Dear Santa,
If you don’t count the month of March, the crazy things I did on that trip in May, those horrible things I said back in July and a few other tiny transgressions and indiscretions, I’ve been an awfully good girl this year. So I’m hoping you’ll get me everything on my Christmas list. Don’t worry… you have plenty of time – all of next year in fact. And lest you think I’m being selfish, Santa, note that these are for women’s tennis players, not for me… not really. Pretty selfless, huh? Now here’s what I want:
#1 A Grand Slam for Elena Dementieva
!Elena
Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic may deserve a Grand Slam, but in my mind Elena Dementieva’s the best player without one. She’s been at the top of women’s tennis for a while and has much to show for it – Olympic medals, Grand Slam finals, big Fed Cup wins… and have you seen those biceps? She was a favorite at this year’s Australian Open and US Open, but it didn’t happen for her. It nearly did happen at Wimbledon, where she wasn’t a favorite but was one down-the-line shot away from the final.
Dementieva has athleticism, technique and even mental ability. You may disagree, Santa, but this year Dementieva didn't usually melt down when it mattered. It’s just that others – a Serena Williams here, a Melanie Oudin there – really stepped up. Off court she’s all class. Win or lose nobody gives a more gracious post-match interview. My favorite thing about her? Whatever the round, whatever the tournament, she plays like she really wants to win. And that’s why I really want her to win the final round at the biggest tournaments.
!Venus#2 Wimbledon for Venus Williams (again)
Other champions have won Wimbledon more (Martina Navratilova), younger (her own sister, Serena Williams, in mixed doubles), even taller (Lindsay Davenport). But lately, on the green, green grass of Wimbledon, nobody’s mowed down her opponents quite like Venus.
This decade she made it to final eight times and won five times. Clearly she has the skills: Her speedy serve, pounding ground strokes and explosive movement enable her to “bully” others, as she told Conan O’Brien. She also has the desire, which isn’t as strong or perhaps as obvious elsewhere. Tennis-wise, you sense Wimbledon is why Venus gets out of bed in the morning. With the years and teenagers creeping up on her though, she doesn’t have that many chances left, so once again next year, please put the Venus Rosewater Dish in Venus Williams’s stocking.
#3 Big wins for Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova
Not because they’re my favorites but because the women’s tour will be a more exciting place if the no-longer-retired Belgians and the no-longer-injured Sharapova play the level of tennis that won them a combined dozen Grand Slam titles. With these three back, Serena dominant again, talented youngsters making some noise, and ‘middle-aged’ players like Flavia Pennetta and Sam Stosur playing with poise, things should get good.
#4 More confidence – and joy – for Ana Ivanovic, Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic
!AnaWhat is it with the Number 1 ranking? Except for Serena everyone who gets it these days goes off the tennis deep end soon after (i.e., drops out of the top 20, melts down in Grand Slams). Serena doesn’t handle the top spot better because she’s a better tennis player (though she is that). She handles it better because she’s crazy confident (admittedly with the emphasis occasionally on the ‘crazy’ part). It seems like a small thing, but for elite athletes, who have the strokes down pat, it’s everything. It helped Flavia Pennetta overcome six match points against Vera Zvonareva at the US Open this year, didn’t it?
Sure, Ivanovic could use tips for the yips, but what she needs more is confidence. It might also help her play with more joy. I miss the Ivanovic who looked happy out there, and played like she wanted to win and not like she was afraid to lose.
Ditto for Safina, who played scared, soulless tennis in the latter part of the year. As a fan it’s hard to watch a player who’s so hardworking (and quite endearing) play like “such a chicken” in big matches. Maybe the Number 1 ranking took a toll, and probably the back issues and sour coach didn’t help. Jankovic occasionally has too much confidence, but her sometimes delusional attitude sure beats Safina’s often doubtful one.
What Jankovic lacks these days is joy. She had a tough year on court and off, so it’s understandable… but it’s missed. Remember the player who smiled while receiving Venus’s first serve? That JJ loved tennis, and we loved her for it.
#5 More tennis and titles for Kimiko Date Krumm
She’s ranked 82 at age 39 – that’s 20 years older than the woman ranked just under her. The best part is that she’s playing tennis like it’s meant to be played – like it’s fun and she really wants to. And what about the tour’s other golden oldies? Not counting Amélie Mauresmo, who retired, and Date Krumm, the top 100 still has three thirtysomethings – Jill Craybas, Tathiana Garbin and Patty Schnyder. Can you save them some goodies? At least small stuff like good health and free swinging?
#6 Rising rankings for Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska !Caroline
These top players are leading the charge for the toddlers of tennis. I root harder for the golden oldies, but it would be nice to see these youngsters and all the others play with fun-to-watch abandon knowing they have little to lose with a great coach – time – on their side. The top 100 has more than a dozen teens and a long list of impressive players who were teens when the year began, including Azarenka and Radwanska as well as Yanina Wickmayer, Sabine Lisicki, Dominika Cibulkova, Alisa Kleybanova and Alexandra Dulgheru. Off court it would be nice to see them continue to grow into the ambassadors women’s tennis will need when Venus and the gang leave the tour.
#7 Fewer injuries for Jelena Dokic
After an emotional return to tennis this year, she suffered from an assortment of health issues, including an Achilles tendon injury, a lower back injury and glandular fever. And she’s not the only one hanging out in hospitals. We all know what happened to Sharapova last year. Now Zvonareva’s recovering from ankle surgery, and Safina withdrew from the year-end championships with a back injury she thought might keep her out of the Australian Open. When you read the now-obligatory medical section of post-match pressers, it’s easy to forget (and sad to remember) that these are twentysomethings.
#8 More respect for all the players
Women’s tennis could use more exposure… especially of the right kind. That means fewer fat jokes. The players don’t all look like Daniela Hantuchova or Gisela Dulko, and that’s ok. That means more coverage of more players, not just the top five, the Americans, the youngest and the prettiest. That means more respectful questions from journalists. It was fine to ask Safina about the Number 1 ranking, but it was downright rude after the 20th time. Heck, that even means more respectful tweets. The tweets of a certain ATP player ranked below 200 questioning the state of women’s tennis within a few minutes of Kim Clijsters winning the US Open? They don’t fall into this category.
We could all work on this one, Santa. Maybe we should occasionally ask ourselves and others if, in the words of one wise woman, we’re “trying to be down on women’s tennis”. Then we could remind ourselves that we shouldn’t “deal with down”. This isn’t too much to ask, is it?
Hugs and kisses to Mrs. Santa!
Love,
-- Bobby Chintapalli