jana novotna

A Look Back At Jana Novotna’s Wimbledon Title In 1998

July 13, 2024 by Admin

Barbora Krejcikova’s singles victory at Wimbledon in 2024 was especially emotional in that she accomplished the same feat as her late mentor and coach Jana Novotna.

Novotna, who passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 49 in 2017, won her lone major singles title at Wimbledon in 1998 after famously collapsing in the final in 1993 against Steff Graf and also losing the final in 1997 to Martina Hingis.

The third time was the charm for Novotna as Bud Collins documented in his famous tome “The Bud Collins History of Tennis” (for sale and download here https://a.co/d/7icDUt0) as excerpted below from the 1998 chapter.

Novotna cast aside all her demons in winning Wimbledon on her 13th attempt. She had wasted a 4-1, two service break lead in the final set against Steffi Graf in the final five years earlier, and had faded after a blazing beginning against Hingis the previous year. Now, in her third final, with everyone wondering how well her nerves would hold up, Novotna stood up ably to the challenge. She was fortunate to be facing Nathalie Tauziat, the No. 16 seed from France and the first woman from her nation to reach the final on Centre Court since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925. Tauziat, 30, had never been beyond the quarterfinals of a major event before.

The No. 3 seed Novotna was the decidedly better grass-court player, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). Novotna trailed 2-0, 40-15 in the first set before taking matters into her own hands. She served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but her normally impeccable forehand volley let her down in that game. Nevertheless, Novotna quickly regained the ascendancy in the tiebreak, and confidently closed it out. “This is a definite dream come true for me,” said a jubilant Novotna. “It’s really important to always believe in yourself and to have a dream. This is what I have been waiting and working for.”

Novotna’s best match by far was her 6-4, 6-4 semifinal victory over the top seeded and defending champion Hingis. Martina held a 6-2 career head-to-head edge over Novotna, sweeping the previous four battles they had fought. But the key to the verdict this time was the opening set. Hingis led 3-0, 0-40 but dropped six of the next seven games. The momentum had unmistakably swung, and the top seed could not recover. Meanwhile, in the most stunning development of the tournament, seven-time champion Graf bowed 6-4, 7-5 in the third round against Natalia Zvereva, who then beat Seles on her way to the semifinals before losing to Tauziat. Graf had not suffered a loss against Zvereva in 17 previous meetings, including Graf’s famous 6-0, 6-0 decision in the final of the 1988 French Open.

France Captures Davis Cup Despite David Goffin’s Heroics – Mondays with Bob Greene

November 27, 2017 by Admin

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

John Millman beat Andrew Whittington 6-2 6-2 to win the Ea Hua Hin Open Challenger in Hua Hin, Thailand

Aryna Salalenka beat Dalila Jakupovic 6-2 6-3 to win the Mumbai Open in Mumbai, India

Zhang Shuai beat Su Jeong Jang 0-6 6-2 6-3 to win the Hawaii Open in Honolulu, Hawaii

Sumit Nagal beat Jay Clarke 6-3 3-6 6-2 to win the Bengaluru Open in Bengalore, India

DAVIS CUP

Final

France beat Belgium 3-2 at Lille, France

SAYING

“To have four different players win the three points is great. Everyone wanted this, we favored the spirit of the group above individuals … I’m so happy.” – Yannick Noah, French coach after his team won the Davis Cup title.

“It’s great for me to be finally able to win it. I’ve been chasing after it for 10 years. I put other things to one side to be able to play and win this competition.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“We did everything to win and ultimately it didn’t come off.” – Johan Van Herck, Belgium’s Davis Cup coach.

“I’m dependent on tennis. A day without it would be terrible.” – Jana Novotna, who died at age 49, telling an interviewer two years ago. ”

SQUEAKER

Playing his best tennis of the weekend, Lucas Pouille crushed Belgium’s Steve Darcis in straight sets to snap a tie and give France it’s 10^th Davis Cup title. “There’s nothing better than winning as a team, with my mates, in front of the fans, my family and my friends,” Pouille said. His 6-3 6-1 6-0 win over Darcis came in the decisive fifth rubber after David Goffin had knotted the international team competitive 2-2 by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (5) 6-3 6-2 in the first of the two reverse singles. It was the third victory as captain for Yannick Noah and the first for France since 2001. The victory also tied France with Great Britain on the list of all-time winners far behind the United States, which has won 32 Davis Cup titles, and Australia, with 28. “Bravo to all the winning team which has made all of France proud,” French President Emmanuel Macron posted on Twitter.

