Former WTA player Daniela Hantuchova feels Serena Williams will be a serious contender for the Grand Slam titles in 2021.
With no less than 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name already, there is no doubting Williams’ high standing in the sport. The 39-year-old has the most major titles in the Open Era and is only one behind Margaret Court in the all-time record. Despite her dominance since winning her first Grand Slam at the French Open in 2002, Williams has not managed to win a major title since the Australian Open in 2017.
It was a cruel end to her Grand Slam hopes for 2020, with the veteran being forced to pull out of the French Open due to an Achilles injury. Williams admitted she could barely walk after withdrawing from the event in Paris, with an injury she actually sustained at Flushing Meadows in her US Open semi-final defeat at the hands of Victoria Azarenka. Drawing a blank in the 2020 majors came as a surprise to many, with Williams still regarded as one of the best players in the game. Williams has responded to setbacks on the court in the past, and 2021 provides a brand new opportunity for the American great.
The Australian Open will provide the first chance for Williams to end her recent Grand Slam drought, with the Michigan-born star at 8/1 with bet365 in the tennis betting to win the next major in Melbourne. Williams certainly has pedigree in the competition, having won the prestigious event no less than seven times in her illustrious career. It was of course the Aussie Open where her last Grand Slam success took place, and the hard-court surface has been one that has suited the powerful right-hander over the years.
Former-pro Hantuchova has been happy to talk up Williams’ chances and believes the seven-time champion still has what it takes to be victorious at the tournament. The Slovakian feels there is not the same pressure at the Aussie Open that there is at either Wimbledon or the US Open, and this means Williams’ can concentrate on her game without too many distractions.
Many of Williams’ rivals will be hoping she does miss out in Melbourne, as victory Down Under in the major could see her building the winning momentum needed to go all the way in the other Grand Slam events in Paris, London and New York in 2021.
Of course, there are plenty of rivals that will have their own ambitions for 2021, with Japan’s Naomi Osaka one of the other early favourites to win the next Australian Open. The 23-year-old managed to win the Aussie Open back in 2019 and, along with Williams, is expected to be there or thereabouts come the business end of the next Grand Slam.
Osaka will be fully aware of the threat Williams can pose ahead of the major events to come. If she can avoid injury, and get back to her top form, there will be few who can stop Williams from reaching that landmark Grand Slam win.
