Serena void ushers open season Ostapenko can’t wait for idol Williams to get back in action
WIMBLEDON Anyone can win the women’s title and it has all to do with Williams’ absence, not depth in field
Gilbert reckons 40 women have a shot at the Wimbledon title which, depending on which side of the fence you stand, means either the WTA Tour is blessed with extraordinary depth or chronically short of capable understudies for Serena Williams.
Its supporters will say the unpredictability adds to the spectacle, while detractors will point to the fact that, unlike in the men’s game which is still in the midst of a golden era, there are few players capable of carrying the sport forward.
With Serena on maternity leave since winning a 23rd major title at this year’s Australian Open, the door has been open for a bunch of new names to barge through.
Jelena Ostapenko did it at the French Open in stunning style to take the title, prompting none other than Chris Evert to proclaim the birth of a new star.
Only time will prove whether the 20-year-old Latvian can establish herself as a consistent grand slam challenger.
In the past years that has been something beyond pretty everyone apart from Williams, Maria Sharapova, who will be missing from Wimbledon as she makes a stuttering return from a doping ban, and former world number one Victoria Azarenka who is in the early days of a comeback from having a baby.
Current world No 1 Angelique Kerber enjoyed an incredible 2016, winning two majors, but has struggled badly this year. The same can be said of Spain’s Garbine Muguruza who has faded since winning the 2016 French Open. Twice champion Petra Kvitova returns to Wimbledon having recovered from injuries sustained in a stabbing last December and the fact that she is being tipped as favourite by many speaks volumes for the vacuum that currently exists.
“I said that at least 30 women could win the French, and I wouldn’t even have put Osta- penko’s name on the 30 because she hadn’t won a WTA tournament,” former world No 4 Gilbert said this week as he looked ahead to the championships.
“I will double down and say that 40 women could win Wimbledon. The field, without a doubt, is the clear favourite.”
Incredibly, since Williams won the Australian Open no fewer than 22 players have won titles on the WTA Tour.
Only world No 5 Elina Svitolina from Ukraine, with four, and Russian world number 17 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, with two, have managed multiple titles since the Australian Open.
“I think at the top of the game, it’s very chaotic right now. I think there’s a lot of fragility,” 18-times grand slam winner Evert said.
“I think the players that have been at the top have not lived up to their billing. I feel terrible saying that, but everyone who’s reached number one, they haven’t carried on the momentum, and they haven’t stepped up and really embraced that position of leadership on and off the court. “You really can’t count on any one player right now like you could count on Serena in the past.”
Some might see Serena Williams’s absence from Wimbledon as a boost to their own chances of success, but Jelena Ostapenko cannot wait for her “all-time idol” to come back to the circuit following her maternity break.
Over the past three years, the 20-year-old has achieved many life-time goals, such as winning the junior title at Wimbledon in 2014 and catching the sporting world by surprise when she hoisted the French Open trophy earlier this month while ranked 47th in the world.
There is one burning ambition she has yet to fulfil, though -- facing the most successful professional-era tennis champion across the net.
Williams, the holder of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, will be unable to defend her All England Club title over the next fortnight as she awaits the birth of her first baby. While other rivals might be looking to capitalise on the 35-year-old champion’s absence, Ostapenko thinks otherwise.
“It’s also nice when she was playing as she’s a great champion and she is always inspiring a lot of players,” the fast-talking Latvian said.
“She was always my idol when I was growing up as I would always watch her matches and really love the way she plays. She’s the greatest player and maybe our styles of play is quite similar. I hope I can still play her one day.”
Ostapenko was just two when Williams began her grand slam winning spree at the 1999 U.S. Open, and over the last two decades the American is the only woman to have achieved a feat the Latvian is now targeting - the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same year.
To do that, she has been finetuning her game that usually relies on three things - power, speed and even more speed.
She was always my idol when I was growing up. She’s the greatest player and maybe our styles of play is quite similar. I hope I can still play her one day