Melbourne is set to host the Australian Open just next week and preparations are in full swing as ATP and WTA players look to build some rhythm in the ongoing tournaments. After months of no-tennis-action and two-week-long strict quarantine, players are taking to the courts and get the shots going.
There are three WTA 500 events going on at the moment, all of which feature some of the biggest names on the tour. That ladies have arrived in Melbourne and are roaring to get started with the first Grand Slam of the season. Let us take a look at what we can expect from the women’s half in the Australian Open.
1. Will Serena Williams finally surpass Margaret Court?
23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has been chasing history for what seems like forever now. Stuck at 23 titles – her last one coming right here in Melbourne in 2017, she has since then reached the final of four other majors but failed to go the distance.
She was the runner-up in the 2019 Wimbledon and US Open and had a myriad of opportunities to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 slams and even better. However, it is now proving to be a precarious jinx for the American veteran who, in many ways, is also running out of time and opportunities.
There is another feat that Serena is chasing in Melbourne. She is looking to become the first player – male or female – to win a major in four different decades.
That said, the 39-year-old Williams is no longer the threat she once was. The likes of Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, and Sofia Kenin have already set the precedent. If anything, it will be more difficult now for the American. Nonetheless, we know what Serena Williams is capable of. On her best day, she will outclass any and every opponent with ease.
2. Can Kenin continue with the heroics?
At the end of the 2018 season, Sofia Kenin was ranked outside of top 50. Now, she is World No. 4 – her career-best singles ranking – and the 22-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.
After winning the Aus Open last year, beating Garbine Muguruza in the final, Kenin moved on the emulate a similar run in the French Open. There, she dispatched the likes of Petra Kvitova and Danielle Collins but fell in the final to the Polish teen prodigy Iga Swiatek.
And this was all in a season where the tennis action was disruptive and chaotic to some extent.
Before arriving in Melbourne, she played in the WTA Abu Dhabi, where she reached the quarterfinal. After months of absence, it is fair to say that she is still rusty and possibly, nervous with her title defence. But she has the skillset and confidence needed to prove the doubters otherwise.
Interestingly, no female player has successfully defended their title in Melbourne since 2013, a feat then achieved by Victoria Azarenka.
3. Barty Carries the local hope
World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty will look to maintain her dominance as the top player on the WTA Tour. She made it to the semifinal last year before losing to Kenin and has shown a lot of promise on numerous occasions.
Case in point, she has won just 1 Slam – the 2019 Roland Garros, but has managed to end the year as No. 1 for the last two seasons. He pedigree lies in winning and performing well in other big titles like the Miami Open and WTA Finals.
However, she will be keen on adding a major to her tally and with the local crowd rallying behind, she should feel right at home. Barty, like many others, did not participate in any event post-pandemic in 2020. She is currently playing in her first event since last year’s Qatar Open and may need a bit of practice before taking an attempt at the title.
4. Will the young-guns rise once again?
The last couple of Australian Open titles have been won by ladies in their early 20s. Wozniacki was the last player who won the title in her late twenties and it was only preceded by a catalogue of experienced players.
The question now remains if we will see a similar trend this time around too, or will the veterans finally take some control.
For instance, the 22-year-old Aryna Sabalenka won the WTA Abu Dhabi in January, beating Veronika Kudermetova in the final. That was her third consecutive title on the tour, with the last ones being the WTA Linz and WTA Ostrava from the previous season.
Even though the Belarusian lost to Kaia Kanepi in the Gippsland Trophy, she is still a threat that cannot be undermined.
Similarly, we also have Osaka, Andreescu, and Kenin in the top 10 who can once again give the big guns a run for their money. Belinda Bencic and Iga Swiatek are also a few players worth tracking in the Grand Slam.
5. Azarenka returns to the fold
While 2020 was a year to forget for many tennis stars, it was entirely different for Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian won her first singles title in over four years, bringing in a big boost to her confidence.
After winning the Cincinnati Open, she reached the final at the Flushing Meadows, beating the likes of Williams and Sabalenka en route to the final. She ultimately succumbed to Naomi Osaka but she soon bounced back with a runner-up feat at the J&T Banka Ostrava Open.
Azarenka ended the year as World No. 13, thus marking one of her better seasons in the career.
The 31-year-old has now not only got the experience, but also the momentum and form. She is playing just like her former self, if not, better.
In addition to Azarenka, Petra Kvitova too, is a player who is worth betting on in the Australian Open. The Czech was among the most consistent performers of 2020, reaching the penultimate rounds in two of the three Slams. With her, it may also be prudent to keep a sharp eye on Garbine Muguruzaa, Kiki Bertens, and Karolina Pliskova, who were on their path to dominate before the pandemic took over.