The 2022 tennis season kicks off on Monday, with the Australian Open getting underway in Melbourne. The January Grand Slam has plenty of drama baked in as veterans seek to prove themselves and rookies aim to make waves.

Can Naomi Osaka repeat? Will Ash Barty break through? Here are the three storylines to watch for ahead of the Australian Open.

1. Ash Barty tries to win one at home

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty heads into the Australian Open fresh off clinching the Adelaide International title. Defeating No. 7 seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets in the final, Barty has won 17 of her last 18 matchups against Top 20 opponents. The Australian native is also coming off a sensational 2021 campaign, capturing the Wimbledon title to become the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980 to win the major. The 25-year-old ended last season with a WTA Player of the Year award after taking home five titles in 2021 and ending the year as the World No. 1.

In her rise through the tennis ranks, Barty has captured the heart of Australians, with two million viewers from her home country tuning in to watch the Wimbledon final well into the night and early hours of the morning. With two Grand Slams to her name, Barty hopes to make it a third at home in Australia, improving upon her 2020 semifinal run in Melbourne.

If Barty pulls off the win, she will become the first Australian to capture the major since Chris O’Neil in 1978.

The No. 1 seed won’t have any easy path. As the draw stands, Barty could face reigning champion Naomi Osaka in the tournament’s fourth round.

2. Naomi Osaka returns to defend her title

Naomi Osaka is back on tour after a 2021 season largely defined by the multiple breaks she took from the sport. The 24-year-old first stepped back from tennis during last season’s French Open, citing her mental health. The four-time Grand Slam winner pulled out of Wimbledon as well before returning for the Tokyo Olympics. Following a tough US Open loss to Leylah Fernandez in September, Osaka took another break from tennis, announcing her decision in an emotional press conference after the Grand Slam.

Now, Osaka is back and ready to compete, admitting that her respite from tennis was shorter than even she expected.

“I actually really thought I wasn’t going to play for most of this year,” Osaka told reporters after the first round of January’s Melbourne Summer Set. “I’m really happy with myself that I love the sport that much, because I literally said that I was unsure when I was going to play after the US Open, and I’m here right now.”

After making a semifinal run at the Melbourne Summer Set, Osaka had to pull out of the Australian Open tune-up tournament, citing an abdominal injury. The reigning Australian Open champion is expected to recover for the Melbourne major, which kicks off Osaka’s 2022 campaign. Drawing a potential Round of 16 matchup with No. 1 seed Barty, Osaka’s title defense should be filled with drama and intrigue, as well as some exceptional tennis.

3. A preview of the tour without the Williams sisters

The Australian Open will be without both Venus and Serena Williams for the first time since 1997, with both sisters pulling out of the Grand Slam due to lingering injuries. The Williams sisters’ two-decade plus run down under speaks to the American stars’ prolonged dominance on tour. Neither Venus nor Serena have hinted at retirement, but with both in their 40’s and having already accomplished everything possible in the sport, it’s fair to assume the sisters are closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.

It is hard to imagine tennis without two of the sport’s most towering figures, but the 2022 Australian Open could provide a glimpse into what the post-Williams era looks like.

Will World No. 1 Barty take command as the undisputed leader of the sport, or will No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka clinch her first Grand Slam? Could Naomi Osaka win a fifth Grand Slam and regain her earlier trajectory? Not to mention Garbiñe Muguruza, Barbora Krejcikova, Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, and Emma Raducanu, all of whom will have a chance to step into the Williams’ void and claim their position at the forefront of the next generation of tennis stars.

The 2027 Women's World Cup has officially claimed its calendar spot, with FIFA announcing Tuesday that the tournament's Brazil-hosted 10th edition — the first-ever in South America — will run from June 24th through July 25th.

"The FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 is already taking shape and we can’t wait for the opening match," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Looking to break 2023's record-setting attendance and viewership numbers, Infantino also noted, "This historic tournament will have a massive impact not only in South America, but around the whole world, taking the women's game to the next level in terms of participation and popularity."

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Prepping for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers

The international soccer governing body also allocated the competition's 32 available spots, with CONMEBOL's Brazil earning automatic entry as one of the three slots granted to the continental confederation.

UEFA leads the pool with 11 teams, followed by AFC with six, CAF and Concacaf with four each, and OFC's one.

The final three squads will be determined by a 10-team, two-round play-in tournament taking place in late 2026 and February 2027.

The road to Brazil kicks off in 2025

With details including host cities and venues still to come, the road to the 2027 World Cup is ramping up with qualifying matches looming just around the corner.

Next year's UEFA Nations League play will determine the 11 European teams bound for Brazil, including 2023 world champions Spain. Meanwhile, the path to a fifth star for the world No. 1 USWNT crest begins with Concacaf W Qualifiers in late 2025.

Similarly, 2025 qualifying matches for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup and 2026 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off World Cup entrances for teams in those federations. CONMEBOL will look to the 2025 Copa América tournament to determine the remaining two entrants that will compete alongside host Brazil, while OFC is likely to set their World Cup qualifying matches for next year.

Superstar exits pave the way for new World Cup stars

Both expected and surprise entrants will book their 2027 World Cup spots over the next two years, but the Brazil tournament's sidelines are already set to feature fresh faces after a flood of soccer greats called game in 2024.

The host nation will compete in their first World Cup since 1999 without legendary attacker Marta, whose 17 goals lead the tournament's all-time scoring list.

