Women’s tennis is almost over—don’t forget, they’re still playing in Bali this week—and, amazingly, shockingly, we’ve learned a lot about where women’s tennis is going. Or at least, we might have learned a lot. Or maybe a little. For sure, something. Can we at least agree we’re not entirely confused anymore? Here’s the state of the game as we enter the not-so-long winter.
Head of the Class
Petra Kvitova, by a dozen miles. She only won one major title, but it was Wimbledon, the most important of them all. And then she snapped out of a summer-long funk by sweeping the WTA Championships in Istanbul. Kvitova has many flaws: She’s inconsistent, makes strings of errors, still lacks in the fitness department, and still takes absurd (read: dumb) risks. But when her lefty serve and forehand are in sync, there’s no stopping her. At last, tennis has a (young) woman with the goods to be No. 1 for years.
Will she get there? Yes. Will she stay there for long? It’s anyone’s guess. Kvitova isn’t exactly the second coming of Monica Seles, and it’s worth noting that she excels indoors, so don’t be too dazzled by her Istanbul win. The last time a player showed this kind of promise, she turned out to be a thoroughly average champion. Do you remember her? Great serve, excellent forehand and backhand, pretty good at the net, and athletic genes. Her name was…Svetlana Kuznetsova, winner of the 2004 U.S. Open. Do we have another Sveta on our hands? That question could be asked of this entire generation. Stay tuned.
Graduates with Honors
Second prize on the women’s tour goes to Samantha Stosur. Stosur had a great chance to win the French Open last year, and when she didn’t, she was despondent. I never would have expected her to win the U.S. Open, much less against Serena Williams, and much less against a Serena Williams who got the crowd riled up after she protested a chair umpire’s critical call. Stosur also won the match of the tournament, a thrilling three-set contest against Maria Kirilenko that included the longest tiebreaker in women’s Grand Slam history (32 points).
Also honorees: Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber, who romped the last quarter of the season with titles in Toronto, at the U.S. Open, in Tokyo and in Istanbul.
A for Effort
Poor Caroline Wozniacki. As a rule, it’s not wise to feel bad for top athletes. Great life, great salaries, early retirement. But I’m starting to feel for Wozniacki, whose dedication to tennis is immense but whose game is too small to dominate at majors. I still say she wins at least one, if only because her best skill—consistency—is so lacking in the rest of the field.
Marion Bartoli was also undefeated at the WTA Championships. Too bad she only played one match. Still, a nice showing for a woman who had a good year that would have been great with a better finish at the French Open.
Victoria Azarenka finished strong, too. Here’s to her health, which never lasts long enough.
Stand in the Corner
Still think that Li Na’s French Open victory is going to be a transformational moment that inspires the development of tens of thousands of Chinese tennis players? Li has done her best to limit her impact with dreadful performances all summer and fall. She also fired her coach—the coach who replaced her husband, whom she fired earlier in the year (it seemingly had no effect on their marriage).
Just when you think Maria Sharapova has a chance to be Maria Sharapova again—she doesn’t deliver. How many years will this go on? It has to be frustrating for such a great competitor to lose and lose again (and suffer injuries) in a generation of unsure competitors. To be continued.
Lost Her Homework
Vera Zvonareva, you had your chances these past two years. It’s been nice knowing you.
Department of Déjà vu
I can’t watch Agnieszka Radwanska without thinking of Martina Hingis. Sadly, Radwanska has even less ability to finish points. Still, pleasure to watch.
Department of Decibels
WTA players should grunt every time they’re asked about grunting. Enough already! It has been around for years. It’s moderately annoying. It doesn’t bother the players. It’s not driving away fans (show me proof that it is). It. Is. Not. Going. To. Stop. The only solution is to stop training juniors to do it. Only then will the most tiresome issue in tennis die the death it so richly deserves.
Goodbye, Doha!
How great to watch a WTA Championships that fans—you know, those people who buy tickets and sit in seats—were watching too. The first year in Turkey was a success. If only…
Hello, Television?
So, the WTA Championships final was carried all week by Tennis Channel, but ESPN had the final and gave the tournament its due by showing the match…on tape delay. I thought ESPN was the network that broadcast live sports. John Skipper must have been mistaken when he delivered this quote: “Sports fans want to see the action live, and that’s how we deliver tennis and all our sports.”
Department of (Ghoulish) Anagrams
Halloween came and went, so imagine that Petra Kvitova had the very bad idea of dressing up as a British protester railing against higher taxes to maintain public spaces. If she did, she’d carry a sign that read __! Email me your answers and send candy (no white chocolate, preferably without nuts) to my **Twitter feed**.