No one to challenge Serena yet
American has dominated the women’s game for last 10 years with no competitor matching up to her
MUMBAI: From Chris Evert to Martina Navratilova to Steffi Graf to Serena Williams, women’s tennis has always found a flag bearer, who has dominated the sport like no other, and bettering their predecessors’ records.
But right now the question that is doing the rounds on the Tour is — who after Serena? There have been many who have shown the sparks but haven’t been able to stoke it into a fire.
The last 40 Grand Slams, or over the last 10 years, have seen 31 different women players making it to the final of a Slam and there have been 18 different winners. Serena has been the most consistent in that period having won 14 finals of the 19 she made.
In the same period, 15 different men’s players have made it to the Grand Slam final but only seven have won with a majority of the titles being pocketed by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
The WTA Finals has seen four different winners in last four years after Serena clinched a hattrick between 2012 and 2014. On Sunday, Elina Svitolina won the 2018 crown, dispatching Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
NO COMPETITION
Serena has made merry in the last 10 years, capitalising on her inconsistent opponents, adding 14 titles in that period which is more than half of her total of 23 Slams and which puts her one behind Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24.
Since the retirement of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters, who were always in contention along with Serena, and with the fading form of her sister Venus, the American hasn’t come across an opponent who has challenged her on a consistent basis.
The battle between Serena and Maria Sharapova was build-up as a potential blockbuster but the American swathed her away without much fuss, enjoying a head-to-head of 19-2.
CHALLENGE FIZZLED
Many got touted to be the heir to Serena but none have come close. Victoria Azarenka, after winning two Grand Slams, succumbed to injuries and motherhood took priority thereafter.
She did return but was never the same again.
Li Na retired in September 2014. At the start of the same year she had won the Australian Open.
Of the current lot, Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber have multiple Slams to their name but none have made women’s top spot their own.
Kvitova fizzled away after winning two Wimbledon titles in four years in 2011 and 2014. Muguruza won the French Open in 2016 and the Wimbledon in 2017, in back-to-back years, but failed to make it to a single final in 2018.
Kerber won the Australian Open and the US Open in 2016 before falling off the radar in 2017 but she did bounce back to win 2018 Wimbledon by beating Serena.
Current world No 1 Simona Halep has held the top spot for 35 weeks which is the longest streak since Serena Williams held the No 1 rank for 186 consecutive weeks between February 18, 2013 to September 11, 2016.
The Romanian has been billed as the best player on the Tour at the moment but falls short mentally when it comes to turning talent into Major titles.
Her only Grand Slam title being the 2018 French Open.evert, who has won 18 Grand Slams, feels that no one has lived up to their potential.
“I think at the top of the game, it’s very chaotic right now. I think there’s a lot of fragility,” she was quoted as saying by ESPN recently.
Brad Gilbert, who has coached the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray among others, highlighted how open the women’s field was when asked about his favourite to win this year’s Wimbledon.
Serena Williams AUSTRALIAN OPEN (Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Li Na, Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki) Australian Open French Open Wimbledon
US Open (Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova, Marion Bartoli, Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber) Since Serena Williams held the No 1 rank for 186 consecutive weeks between February 18, 2013, to September 11, 2016, no player has been able to consistently hold on to the top spot:
Angelique Kerber Serena Williams Angelique Kerber Serena Williams Angelique Kerber Karolina Pliskova Garbine Muguruza Simona Halep Caroline Wozniacki Simona Halep Angelique Kerber Kim Clijsters
Garbine Muguruza Li Na Petra Kvitova Victoria Azarenka Maria Sharapova (Svetlana Kuznetsova, Francesca Schiavone, Li Na, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Garbine Muguruza, Jelena Ostapenko, Simona Halep)
Sept 12, ’16-Jan 29, ’17
Jan 30, ’17-Mar 19, ’17
Mar 20, ’17-Apr 23, ’17
Apr 24, ’17-May 14, ’17
May 15, ’17-Jul 16, ’17
Jul 17, ’17-Sep 10, ’17
Sep 11, ’17-Oct 8, ’17
Oct 9, ’17-Jan 28, ’18
Jan 29, ’18-Feb 25, ’18
Feb 26, ’18-Present
20
7
5
3
9
8
4
16
4
35 Svetlana Kuznetsova
Francesca Schiavone
Marion Bartoli Samantha Stosur Flavia Pennetta Jelena Ostapenko Sloane Stephens Caroline Wozniacki Simona Halep Nao1mi Osaka (Kim Clijsters, Samantha Stosur, Serena Williams, Flavia Pennatta, Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka)