Serena Williams is not part of the entry list of the Australian Open so as not to play the first major of the year. There were already some rumors going around that the tennis legend was not going to compete. Unfortunately, that was confirmed after the release of the official entry list. Therefore, Serena Williams (23 majors) will not chase Margaret Court’s 24th slam record Down Under.
Sre released the following statement:
“While this is never an easy decision to make, I am not where I need to be physically to compete. Melbourne is one of my favorite cities to visit and I look forward to playing at the AO every year. I will miss seeing the fans, but am excited to return and compete at my highest level.”
The tournament will also miss the presence of Bianca Andreescu, who said that she needs some time to recover since she is not in the proper mental state.
Therefore, the players to watch are Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu who are also the top favorites to win the Australian Open, according to Bet365.
Here is the entry list of the top players.
Serena Williams in 2021
Ranked world no.41, Serena Williams played her last match on the 29th of June when she had to retire when playing against world no.92 Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the 1st round and the scoreline was 3-3 .
Until now, during this year Serena Williams achieved a composed 12-5 record. Serena Williams’s most significant result of the current year was reaching the semifinal in Melbourne and at the Australian Open.
Ashleigh Barty in 2021
Currently ranked no.1, Barty played her last match on the 4th of September when she was defeated by world no.40 Shelby Rogers 6-2 1-6 7-6(5) in the 3rd round in U.S. Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season Barty owns a composed 42-8 match record. The Australian conquered 5 titles in 2021 in Melbourne, in Miami, in Stuttgart, in Wimbledon and in Cincinnati. Barty reached the final in Madrid.
Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty squared off just on 2 occasions. Their actual record is 2-0 for Williams. The last time they fought against each other, Serena Williams won 3-6 6-3 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (French Open) in May 2018.
Naomi Osaka in 2021
Ranked world no.13, Osaka played her last match on the 3rd of September when she lost to world no.24 Leylah Annie Fernandez 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4 in the 3rd round in U.S. Open (draw).
This season Osaka has a 18-6 record. Osaka clinched 1 title at the Australian Open.
Emma Raducanu in 2021
Ranked world no.19 (career-high), Emma played her last match on the 9th of November when she was overcome by world no.102 Xin Yu Wang 6-1 6-7(0) 7-5 in the 2nd round in Linz (draw).
At present, during this year the Brit has a 25-9 win-loss record. Emma clinched 1 title at the U.S. Open. The Brit was the runner-up in the Chicago.
Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu have never played each other till now in top competitions.
Serena Williams, Ashleigh Barty, Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu |
Embed from Getty Images |