Serena Williams can strongly defend her Australian Open title, says British No.1 Johanna Konta

Despite former world No.1 Serena Williams not being in action for almost a year, British No.1 Johanna Konta still views Williams as the player to beat at the Australian Open in 2018.

Williams was eight-weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open in 2017 to become a 23-time Grand Slam champion.

The former world number has not played any competition since then and is likely to make a comeback in Melbourne for the first time since giving birth to a baby girl in September.

Konta was Williams' victim in the quarter-finals and conceiving a defeat from the former world number has made the Briton believe that Serena is strong enough to defend her title.

"If anyone can come back so soon after giving birth, it's probably going to be her," Konta was quoted as saying by the Sport24.

"I think regardless of how many matches she's had previously or how much tennis she's played, she's always Serena and the player or the athlete she is, she brings a lot of that to the table regardless," she said.

The first Grand Slam of the season will start from January 15 and will run till January 28.