Ashleigh Barty will be the favorite to win her Australian Open on home soil for the first time, but even with Serena Williams out, the world number one faces threats from all angles. For the first time in a quarter century, the first Grand Slam of the year will not feature either of the Williams sisters – Serena is said to have been aiming for a record 24th Major crown, but she is out of form. While defending champion Naomi Osaka is still regaining her form and fitness after a long hiatus, Barty, 25, has emerged as the favorite at Melbourne Park.
Like rival Osaka, Barty was ruled out of the US Open third round in September and did not play the rest of the year, returning home to Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Unlike the Japanese star, who pulled out of a warm-up tournament last week saying his “body went into shock” after playing his first few matches for four months, Barty already appears to be back in the game. rhythm.
Barty won Roland Garros in 2019 and Wimbledon last year, but her best performance in Melbourne was reaching the semi-finals in 2020, where she lost to eventual champion Sofia Kenin.
However, she issued a warning to the rest of the Australian Open court on Sunday, winning the singles and doubles titles at Adelaide International.
Barty pulled out of this week’s Sydney Classic, explaining she needed to recover from her heroics, but said her 14th career singles crown was a huge confidence boost.
“When I had my back against the wall, I was able to produce some really good stuff,” she told the WTA.
“Pre-seasons are good, but you never really know where that level is until you test yourself against the best.
“And it’s been really nice to have some good hits this week and I feel like I’m ready. “
HALEP, THREATENING MUG
Men’s tennis has been dominated by the ‘Big Three’ of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but women’s tennis remains wide open.
The four Grand Slam tournaments last year were won by four different women: Osaka (Australian), Barbora Krejcikova (French), Barty (Wimbledon) and Emma Raducanu (USA) and the first outings of Osaka and Barty at the US Open underlined this point.
Two-time Melbourne champion Osaka went to eventual New York runner-up Leylah Fernandez, who lost to fellow teenaged Raducanu in the deciding match.
Britain’s Raducanu, who is embarking on her first full season of the WTA Tour, has struggled since her amazing appearance at Flushing Meadows and tested positive last month for Covid-19.
She pulled out of a prep event in Melbourne last week saying it was ‘too early for me, I had just come back from self-isolation’.
Raducanu should be fine for the Australian Open, and Fernandez will also be there, as will another prodigious young talent in the form of 17-year-old American Coco Gauff.
But this could be an opportunity for the older guard to reassert themselves.
Garbine Muguruza, who lost to American Kenin in the 2020 final, is third in the world rankings behind Barty and hard-hitting Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
The 28-year-old Spaniard wasted two match points against Osaka last year at Melbourne Park in the last 16 and won the WTA Finals in Guadalajara.
There’s also the re-emergence of another former number one, Simona Halep.
The 30-year-old Romanian, a popular figure in women’s tennis, won her first title in 16 months on Sunday following a grim series of calf and knee problems.
“After a difficult year, it’s always nice to have a trophy in your hands,” said the Romanian.
“Physically I’m in the right place, the confidence is growing,” she added.
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