16. Petra Martic
Australian Open 2020: 2R, defeated by Goerges
Best career result at Australian Open: 4R (2018)
Petra Martic has just turned 30 (she was born on January 19, 1991). She spent the best years of a professional athlete (between 22 and 28 years of age) struggling with injuries. Petra has finally found the right way to manage herself, scheduling in a smarter way her season. In fact, she unsurprisingly skipped the Abu Dhabi tournament. This week she lost in the third round of the Yarra Valley Classic against Shelby Rogers.
15. Iga Swiatek
Australian Open 2020: 4T, defeated by Kontaveit
Best career result at Australian Open: 4T (2020)
After her Roland Garros 2020 title, Iga Swiatek will undoubtedly be one of the players in the spotlights. Last year she played well during the Australian Open – she lost against Anett Kontaveit in a hard-fought match. She probably lost the match because she wasn’t mentally strong in the deciding moments (6-7 (4) 7-5 7-5). The last official match played by Swiatek is the final won in Paris against Kenin; we will see how she will deal with the first Grand Slam played as a top player. A match with Halep in the fourth round would be nothing short of a blockbuster.
14. Garbiñe Muguruza
Australian Open 2020: Runner up, defeated by Kenin
Best result: Final (2020)
Muguruza has looked in great form this week, reaching the Yarra Valley Classic final by dropping just 10 games in four matches. Last year she went close to the title, and appears poised for another good run, although she might face Osaka in the fourth round.
13. Johanna Konta
Australian Open 2020: 1R, defeated by Jabeur
Best Result: SF (2016)
Before playing in the Gippsland Trophy (she lost in the third round), her last official tournament had been the Roland Garros 2020, the same situation as Iga Swiatek. In this tournament full of doubt, there is a certainty: it will be impossible to do worse than last year, when she lost against Ons Jabeur in the first round.
12. Victoria Azarenka
Australian Open 2020: Absent
Best result: Champion (2012, 2013)
Unable to train during the 14-day quarantine
The second part of 2020, after the tour’s coronavirus hiatus, was full of matches for Azarenka (Lexington, Cincinnati, US Open, Rome, Roland Garros, Ostrava). Victoria was more cautious with the scheduling of the beginning of 2021, skipping the WTA 500 held in Abu Dhabi. However, the big problem is that she and other 28 players have been subjected to hard quarantine by local authorities, so she was unable to train enough. We must be fair: the two-time Australian Open champion is in a disadvantaged position compared to the other contenders for the final victory.
11. Belinda Bencic
Australian Open 2020: 3R, defeated by Kontaveit
Best result: 4R (2016)
Unable to train during the 14-day quarantine
Bencic is still seeded no. 11 due to the revised WTA ranking system – the ranking still takes in account her 2019 results. She played a limited amount of matches in 2020 due to back problems (she missed the US Open and Roland Garros). We cannot say that the beginning of 2021 started better than 2020: Bencic were one of the players forced to undergo a hard quarantine, before losing her Grampians debut. Hopefully the worst is behind for her, and that she can face the season without injuries.
10. Serena Williams
Australian Open 2020: 3R, defeated by Wang Qiang
Best result: Champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017)
Just a few days ago, Serena Williams stated during an interview that she really plays for the Grand Slams right now, as it was obvious to everyone just by taking a look of her scheduling of tournaments. This statement confirms that for her it is important to be in good shape in Melbourne. In 2021 she did not play in Abu Dhabi, but we were able to admire her in the Adelaide exhibition (against Naomi Osaka) and then in Melbourne 1, where she defaulted her semi-final match against Barty; in spite of her victories, she needs to improve her game in order to get back to her peak.
9. Petra Kvitova
Australian Open 2020: QF, defeated by Barty
Best result: Final (2019)
Kvitova has a number of things in common with Swiatek. Kvitova hasn’t played any official matches since the 2020 Roland Garros. Her last opponent is the same as the Pole’s, e.g. Sofia Kenin. The big difference between Petra and Iga is that Swiatek won against Kenin in final, while Petra lost her semi-final match against the American. Kvitova did not play the first tournament of 2021 in UAE and lost in the third round of the Yarra Valley Classic, so her physical condition is a question mark. She might face Andreescu in the fourth round in what would be a match-up between two of the purest talents in women’s tennis.
Page 2 – a closer look at seeds 8-1