Goffin began the three-day event by convincingly beating Pouille before Tsonga leveled the match by stopping Darcis. The Noah took a big gamble that paid off for the Frenchmen. The coach paired Richard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who had never played together before, and they defeated Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans and Joris De Loore 6-1 3-6 7-6 (2) 6-4. That set the stage for the reverse singles and Pouille’s big win.

SWEET WIN

The last Frenchman to win a Grand Slam tournament singles title was Yannick Noah. And he had led his country to two Davis Cup championships. So, after France had lost three finals since 2001, Noah was summoned to captain the team once again. “When you don’t win for 16 years, everybody is getting used to losing,” Noah said. “That losing culture, it was destroying me.” France was favored to beat Belgium, which relied heavily on one player David Goffin. “When they got here, the Belgians were carefree while we had something heavy to carry,” Noah said of the three-day competition played in Lille, France. Richard Gasquet, who Noah surprisingly selected to play doubles with Pierre-Hugues Herbert and they responded by winning, said: “I’m just very happy that we managed to win that competition. We’d been trying to win it for a long time. It’s fantastic.”

SABALENKA WINS

Aryna Sabalenka knows how to ease the pain of losing. By winning, of course. The Belarusian teenager stopped Dalila Jakupovic in straight sets to win the L&T Mumbai Open, the biggest title of her career. Sabalenka reached the Tianjin Open final, only to lose to Maria Sharapova, and the was on the Belarusian team that lost the Fed Cup final to the United States. Against Jakupovic, Sabalenka ripped off 13 straight points to reach triple break point for a 4-0 lead before the Slovenian rallied to hold and trail 3-1. No problem. Sabalenka took two of the next three games to close out the opening set. The eventual winner dropped serve to open the second set. But she dominated her opponent to close out the victory in 64 minutes. After the match, Sabalenka credited her coaching team for the victory. “I know it’s not always easy to work with me,” she laughed.

SHARAPOVA UNDER INVESTIGATION

Police in India are investigating Maria Sharapova after a luxury housing project she endorsed folded. “We have registered a case of cheating on directions from the court,” a police officer, Arvind Sharma, told AFP. He said the tennis star and the firm behind the development, Homestead Infrastructure Development, have been named in the case. Sharapova was in India in 2012to launch the luxury high-rise apartment complex, which was later named Ballet by Sharapova. Prospective buyers were told the complex would house a tennis academy, a clubhouse and a helipad. The project in Gurgaon, a satellite city of New Delhi, was supposed to be ready in 2016. By Piyush Singh, a lawyer representing the complainant, said construction was abandoned after builders collected money from homebuyers. “Any celebrity who endorses any product technically becomes an agent for that company,” Singh said. “No one would have invested in the project if Sharapova’s name was not there.” Once ranked number one in the world, Sharapova made almost USD $30 in 2015, according to Forbes, with USD $23 million of that coming from endorsements.

SEEDING ONLY 16

Only 16 players will be seeded at Grand Slam tournaments beginning in 2019. The Grand Slam Board also announced several other changes for the four major events. A player who is a late withdrawal because of an injury will receive 50 percent of the first-round prize money. A player who retires from a first-round match or “performs below professional standards,” could face a fine as high as the entire prize money due to a loser in that round. The Australian Open will use a 25-second serve clock, but not during main draw matches. The four Grand Slam tournaments doubled the number of seeded players to 32 in June 2001, a decision that was made partly in response to complaints from clay-court specialists who wanted more draw protection at Wimbledon, the only major played on grass.

SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIP

Nick Taylor and David Wagner won their 10^th quad title to extend their record as the most successful partnership in UNIQLO Wheelchair Doubles Masters history. The two Americans defeated British top seeds Antony Cotterill and Andy Lapthorne 6-4 6-3 in the final in Bemmel, Netherlands. “It’s awesome. We missed out on it last year against these guys and we really wanted to beat them this year and get that tenth title, so it’s huge,” Taylor said.

SEEKING 2018 START

Japan’s Kei Nishikori is not sure exactly when he will return to the ATP World Tour, but he doesn’t want to rush his recovery. “I can’t say when I’ll heal from my injury, so I’m trying not to rush anything,” said Nishikori, who was ranked ninth in the world when he suffered a season-ending wrist injury last August. “I’m aiming for the Brisbane International (in January), but it could be February or even March, who know,” he said. “I want to make sure I’m in top form when I’m back on tour so I’m in a position to win a Masters or Grand Slam title. I also hope I’m mentally stronger and hungrier next season.” Nishikori underwent elbow surgery in 2009 and was sidelined for almost a year. This time he chose rehabilitation over surgery to treat his wrist injury. “I know I’ve been away from competition for about six months because of my injury,” he said, “but I hope to make it back into the top five. I know I can.”

