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Has there been a tennis time when the starting and the close seemed so distinctive, and not basically since empty stadiums have provided way to filled arenas? In February, right after the Australian Open, in which Naomi Osaka of Japan received her next consecutive Grand Slam singles function and the fourth of her career, she appeared ready to consider command of the activity. 10 months later on, she is on indefinite depart as she discounts with her psychological well being. No one is aware when, or if, she will return.
Serena Williams designed the semifinals in Australia and appeared poised for a significant try for a history-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title. She has been sidelined with accidents given that the early summer season. Ashleigh Barty of Australia, the 2021 Wimbledon winner, passed on the last two months of the year immediately after an exhausting 50 percent-12 months on the highway.
The American Sofia Kenin, who arrived in Australia as the defending champion, endured an unexpected emergency appendectomy, Covid-19 and a break up with her father and coach, Alex Kenin. She tumbled out of the top rated 10. Simona Halep of Romania, the No. 2 seed in Australia, battled injuries and is now ranked 22nd.
The only participant to make it back again to this championship from 2019, the very last time it was played, was Pliskova of the Czech Republic. In spot of the regular stars are gamers like Maria Sakkari, a 26-12 months-previous from Greece with a physique much more normal of a blended martial arts fighter than a tennis player. She cracked the prime 20 only previous 12 months.
The most significant identify in the video game at the minute, Emma Raducanu of Britain, the qualifier who gained the U.S. Open in September, is not here mainly because she did not qualify. The qualification requirements were designed when everyone just assumed that any one very good adequate to acquire a Grand Slam party would surely be among the the best-ranked gamers still participating in at the conclude of the calendar year. In a ideal earth, the tour finals would element all the Grand Slam champions and finalists.
Alas, this championship has just a solitary Grand Slam singles champion from this calendar year, Krejcikova, regarded right until a short while ago as a doubles professional, who arrived out of nowhere to get the 2021 French Open up. There is just 1 other Grand Slam finalist — Pliskova, who shed to Barty at Wimbledon. There, Barty appeared like she may well not reduce again for a although, but she did not even make the second 7 days of the U.S. Open up and identified as it a season.
