Women’s elite shaking off niggles ahead of first Slam

SERENA: I THINK TENNIS IS A SPORT THAT REALLY BEATS YOUR BODY

Before the sneezing and sniffling set in, the world’s No. 2-ranked women’s tennis player listed her goals for the year. Top priority: “Just to stay healthy,” Simona Halep said without hesitating.

Almost as an afterthought, the rising 24-year-old Romanian, who was a finalist at the 2014 French Open, added that her biggest goal was “to win a Grand Slam.”

As the 2016 Grand Slam season kicks off today at the Australian Open, Halep is hardly alone in her quest to stay off the injured list and win a major. Most of the top 10-ranked women’s players started the year with injuries or illness that forced them to retire or withdraw from tournaments in the first weeks of the season.

They include: No. 1 Serena Williams (Hopman Cup/left knee), No. 2 Halep (Brisbane/ left ankle), No. 3 Garbine Muguruza (Brisbane/ left foot), No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska (Sydney/leg injury), No. 5 Maria Sharapova (Brisbane/ left forearm), and No. 6 Petra Kvitova (Sydney/ stomach virus).

“I think tennis is a sport that really beats your body,” Serena, a six-time Australian Open winner, said at her pre-tournament news conference on the weekend. “You start at such a young age, train for so many years. You’re so consistent with that training for hours and hours a day. Then you do physical training... a lot goes into tennis.”

The 21-time Grand Slam winner doesn’t like to dwell on weaknesses and did not want to discuss the inflammation in her left knee that forced her to withdraw from her seasonopener at the Hopman Cup.

“It’s actually really fine. I don’t have any inflammation anymore,” Serena said. Asked if she might need surgery, she added, “I’m totally — I don’t think I would need surgery at all.”

Serena starts her tough road to another title today with an opener against Camila Giorgi, the highest ranked of the unseeded players in the women’s draw. Serena may have to face former No. 1-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round and No. 5-ranked Maria Sharapova in a quarter-final match that would feature last year’s finalists.

Sharapova enters with her own injury concerns after withdrawing as defending champion from the Brisbane International because of soreness in her left forearm.

But the five-time Grand Slam winner says she is now “feeling really good,” despite the lack of a warm-up tournament.

“I might be rusty, make a few more unforced errors than I would like but I’m ready to go,” Sharapova said.

AP Smiling assassin Romania’s Simona Halep said yesterday she wanted to stay healthy at a press conference ahead of the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne today.

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AFP Back to basics Germany’s Julia Goerges plays a forehand return during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open.

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