For all the pain, anguish, and rearrangements within the sporting world and beyond in 2021, arguably the story of the year was Emma Raducanu’s win at the US Open.
The British teen came through qualifying to blow away all before her at Flushing Meadows and etch her name into tennis history – becoming the first British woman to win a Grand Slam since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977.
With CoViD-19 potentially wreaking havoc in the draw and plenty of players having their preparations hampered again in Melbourne, it promises to be a very open draw once more.
Home hopes are sure to be pinned on world number 1 Ashleigh Barty, who has enjoyed a stellar couple of years on the WTA Tour.
Grand Slam wins at the French Open and Wimbledon have etched her name into the history books and how she would love to add a major title in her home country to her ever growing list of achievements.
At +300 odds Barty will be the top seed at Melbourne Park and she will be backed to the hilt by the passionate home support in Victoria, reports Offers.Bet, bonus aggregator.
One of the most welcome returns to action in 2022 will be the sight of Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open.
The Japanese superstar has won this tournament twice previously and she is a serious force to be reckoned with on any hard court event.
She has endured some well documented struggles off the court over the past 12 months but appears to be back and enjoying her tennis – making her a strong candidate here at +600.
Young Pole Iga Swiatek took the tennis playing world by storm in 2020 by winning the French Open and her career has been on an upward curve ever since.
Her supremely clean ball striking and efficient movement around the court makes her very difficult to play against and she has really come of age on the WTA Tour over the past 12 months.
There is always a seed that sneaks under the radar somewhat and at +1200 to go all the way, Swiatek represents good value at the Australian Open this year.
Former world number one Simona Halep is still waiting to add the Australian Open title to her trophy cabinet, and she is finding her best form again in 2022.
She has a tough draw, but the Romanian has a habit of producing some scintillating tennis in spells and at +1600, she cannot be ruled out in Melbourne.
Teen sensations have made plenty of headlines on the WTA Tour over the past few seasons and Cori Gauff is one of the leading lights in the game.
The American looks to be on the brink of a superb career and winning a first Grand Slam appears to be a case of when rather than if for the 17 year old.
She is +3300 to go all the way at Melbourne Park and she will once again be carrying the hopes of the American nation in the women’s draw.
Despite a serious drop in form since her US Open victory last September, Emma Raducanu can now call herself in any event she plays, and she is seeded down under.
At +4000, she obviously is not too fancied to go win back to back Grand Slams, but stranger things have happened in the world of tennis in recent years.
