The 2017 Australian Open championship picture is already shaping up. Angelique Kerber, coming off the best year of her career, is set to defend the Aussie Open title, while tennis legend Serena Williams will try again to set a new record for most Grand Slam trophies in the Open era.
Kerber and Williams are undoubtedly the top-2 favorites at the Australian Open, but ESPN tennis analyst Peter Bodo didn't pick either of them to bag the title, and here's why.
"Kerber is in a unique position. She proved through 2016 that she can handle the pressure that goes with becoming the top player by finishing No. 1 for the year. The pressure is off -- so off that Kerber, who's always blown hot and cold, may be hard-pressed to find her motivation.
Williams is 35 and just one Grand Slam away from breaking a tie with Steffi Graf to become the Open era's most prolific major singles titlist. She's been having a great time since last September, expanding her social life, hobnobbing with celebrities, posting open letters on Facebook. What she has not done is hit a tennis ball under competitive conditions since she lost in the semifinals of the US Open."
To make it simple, Bodo thinks Kerber's inconsistency will be her Achilles heel entering the Australian Open competition. Kerber did bag two Grand Slam titles last year, but she had a brutal history of ups-and-downs in majors. After winning the Aussie Open, Kerber surprisingly bombed out in the first round at Roland Garros.
As for Williams, there's no doubting that the goods are still there. Williams proved time and time again that she can win a major tournament without putting her A-game. But at the age of 35, the Greatest Female Tennis Player of All Time might have reached the most vulnerable point of her career. In short, the Australian Open is up for grabs.