Canada is suffering the same fate with 2027 marking the first edition in 28 years without leading international goalscorer Christine Sinclair.

Two-time trophy-winners Germany — the only team other than the US with more than one world title — recently bid adieu to star Alexandra Popp, who retired as a four-time World Cup competitor.

As for the USWNT, they'll look to follow their 2024 Olympic gold medal with a 2027 World Cup title, but without star striker Alex Morgan, defender Kelley O'Hara, or goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who followed 2023 retirees Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz out the door this year.

The fourth-annual FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup tips off Thursday in Puerto Rico,​ with 2022 winners Canada and three-time silver medalists Brazil aiming to dethrone defending three-time champs Team USA.

The US is led by three WNBA standouts. Veteran Mystics guard Brittney Sykes's 12.2 points per game was second on Washington's 2024 roster, while Sparks forward Azurá Stevens is strong on both ends of the court as LA's best three-point shooter also boasts the team's second-best rebound rate.

Meanwhile, Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegrist is coming off a shooting hot streak, sinking over 50% from the field in her second WNBA season.

Former record-breaking Ivy League sharpshooter Abbey Hsu rounds out Team USA's roster, with the Belgian league rookie​ earning the spot over nine WNBA players.

The road to the 3×3 podium

Fifteen teams traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but only 12 will compete in the tournament's main draw. Thursday's court is reserved for the four teams vying to qualify, with either Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, or the Cayman Islands surviving.

With the 12 tournament teams split into four groups of three, pool play takes over on Friday and Saturday. Pools B (Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica) and D (Puerto Rico, Argentina, and the final qualifying team) will play their round-robin round on Friday. Then, Pools A (USA, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic) and C (Chile, Brazil, and Colombia) will do the same on Saturday.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to Sunday's knockout rounds. All elimination games will feature on Sunday's court, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place game, and championship showdown.

How to watch Team USA in the 2024 FIBA 3×3AmeriCup

The tournament tips off at 12:30 PM ET on Thursday, but Team USA doesn't feature until Saturday, when they face the Dominican Republic at 3:30 PM ET before taking on Uruguay at 6:35 PM ET.

All FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup games — including Sunday's 8 PM ET championship — will stream live on YouTube.

All 14 NWSL teams issued final​ end-of-year roster decisions on Tuesday, as the 2025 free agency period shifts into full gear.

Athletes who are currently out-of-contract are now technically on the chopping block, faced with either negotiating new terms to return to their teams or taking the leap and brokering a fresh deal elsewhere.

Standouts listed as out-of-contact include 2024 NWSL champion and Orlando Pride captain Marta as well as NC Courage striker and the league's 2023 MVP Kerolin. Several current and former USWNT stars also face offseason negotiations, like Gotham FC forward Midge Purce, Portland Thorns center back Becky Sauerbrunn, and Angel City forward Christen Press.

Multiple teams have already acknowledged an intent to retain top players by announcing ongoing negotiations in their final 2024 roster announcements, with Press, Marta, and Kerolin in talks to stay with their clubs.

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New CBA means more NWSL movement

Under the league's new CBA, when a team declines a player's contract option, that player automatically becomes an unrestricted free agent, guaranteeing roster shakeups despite this year's lack of expansion and college drafts.

Both athletes whose contracts have expired and those whose options have been declined are considered out-of-contract. While those players will be weighing their options on the open market, teams will be doing the same, deciding who to try to retain and who to officially waive.

Clubs will make many of those decisions imminently, as the waiver wire will open and close this week, before the trade window opens again on December 13th.

The league will take a transaction moratorium from December 20th to 27th, after which teams can resume signings.

Between the CBA-induced influx of free agents and the lack of drafts forcing front offices into what could be lengthy recruiting and negotiating processes to attract young talent, the business of building an NWSL roster has become more complicated.

That said, some clubs seem to be capitalizing on the shake-up. After finishing the season in last place, the Houston Dash have already seen significant roster action — including nabbing defender Christen Westphal from San Diego and signing ex-Gotham free agent Delanie Sheehan — setting an aggressive rebuilding example as the NWSL embraces a new era.

Thanks to her impact on and off the court, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was named Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. Clark is the first WNBA player to receive the award and just the second individual woman athlete, joining 2021 honoree Simone Biles.

The 22-year-old's 2024 resume is extraordinary. Clark wrapped up her NCAA career as Division I's all-time leading scorer, helping Iowa reach a second-straight national championship game.

Since becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark's pro debut included claiming the league's single-season assist record and fueling the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016. Along the way, she picked up both All-Star honors and the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award.

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All eyes on Clark

Clark's on-court skills built a massive following, drawing record viewership and attendance at both the college and professional level. Her ascent into the league helped the WNBA record its most-watched regular season in 24 years.

That surge in fandom has directly contributed to the sport's growth, something venerated South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged on the 2024 NCAA Championship podium, saying, "I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport."

More eyes, however, have made the fan-favorite a lightning rod for online discourse, with even minor on-court moments sparking intense national debates.

"I tell people I feel like the most controversial person," Clark says in Time magazine's detailed interview. "But I am not. It's just because of all the storylines that surround me."

While Clark's talent certainly warrants attention, she also acknowledges the role her race plays in commanding the national spotlight.

"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege," she explains. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.

"I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing."

Ultimately, Clark's 2024 will be remembered as a watershed moment for women's basketball — and women's sports at large. But, as she tells Time, it will also hopefully mark the start of a long and accomplished career.