Serena Williams is the main drawcard at the ASB Classic next month and has plenty to prove in the new year after what was a sloppy end to 2016 - well, by Serena's standards anyway.
In my opinion, Serena is the greatest female tennis player ever and arguably the greatest female athlete ever, but 2016 was not a flagship year for the American.
If we count the Olympics as a major tournament, she was one for five in winning finals.
She made the final of the Australian Open and French Open, was knocked out in the semi-finals at the US open, and lost in the third round at the Rio Olympics.
Wimbledon was the exception for the 35-year-old - but history tells us she wins that more than most.
What probably hurt most was losing the No.1 ranking for the first time in three years to Angelique Kerber. Williams lost the coveted spot after being ousted by Karolina Pliskova in the US Open.
During her three-year run, Serena had more WTA titles (24) than losses (19) during her run at number one.
Following her Flushing Meadows disappointment, Serena announced she would sit out the remainder of 2016, as she had in 2015, which had many wondering if this is the beginning of the end for Serena.
These questions will no doubt motivate the American who, despite her moderate success, still made three finals in 2015 and won them all.
Serena finished the year with a 94.8 percent winning record (53-3).
The seven-time Wimbledon champion played 44 matches this year, the least since 2011 (25) when she was struggling with a foot injury.
The reason why many are so critical of Williams is because we hold her to such a high standard, and despite injuries plaguing her in 2016, we still expected more because she is simply the best there is.
Even her coach Patrick Mouratoglou said she had a "bad" year in comparison to others.
The 35-year-old is on the brink of her 20th year of an illustrious career, but this is the first time in two decades that questions surround her standing as the elite player in women's tennis.
The best way to make a statement will be to win the Auckland tournament, which will feature ten of the world's top 50 players.
Williams is far from done - and the rest of the contenders to her throne still have a little longer to wait before claiming her crown.
Newshub.