There will be little time for Garbine Muguruza to ease herself into the new season with the chance of reclaiming the world No.1 position up for grabs during the first week of the new season.
The Wimbledon champion will be one out of three players aiming to end the first week of 2018 as the top player in the WTA rankings. Also in the running is current world No.1 Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki. The scenario follows what has been a roller coaster year for the women. All four grand slams were won by different players and five topped the WTA rankings.
“I think everybody is looking for that,” she said about the race to No.1.
“It’s tough; everyone is at an equal level and is very consistent, so it’s really like a war in the women’s field.”
Muguruza starts her campaign at the Brisbane International. A Premier tournament that will feature five top 10 players. It will be her third consecutive appearance at the tournament, but she is yet to reach the final.
Challenging the Spaniard for the top spot will be Wozniacki, who hasn’t held the No.1 ranking since 2012. She will kick-off her season at the ASB Classic in New Zealand. Unlike the packed Brisbane tournament, she is the only top 10 player taking part. Wozniacki ended this year on a high after winning the WTA Finals in Singapore. The biggest title in her career to date.
“Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it too much,” the Dane told stuff.co.nz about returning back to the top.
“I’ve been trying to prepare the best I can and [will] try to win this tournament and we’ll see what happens afterwards.”
Besides the intriguing race, the woman’s tour is set to welcome the return of 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams. The American hasn’t played since January after giving birth to her first child in September. There has been no formal announcement of when exactly Williams will return, but speculation is mounting that she will play at the Australian Open. A prospect that Muguruza is relishing.
“I don’t really know how she is but she’s always going to be one of the best players in the world, no matter what state she is in,” she said.
Heading into the first tournament of the new year, Muguruza is just 40 points behind Halep in the race to the top of the rankings.
The No.1 scenarios for week 1 in 2018
Halep
- Will Keep her current position if she wins the Shenzhen title.
- If Halep loses in the semifinals and Muguruza is a finalist in Brisbane, they will have the same amount of points. Halep would still hold the No.1 ranking as she has won more points in WTA Finals, Grand Slams, Premier Mandatory and Premier 5 events over the last 12 months than Muguruza.
Muguruza
- Needs to reach the final is Brisbane to have a chance.
- If she wins the title, Halep must also win her tournament to deny her the No.1 position
- If Muguruza is the runner-up, Halep needs to reach the semifinals in Shenzhen.
Wozniacki
- Must win the Auckland title to have a chance. Furthermore, Halep needs to lose before the quarterfinals and Muguruza go out before the final in Brisbane.
