Australian Open: World No 1 Ash Barty hot favourite to win home Slam for the first time

Ashleigh Barty will be hot favourite to win her home Australian Open for the first time, but even with Serena Williams absent the world No 1 faces threats from all angles.

For the first time in a quarter of a century, the first Grand Slam of the year will not feature either of the Williams sisters – Serena would have been pursuing a record-equalling 24th major crown but she is not fit.

With defending champion Naomi Osaka still working her way back to top form and fitness after a long break, the 25-year-old Barty has emerged as the clear favourite at Melbourne Park.

Like her rival Osaka, Barty was dumped out of the third round of the US Open in September and did not play the rest of the year, returning home to Australia because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike the Japanese star, who pulled out of a warm-up tournament last week saying her “body got a shock” after playing her first matches for four months, Barty appears to be back in the groove already.

Barty won the French Open in 2019 and Wimbledon last year but her best performance in Melbourne was reaching the semi-finals in 2020, where she lost to eventual champion Sofia Kenin.

However, she fired a warning to…

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