Australian Open 2012: Serena Williams and Women Who'll Steal the Show

For years, Serena Williams has been the face of women's tennis. It doesn't matter where, or if, she is ranked, everyone is going to be focused on her because she seems to have the ability to just flip a switch and win tournaments. Despite a bum ankle, she is going to be a force at the 2012 Australian Open. 

Williams has won 13 Grand Slam tournaments in her career, including five Australian Opens.

And with no other women dominating the circuit while she has been slumping, there is no reason to think that she won't at least threaten to add No. 6. 

She won't be able to run around as much as she normally would be able to, but when you serve as hard as she does, you don't have to worry about moving in order to win. 

But Williams is hardly the only woman worth paying attention to over the next two weeks. Here are a few others that are ready to start the Grand Slam year off with a bang. 

Petra Kvitova, No. 2 Seed

Kvitova is actually my pick to win this year's tournament. She made quite an impression in 2011, making it to the fourth round of the French Open and carrying that momentum to a Wimbledon championship.

She is going to be the new "It Girl" in women's tennis this year. She is still fighting with Caroline Wozniacki to be the top-ranked female in the sport, but an impressive showing in this tournament could put her over the top. 

The best thing about Kvitova is the fact that she is left-handed, which allows her to get a different spin on the ball than players are accustomed to seeing when she unleashes that brutal serve. 

Maria Sharapova, No. 4 seed

I think we are still waiting for Sharapova to get back to being the player that she was in 2005-2006, but those days are probably long gone. Instead, we will have to appreciate her for what she is: a flawed but still potentially dominant player who can make a deep run in any tournament when she is focused. 

She did make it to the semi-finals of the French Open and finals of Wimbledon last year, but she failed to walk away with a Grand Slam. 

Still, with the right draw, Sharapova is capable of putting together a run that makes you remember why she is one of the most dangerous tennis players in the world.

Kim Clijsters, No. 11 seed

You might as well finish with the woman that won this event last year, right? Clijsters has somehow fallen under the radar heading into this year's event because of the impressive performance of some other women around her. 

But make no mistake about it, she is still capable of putting together a great two-week run that reminds us all of why she has won four Grand Slam events in her career. 

Unlike the other women on this list, Clijsters does not have a powerful serve to intimidate her opponents. She uses a great forehand shot to keep her opponents off balance and can volley with anyone in the female division. 

She is not getting talked about a lot as the event gets ready to start, but when she is on top of her game, she is as dangerous as anyone. 

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