Serena Williams. Photo: Jason Heidrich/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Serena Williams remains one win shy of equaling Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 major singles titles.
The backdrop: Williams, 38, has been within one match of tying Court's record four times, but lost in the finals of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open each of the last two years.
- She breezed through the first round of the 2020 Australian Open.
Women to watch: Ashleigh Barty, the reigning French Open champion, is Australia's best chance for a homegrown singles winner since Chris O'Neil claimed the 1978 women's title.
- Young Americans: 15-year-old Coco Gauff is back and better than ever, and 18-year-old Amanda Anisimova has found solace on the court since her father's sudden death last summer.
Men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the three best players on the ATP Tour in the early 2010s. A decade later, they're still on top — but the next generation is closing in.
By the numbers: "The Big Three" have won 55 of the past 66 Grand Slams, but youngsters like Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev represent the best bets to break their iron grip on the sport.
- What they're saying: "They're coming closer and closer, it's obvious," Djokovic told reporters in Melbourne. "I think they are definitely hungry. They're challenging. They're knocking on the door."
Go deeper: 15-year-old Coco Gauff becomes youngest tennis titlist in over a decade