As players make their final preparations for the US Open, a sense of excitement and intrigue dominates the women’s draw.
A total of 13 grand slam champions will feature in this year’s tournament. Four of which make up the top four seeds – Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens and Angelique Kerber. Despite the impressive statistic, the WTA Tour is renowned for its unpredictability with unranked players coming out on top against the big names.
With a lot of stake for the players in New York, here are the main storylines to follow this year.
Can Serena shine on home soil?
Serena Williams will be attempting to make history in New York. Already a six-time US Open champion, another title this year would put her level with Margaret Court for the most grand slam titles won of all time. Court’s record currently stands at 24. Williams missed the tournament last year due to the birth of her first child, but her drive to succeed has not lessened on the court.
“If anything, I have more fire in my belly. It’s very hard to describe. It’s very difficult to describe.” Williams told reporters in New York on Saturday.
“I thought after having a child I would be more relaxed. I think I’ve said this before, but I’m not. I work just as hard if not harder actually. I just feel like I take it just as serious if not more. That’s been really surprising for me.”
Since finishing runner-up at Wimbledon, Williams has experienced a bit of a lull in her results on the tour. In San Jose she could only win one game against Johanna Konta, but later admitted that she was dealing with personal problems at the time. In an interview with Time Magazine, the 36-year-old revealed that she found out her sister’s murderer was released from prison hours before the match. Williams’ only other tournament since then was in Cincinnati. She defeated Daria Gavrilova in the opening round before falling to Petra Kvitova.
Despite her mixed results, many have tipped Williams to be a key contender for the New York title, including former world No.1 Chris Evert. An idea that has been played down by Williams herself.
“I don’t know. That I would be the favourite at this point, almost a year after having a baby, is quite interesting.” She said.
“You know, I don’t know my draw, but I feel like I’m going to have to play — if I want to be the best, I’m going to have to start beating these people anyway.”
Williams will start her campaign against Poland’s Magda Linette. She has only lost in the opening round of a grand slam once in 68 appearances and has never failed to reach at least the third round at the US Open.
