TWELVE months ago, Simona Halep spent the night after the Australian Open final in hospital, suffering from heat exhaustion after playing almost three hours in brutal conditions.

Beaten by Caroline Wozniacki, the pain of losing her third Grand Slam final could have sent her into a spiral but, a year on, the Romanian is the world No 1 and a champion at last, having won the French Open last summer.

That win lifted a weight from her shoulders and, though she arrives in Melbourne a little under-cooked after just one warm-up match, she is a changed woman.

“It’s a big difference. I won a Grand Slam finally,” she said. “Now I can say I’m a real No 1. Before I said that, without a Grand Slam, you are not a real No 1.”

Halep is one of 11 women who mathematically could be No 1 by the end of the tournament and picking a winner is so difficult that former world No 1 Chris Evert described it as “a crapshoot”.

There is, however, the small matter of Serena Williams and her continued quest to make history by equalling Margaret Court’s overall Grand Slam titles record of 24. Beaten in the final at Wimbledon and at the US Open last year, having only returned from maternity leave in March, Williams is the favourite to win the title for a record eighth time.

At 37, the American looks to have worked hard on her fitness in the off-season but she faces a tough section of the draw, with Halep a potential fourth-round opponent.

Equalling Court and eventually passing her is what continues to drive Williams on, and she is likely to take some stopping.

The competition, though, is strong, with six of the world’s top eight having won at least one Grand Slam, with the top four sharing the majors in 2018.

Naomi Osaka, the world No 4, said Williams was the woman to beat but she had designs of her own on the title.

“I have to take it one step at a time,” she said. “No-one wants to lose in the first round of a slam, I think. That would be my immediate goal. From there, I’ve been in the third round 100 million times already. That would be my next goal. Hopefully semis after that. Then I can think about, like, the finals and winning.

“There’s so many good players in this draw. I know everyone wants to win this tournament. My first, immediate thought isn’t to win.”

Wozniacki and Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber complete the top four while, if there is to be a first-time winner, then perhaps it will be Elina Svitolina.

The winner of the WTA Finals, Svitolina said she was trying to put the pressure of trying to win her first Grand Slam title out of her mind.

“Everyone is fighting for the same thing,” she said, “[so] there is enough pressure that’s put on us. It motivates me, of course. But I don’t think so much about it. For me, it’s just about playing good tennis, being 100 per cent ready for each match.”