By Mike McIntyre
With the 2018 season on the WTA Tour already underway, tennis fans are now eagerly awaiting the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne. The Australian Open begins January 15th and many were wondering if the all-time greatest female player would be participating.
Photo Cred: Mike McIntyre
Everyone was hopeful that defending champion Serena Williams would make her anticipated return to the game after taking a year off while pregnant with her first child whom she delivered this past Fall. Serena played an exhibition match last week in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship where she was defeated by 20 year old Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 3-6, 10-5. The result seemed an impressive result considering her lengthy absence from the game. After the match Serena said, "I don't know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there."
Her comments gave the impression that she was not quite satisfied with where her game was and sure enough a few days later she officially announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open. Her statement shared that, “My coach and team always said ‘only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way’. I can compete — but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time.”
Despite her year off from competition, Serena Williams would have certainly been considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. With her return delayed for now, there are a slew of other players who will be considered legitimate threats to walk away with the title. At BetOnline.ag Sportsbook here are some of the players to watch.
Photo Cred: Jimmy48 Tennis Photography
World No. 1 Simona Halep will attempt to finally win that elusive first major title. The Romanian is already into the finals in Brisbane and showing that she is ready to go.
Photo Cred: Mike McIntyre
Garbine Muguruza is breathing down Halep's neck to overtake the top spot in the rankings and has already won two Grand Slams in her career - the 2016 French Open and Wimbledon in 2017.
Photo Cred: Mike McIntyre
Veteran Caroline Wozniacki is now engaged to be married and had an incredible resurgence in 2017. Could she use this added emotional boost to help fuel her first Grand Slam win after losses in two previous Grand Slam finals?
Other players who have yet to win a major title but have seen their stock rise in recent times are Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and the previously mentioned Ostapenko - who won the French Open last year in shocking fashion.
Here at ProTennisFan we will keep you updated in the lead-up and duration of the first Grand Slam of 2018 so be sure to check-in with us frequently for all your Australian Open coverage.
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