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MELBOURNE – Majors are what issues at this stage for Serena Williams.
After agreeing Friday to the notion that she might contemplate her subsequent Grand Slam title to be her favourite, she withdrew from a scheduled semifinal match in opposition to top-ranked Ash Barty in a tuneup occasion — citing an injured proper shoulder — not lengthy after the draw for the Australian Open was made.
For her newest bid to equal Margaret Court docket’s all-time document of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams was drawn in the identical quarter as second-ranked Simona Halep and the identical half as No. 3 Naomi Osaka, the U.S. Open champion.
Osaka will face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova within the first spherical and has main champions Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza, Venus Williams and Bianca Andreescu in her quarter.
“I noticed the projected draw (for) me, and I, really, I’m type of excited,” mentioned Osaka, who has a 2-1 document in opposition to Serena Williams, together with a memorable main breakthrough within the 2018 U.S. Open closing. “I like enjoying robust individuals, particularly in Slams.”
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However she wasn’t getting forward of herself.
“Truthfully, I’ve by no means seen a projected draw come true, so I suppose will probably be attention-grabbing for all of us,” Osaka mentioned.
Defending champion Sofia Kenin is within the prime half of the ladies’s draw together with Barty, and so they might probably meet within the semifinals once more. Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, Johanna Konta and Elina Svitolina are additionally in Kenin’s quarter.
First up for Williams shall be Laura Siegemund of Germany, and that could possibly be both Monday or Tuesday relying on how the schedule is labored out. Williams already has received seven Australian Open titles and her 23 main titles is a document within the Open period. She hasn’t add that tally since her win in Australia in 2017, when she was pregnant along with her daughter, Olympia.
Williams did not point out any accidents or ache throughout her post-match interview after beating Danielle Collins on Friday. She mentioned she feels a lot youthful than her 39 years and took a little bit of inspiration from Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, who at 43 is enjoying in his tenth Tremendous Bowl.
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“I really feel good. I take a look at Tom Brady, it’s so inspiring,” Williams mentioned. “I feel with all the brand new issues, all the brand new expertise, all the brand new bodily therapies, rehab, issues that you are able to do, I don’t know what that age means anymore.”
She was requested about Brady’s concept that his subsequent championship can be his favourite.
“Yeah, I imply, that may completely be my reply. It’s an effective way to assume,” she mentioned. “As a result of in any other case you’re residing off of what you already did.”
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are additionally chasing information.
The second-ranked Nadal, aiming to win a males’s document twenty first main singles title — he moved equal with Roger Federer by successful final yr’s French Open — will open in opposition to Laslo Djere and will face fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas within the quarterfinals.
Within the prime half, Djokovic’s bid for a 3rd consecutive Australian title — and ninth total — might get tough. The highest-ranked Serb has an opener in opposition to Jerome Chardy and three-time main champion Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev are in his quarter.
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Wawrinka beat Djokovic within the finals of the 2015 French Open and the 2016 U.S. Open, and has received their final two matches.
Then there’s the projected semifinal in opposition to U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem, the person Djokovic beat in final yr’s closing to seize his eighth title at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic and Zverev have been enjoying in opposition to one another in an ATP Cup doubles match when the draw was made for the Australian Open.
Djokovic had simply edged Zverev within the second singles match to tug defending champion Serbia stage at 1-1 with Germany. Zverev, final yr’s U.S. Open runner-up, rebounded to information Germany into the semifinals by successful the doubles encounter.
The official draw was delayed by a day as a result of all play in six tournaments was suspended on Thursday whereas 160 gamers needed to isolate and get examined for COVID-19 after a employee in one of many event quarantine motels examined optimistic. Tennis Australia mentioned all gamers — and all the 507 individuals who needed to isolate after being within the quarantine resort — returned unfavourable assessments.
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Extra AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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