Our tennis writer previews the 2017 Australian Open Men’s Draw set to take place from Monday 15 January – Sunday 21 January.
With temperatures soaring all around Australia this year, it will come as no small relief to the broader draw that Serena Williams has withdrawn from this year’s event. It presents many players with the opportunity to finally have that Grand Slam breakthrough- such as Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki. In reality, trying to ‘Nostradamus’ women’s tennis without Serna Williams is thwart with danger.
There is often little rhyme or reason, with the Number One Ranking switching hands liberally. Having said that, if Murguruza were to win she would be one leg away from a career Grand Slam, while Maria Sharapova battles herself back into competitive shape. Event without Serna, there are plenty of smaller narratives that should make this a tremendous start to the Grand Slam calendar.
Past Winners
2017: Serena Williams
2016: Angelique Kerber
2015: Serena Williams
2014: Lina Na
2013: Victoria Azarenka
The Top Seeds
Simona Halep
Caroline Wozniacki
Garbine Murguruza
Elina Svitolina
Venus Williams
Karolina Plisikova
Jelena Ostapenko
Carolina Garcia
The Child Factor
For wholly different reasons relating to children, seven-time champion Serena Williams and two-time champion Victoria Azarenka will be missing out on Melbourne this season. Serena doesn’t quite feel 100% – despite making a winning return to competitive action- to make a full tilt at her title defence since the birth of her child. Victoria Azarenka has to remain in California as a part of a custody battle over her child, which means that only Sharapova and Kerber remain in the draw as previous champions.
The Favourites- Simona Halep at 15/2, Karolina Plisikova at 8/1, Elina Svitolina at 17/2
As opposed to the well-defined boundaries created by the so-called ‘Big Four’ over the years, women’s Grand Slam tennis sans Serena Williams is essentially a lottery. That will be noted in the slightly facetious heading for the following paragraph. But let’s surge ahead with the three players that the bookies are favouring.
Simona Halep bounced back well after the emotional turmoil of that French Open final defeat to Ostapenko last year to end the year as the Number One player in the world. She has already won a title in Shenzhen this season and was a quarter-finalist here in 2014 and 2015. She should beat a first round wildcard before she meets the underperforming Bouchard in the 2nd. Kvitova could await in the 3rd, but the Czech’s form seems to have dipped of late. I think that the Romanian could exorcise some demons this year, for my money meeting Kerber in the semis.
Speaking of Czech’s, Plisikova is in Halep’s quarter of the draw and is coming off a great year that saw her pick up titles in Brisbane, Eastbourne and Doha. Having said that, her powerful baselining style may be susceptible to the outrageous heat expected this year. Furthermore, prior to the seeded quarter-final meeting with Halep is a potential 4th round meeting with 9th seed and former semi-finalist here Johanna Konta. That certainly counts against the big-hitting Czech.
For my money Elina Svitolina is certainly an excellent price at 17/2. Firstly, her quarter of the draw looks extremely enticing, as one should expect Venus Williams to struggle giving her medical issue with fatigue. Svitolina had an absolutely tremendous year last year, winning two Premier 5 events in Rome and Toronto, along with three other titles. She also has already won in Brisbane this year, beating both Karolina Plisikova and Johanna Konta en route. Furthermore, her potential 4th Round challenger is Sloane Stephens, and Stephens hasn’t won a match since her triumph in Flushing Meadows.
The Other Favourites- Caroline Wozniacki at 10/1 and Garbine Murguruza at 12/1
I call them the other favourites because there really is not much to choose in the upper echelons of the betting. Former World Number One Caroline Wozniacki picked up the biggest win of her career with that victory in the WTA Finals, beating Venus Williams for the first time in her career. She also won in Tokyo last year. However, the problem with the metronomic Dane lies in her general inability to win. She had lost in six finals last season before Tokyo and has already lost a final to Julia Goerges in Auckland this year. She just lacks the killer instinct required to close out a Grand Slam.
That can’t be said about Spanish two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Murguruza. In defeating Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final last season she secured a rare feat, becoming the first woman to defeat both Serena and Venus in Grand Slam finals: she beat Serena in the 2016 French Open. However, although she has reached the quarter-finals here before and had an impressive victory over Kiki Bertens in a lead-up tournament, questions over her fitness in these conditions remain. She has already pulled out of a preparation tournament, making it the 4th consecutive year that she has done so prior to the Aussie Open. I think that the conditions may exert too much pressure on her body this year.
A Sleeping Giant- Angelique Kerber at 11/1
The absence of Azarenka and- far more importantly, Serena Williams- should buoy Angelique Kerber following a disappointing 2017. Alongside Maria Sharapova, Kerber is the only player competing who has actually won this event. Her stellar 2016 campaign saw her claim both the Australian Open and US Open titles on her way to ending the year as the World Number One. Kerber has clawed back some good form recently, beating Belinda Bencic in the Hopman Cup in what was nearly a triumph for Germany. She also recently beat Venus Williams and Cibulkova in the current Sydney International. She will have to potentially overcome Sharapova in the 4th Round, but potential quarter-final opponents are Garcia- who has barely played a match recently, and Murguruza- I have mentioned her physical frailties.
A Touch of Class- Coco Vandeweghe at 25/1
The player with undeniably the coolest name on tour, Coco has always felt added pressure owing to the fact that she comes from a family that qualifies as a true sporting dynasty. Vandeweghe had a tremendous 2017 that saw him reach two Grand Slam semi-finals, on both of the hardcourt surfaces. She narrowly lost in last year’s Aussie Open semi-final to Venus Williams and I think that she is going to be a major force on the hardcourts again. She should ease past Timea Babos in the first round and Navarro in the 2nd. I think she has the ability to beat Ostapenko in the 4th round and potentially take down Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. Working with Pat Cash has clearly emboldened her and I anticipate a deep run for the American.
Written by Damien Kayat for @Hollywoodbets.net
