10 questions for 2023

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Last year, nowhere near enough people talked about the stellar season Veronika Kudermetova had.

Hell, even WE had to do a double take when we saw she finished at #9... and we talked about her all the time!

She's off to strong start in 2023, dismissing Amanda Anisimova, 6-3, 6-0 pic.twitter.com/3Ajs6Fj8FB

— Tick Tock Tennis (@TickTockTennis) January 2, 2023

A new season has begun, and there are some questions hanging in the air:

1. Will anyone seriously challenge Iga Swiatek? My best bet for that task is Barbora Krejcikova, who--healthy again--is ready to resume her slaying ways. The final that the two of them played in Ostrava last year was as high-quality and thrilling a sports event as one could hope to see. But Krejcikova isn't the only one who could give the world number 1 trouble: Ons Jabeur is also a good choice, and it's probably time to look fearfully at Caroline Garcia again. There are others, of course, but these are the names that come to (my) mind first, when I consider all the contingencies.

2.  Which Garbine Muguruza will show up? Good luck making a guess on that.

3. Will Paula Badosa get out of her mini-slump? I say yes.

4. Will Ons Jabeur win a major? My answer is yes. 

5. Will Maria Sakkari overcome whatever it is that keeps her from winning finals? Probably--her serve has improved quite a bit, and that could give her the confidence she needs.

6. Will Danielle Collins stay healthy? Oh, how I hope she does--a healthy Danielle can go very far.

7. Will Bianca Andrescu stay healthy? Same answer as above--a healthy Bibi can rise to a very high level and change the WTA landscape.

8. Will Liudmila Samsonova make it past the fourth round of a major? Yes.

9. Will Liudmila Samsonova win a 1000 tournament? Again, I'll go with yes.

10. Who is likely to quietly make a huge statement? My bet is on Veronika Kudermetova, who has a splendid and fluid game, with lots of doubles skills to assist, and who appears to have gained quite a bit of confidence.