big showing this year.

Dominican Republic

Victor Estrella Burgos (76)

After an extremely impressive showing at the 2014 US Open, in which Victor Estrella Burgos made it all the way to the third round, he is now ranked No. 76 in the world. Burgus has been stressing all year that he is ready for this big moment, and he's been training to take on the world's best.

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