(CNN) After a remarkable comeback that featured two major finals and one epic controversy, can Serena Williams seal her place in the tennis history books once and for all in Australia?

Since winning her seventh Australian Open title two years ago while eight weeks pregnant, the Open era Grand Slam record holder has remained one shy of Margaret Court's all-time Grand Slam record of 24 major singles titles.

Some of her closest rivals think she still has what it takes, but with the strength and depth of women's tennis vastly improved in recent years, it won't be easy.

"She's still Serena Williams, and she still has won 23 slams," former French Open quarterfinalist Carolina Garcia told CNN Sport.

"A lot of girls on Tour will be happy to make two finals in a year," said the 19th-ranked Frenchwoman, who has lost all three matches she played against Williams.

'Everyone is hungry for slams'

The Australian Open, the season's first tennis major, starts on January 14 in Melbourne. Roger Federer of Switzerland and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki are the defending champions.

"She will probably be disappointed, but I think she can still do it," Garcia said about Williams, the 4-1 favorite for the women's title with UK bookmaker William Hill.

"But she has to work hard, like everyone, because everyone is hungry for slams. But I don't think she has lost anything."

Back-to-back major defeats

Williams, 37, returned to the women's WTA Tour last March after a 14-month maternity leave, during which she underwent surgery because of complications following the birth of her daughter, Olympia. Although Williams was the only player, with the top-ranked Simona Halep, to reach two Grand Slam finals in 2018, she lost them both.

Photos: The first of many. A 17-year-old Williams beats Martina Hingis at the 1999 US Open in straight sets to win her first major title. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Conquering clay. Serena beats sister Venus at Roland Garros 7-5 6-3 in 2002 to claim her second grand slam at the French Open. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: A few weeks later, Serena makes it a hattrick of grand slams with victory over Venus at the Wimbledon final in July 2002. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Serena comes out on top after another final with Venus, beating her sister in straight sets to win her second US Open title in 2002. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: A grand slam of grand slams -- the first "Serena Slam." Serena wins a first Australian Open title -- and a fourth major on the trot -- by beating Venus in three sets in 2003. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Serena wins the 2003 Wimbledon final 4-6 6-4 6-2 against sister Venus to defend her crown. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: A second Australian Open title for Serena and a seventh grand slam after a 2-6 6-3 6-0 victory over compatriot Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Melbourne final. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Victory over Maria Sharapova in the 2007 final secures a third Australian Open title for Serena. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Serena on Times Square with the US Open trophy, a title she won without dropping a set at the 2008 tournament. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Ten years of grand slam success and a 10th major for Serena as she beats Dinara Safina in straight sets at the Australian Open final in 2009. Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Another victory over sister Venus in a Wimbledon final and Serena clinches her third title at SW19 in 2009. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Serena poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy in 2010, her fifth Australian Open title. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: A two-year wait, but Serena notches a 14th major with yet more success at Wimbledon. She beats Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1 5-7 6-2 in the 2010 final to level with sister Venus with five Wimbledon titles. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Wimbledon 2012 was Williams' first grand slam since spending almost a year out of action between summer 2010 and 2011 with a leg injury and subsequent pulmonary embolism. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Thirteen years after her first US Open title, Serena grabs a fourth by beating world No.1 Victoria Azarenka in the final Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Serena with the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy in front of the Eiffel Tower after victory over Sharapova in the 2013 final. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Another US Open for Serena, beating Azarenka in the 2013 final for the second successive year. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Victory at the US Open in 2014 moves Williams to joint-fourth in the all-time list of major winners, alongside Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Another fine start to a year as Williams wins the 2015 Australian Open -- once again beating Sharapova in a major final. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: A second grand slam of the year and a third French Open after a 6-3 6-7 6-2 win over Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova in 2015. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: A third major title of the year thanks to a straight-sets win over Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the 2015 Wimbledon final. But there was to be no "Serena Slam'"of four majors in the same calendar year. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: A seventh Wimbledon title for the then world No.1 and now equal with Steffi Graf's Open era record of major titles. "This court definitely feels like home," says Williams after her straight sets win over Angelique Kerber in 2016. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: At the start of 2017, sister Venus is beaten in straight sets as a seventh Australian Open is secured and an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title won. Later we would find out she won while pregnant with her first child. Hide Caption 23 of 23

After reaching her tenth Wimbledon final, dropping just one set, Williams was stunned by Germany's Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-3.

Two months later, at the US Open, Williams looked very much like her old self again until the final, where she lost 6-2 6-4 to Naomi Osaka, a Japanese player 16 years her junior, armed with a big serve that matches Williams' own.

After that defeat, which will forever be remembered for Williams' row with the chair umpire and accusations of sexism afterwards, the former world No. 1 ended her season early.

She began 2019 at the Hopman Cup mixed team exhibition event in Perth, winning all three of her singles matches.

Pressure -- 'Everything's in the mind'

With the weight of history on her shoulders, did it all become too much?

"I can see it a little from my perspective, that she came back, and she wanted to win a Grand Slam, and she was pretty close twice," two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova told CNN Sport.

Williams argues with the referee during the US Open final

"Maybe she put a lot of pressure on herself as well, as we saw at the US Open, with all the emotions," said the 8th-ranked Czech, who staged a successful comeback herself in 2017 after sustaining a potentially career-ending injury on her hand in a knife attack.

"I think it's everything in the mind," said Kvitova, who was out for six months following the attack in her house by an intruder. "It's tough to come back and play like before, like you didn't have time off."

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'A lot of experience in finals'

Playing Serena Williams in a major tennis final was once considered an almost impossible task.

From the 2001 US Open to the 2015 Wimbledon championships, Williams lost only four Grand Slam title matches.

But since Italian Roberta Vinci ended her historic quest for the calendar Grand Slam at the 2015 US Open semifinals, the American has gone 2-4 in Grand Slam finals.

For Kerber, who has now defeated Williams in two of three major finals, the key to beating the most successful player of the Open era on the sport's biggest stages is to focus on yourself.

"I have now played her in three Grand Slam finals, and it is always of course tough to play against her because she has such a lot of experience in the finals," the German, who also beat Williams at the 2016 Australian Open finals before losing to her at Wimbledon that same year, told CNN Sport.

"For me, what I have learned in the last years, is just to look on my side of the court, trying to play my tennis, play like I practice, and take all the experience that I had from my tournaments, my matches on to the big stage," she said.

'I don't fear her'

Although Williams has a 5-3 lead over Kvitova, the 28-year-old Czech has beaten the American the last three times they played, including a three-set clash in the second round of Cincinnati in August.

"To be honest, I don't fear her," said Kvitova. "I played her in Cincinnati, she played great tennis, it was an amazing match. But, on the other hand, of course, it's still Serena. She's a great champion and when you face her, you always need to be prepared for a really tough one. I think if she is still there, she is going to win more Grand Slams."