Has the time come for a former world number one to end her wait for a first grand slam title since becoming a mother?
It is a question that has been asked time and again since Serena Williams returned in 2018 following the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia.
The legendary American must have long since become tired of being asked whether she can match Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles triumphs, with her last success coming when she was pregnant at the 2017 Australian Open.
While the 39-year-old - beaten in four grand slam finals after coming back to the tour - will be expected to mount a challenge over the next fortnight, it could be another mother who is celebrating at Melbourne Park.
It is eight years since Victoria Azarenka claimed her second grand slam title at the Australian Open, but the 31-year-old has shown there could be more to come.
Azarenka beat Williams for the first time in a major to reach the final of the US Open last year, but she then endured the agony of losing to Naomi Osaka.
That was her first championship match at a grand slam in seven years, having given birth to her son, Leo, late in 2016 before a prolonged child custody dispute badly disrupted her career.
A resurgent Azarenka took her tally of WTA Tour singles titles to 21 by winning the Western and Southern Open last August and was named the Comeback Player of the Year for 2020, as she headed back towards the peak of her powers.
The world number 13 claimed both of her grand slam titles at the Australian Open and will face Jessie Pegula in the first round next week.
Azarenka said she is enjoying her tennis more than ever and Michael Joyce, her former coach, believes she has a great chance of making a dream start to the year.
Joyce, who also coached Pegula, told Stats Perform News: "Vika has got as good a chance as anyone in Australia. She's back at the top, where she belongs.
"She won the Western and Southern and came so close at the [US] Open. She's also had some very tough draws as she's worked her way back, so she's done incredibly well to get back where she is.
"Opponents won't want to play her. If Vika gets through a couple of rounds, she can be very dangerous. Once she gets momentum, she can be hard to stop."
The great Martina Navratilova declared after Azarenka's run to the final at Flushing Meadows that she had witnessed "a new Vika" with extra punch in her shots" and "stronger than ever before".
Azarenka's positive outlook has also been evident off the court, as she recently launched a 'Think About It' podcast series, in which she engaged in in-depth conversations with the likes of motivational guru Trevor Moawad and professional rock climber Sasha DiGiulian.
The aim of the series was for Azarenka and her audience to learn from 'power players' in a variety of industries and show the strength that can be forged from vulnerability.
Azarenka's rivals may be feeling vulnerable in Melbourne as they think about how to go about beating the Belarus-born star.
'Gladiator' Andy Murray could still prolong career, says Diego Schwartzman
Andy Murray is a "gladiator" and his love for tennis means he could yet prolong his career, according to former world number eight Diego Schwartzman.
Murray has endured a difficult few years with injuries, undergoing surgery on both hips in 2018 and 2019.
The three-time major champion has repeatedly said he is approaching the end of his career, revealing in February that he does not "plan on playing much past this summer".
Murray is currently preparing for what will likely be his final appearance at the French Open, having sat out five of the last six tournaments at Roland-Garros.
Schwartzman, however, feels Murray's love for the game could lead to him playing on for longer than anticipated.
"His life is tennis and I think he enjoys it. I think this is his legacy," Schwartzman – who won his only tour-level meeting with Murray in Antwerp in 2021 – told Stats Perform.
"No matter what you do, your age or how you are doing, if you really love the sport and you love what you do, you can do it and you can push hard for as many years and as many tournaments as you want.
"He's a fighter, a gladiator, and he's been doing the same since he was very young, and for us also, sharing tournaments and sharing moments, he has the passion out there.
"So, it's good to see these kinds of guys because tennis always needs guys who love the sport, and this is the one for sure."
Murray would surely have added to his one US Open title and two Wimbledon crowns if not for the presence of the 'big three' of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. The Scot has lost five grand slam finals to Djokovic and one to Federer.
Schwartzman says the importance of preparation is the main thing he learned from being on tour with those three greats, though he refused to say who was the greatest of all time.
"I know them very well, playing them on court, outside of the court," the Argentine added. "The good thing for me and many guys who share the tournaments with them is how differently they prepare the tournaments.
"How differently they do things with food, with practice, with everything. It's crazy.
"I think, okay, 'in one small way he's the best to do this side of the game', and then the other one is the best [at another aspect], so it's not my thing, who the GOAT is."
Haddad Maia and Keys into Strasbourg quarter-finals
Beatriz Haddad Maia and Madison Keys have both progressed to the quarter-finals of the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
American Keys, seeded fourth, surged clear of China’s Wang Xinyu in a dominant second set to prevail 7-5 6-0, only being broken once in the match.
Haddad Maia, meanwhile, fought back from losing the first three games to defeat Emma Navarro 6-4 7-6 (7-1) in a keenly contested battle.
Second seed Haddad Maia will face Liudmila Samsonova in the last eight, while Keys will take on either Ekaterina Alexandrova or Magda Linette at the WTA 500 event.
Top seed Marketa Vondrousova and two-time tournament winner Elina Svitolina are among the other players due to play later on Wednesday.
Data Debrief: Haddad Maia shows resilience
The battling win for Haddad Maia lasted two hours and 16 minutes, with Navarro pushing the Brazilian all the way.
Navarro forced 17 break points on Haddad Maia’s serve across the two sets and converted six of them, but still fell to defeat.
Haddad Maia now leads the head-to-head against Navarro 2-1, having also beaten her at the Madrid Open last month as part of her run to the last eight in Spain.
Murray knocked out of Geneva Open as Hanfmann books Djokovic clash
Andy Murray was denied a meeting with Novak Djokovic at the Geneva Open as Yannick Hanfmann completed a 7-5 6-2 win over the Scot on Tuesday.
Murray's first-round clash with Hanfmann was suspended due to rain on Monday, with the three-time grand slam champion 7-5 4-1 down.
He had earlier fumed at umpire Greg Allensworth as pollen rained down on the court in Switzerland, questioning why play had not been stopped.
The rain may have frustrated Hanfmann's victory pursuit on Monday, but it only provided a temporary reprieve for Murray as the players returned to complete the match the next day.
Hanfmann held his nerve through his final two service games to book a meeting with Djokovic for Wednesday.
In Tuesday's other early match, four-time grand slam quarter-finalist David Goffin was beaten in straight sets by Nicolas Moreno De Alboran.
The likes of Denis Shapovalov and Tallon Griekspoor are also in action in Switzerland on Tuesday, with Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud joining Djokovic in entering for the second round on Wednesday.
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