SAD NEWS

Jana Novotna, who became a fan favorite when she tearfully lost a Wimbledon final, is dead at the age of 49. Following a long battle with cancer, Novotna died in her native Czech Republic “peacefully, surrounded by her family,” the WTA said. Novotna had a big third-set lead at Wimbledon in 1993, only to lose to Steffi Graf. During the post-match ceremony, Novotna broke down and cried on the shoulder of Britain’s Duchess of Kent and was comforted by the royal, who told her: “I know you will win it one day, don’t worry.” She reached the final again in 1997, only to lose again. Novotna finally won Wimbledon in 1998, the same year she won a silver medal in doubles at the Seoul Olympics. She won silver again in doubles and bronze in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Novotna was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.

SEASON OVER? NO

The ATP World Tour and WTA have held season-ending tournaments, yet the tennis season goes on. Although the world’s top players have an off-season, there are plenty of events going on around the world. This week there are USD $25,000 tournaments being held in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Waco, Texas, USA. Smaller professional events this week are being staged in Brazil, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Thailand, Argentina, Mexico, Czech Republic, Israel, Dominican Republic, South Africa and China. And that’s just the men. Women’s events this week are being held in Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, Spain, Tunisia, India, Ecuador, Czech Republic, China and South Africa.

Unless something quite unusual happens, this column reports only on tournaments where the total purse in USD $100,000 or more. The next tournament that meets that criteria in a women’s event, the USD $100,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenger in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which will be played the week starting December 11.

Enjoy the holiday season.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bengalore: Mikhail Elgin and Divij Sharan beat Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 6-3 6-0

Hua Hin: Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana beat Austin Krajicek and Jackson Withrow 6-4 5-7 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Honolulu: Hsieh Shu-Ying and Hsieh Su-Wei beat Eri Hozumi and Asia Muhammad 6-1 7-6 (3)

Mumbai: Victoria Rodriguez and Bibiane Schoofs beat Dalila Jakupovic and Irina Khromacheva 7-5 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Dubai: www.habtoortennis.com

TOURNAMENTS WEEK of Dec. 11

WOMEN

$100,000 Al Habtoor Tennis Challenger, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, hard

TOURNAMENTS WEEK of Jan. 1, 2018

MEN

$1,283,855 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Doha, Qatar, hard

$482,085 Maharashtra Open, Pune, India, hard

$461,330 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard

WOMEN

$1,000,000 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Brisbane, Australia, hard

$750,000 Shenzhen Open, Shenzhen, China, hard

$250,000 ASB Classic, Auckland, New Zealand, hard

Who Has The Best Volley In Tennis History?

June 27, 2013 by Admin

Sergiy Stakhovsky’s upset win over Roger Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon showcased some of the best serve-and-volley displays seen at the All England Club in years.

His volleying prowess against the 17-time major champion – and seven-time Wimbledon champion – stirred up a debate as to who had the best volleys in the history of the sport.

Steve Flink, the well-respected tennis journalist and observer, rates the best volleyers of all-time in his book THE GREATEST TENNIS MATCHES OF ALL TIME ($28.95, New Chapter Press, available here www.NewChapterMedia.com and where ever books are sold)

Flink’s rankings – for both men and women, forehand and backhand volley – are excerpted below.

FOREHAND VOLLEY

Men

1. JACK KRAMER The Californian believed fervently that a good offense would always overcome a tough defense. That is why he designed his game to go to the net whenever he had an opportunity. From close range, he was convinced that on a fast surface no one could stop him. Kramer volleyed phenomenally off both sides and had no weaknesses in the forecourt. But his forehand volley was the guiding light of his game, punched with not only control but power. He could handle the high forehand volley, dig out the low ones and close in tight to put away the sitters. Kramer did this better than anyone else.

2. JOHN NEWCOMBE The Australian’s philosophy was not far away from Kramer’s. He made his living at the net. He was comfortable and confident in that territory. He trusted his volley thoroughly. The seven-time Grand Slam singles titlist was quick to read the battle plan of his opponents whenever he was up at the net and was decisive in his execution, particularly on the forehand volley. Confronting great rivals like Laver and Rosewall, Newcombe knew he would have to make more than his share of difficult low forehand volleys. He was seldom found wanting in that department.

3. ROY EMERSON The reason this proud Australian captured no fewer than twenty-eight major titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles was because of his renowned fitness and his uncompromising serve-and-volley style. Emerson was a terrific athlete and once he got his hands on a volley, he was not often going to make a mistake. Emerson volleyed with firmness and conviction and he had an awfully good forehand volley that was one of his primary attributes as a player.

4. PATRICK RAFTER In his two U.S. Open championship runs, and his two journeys to the finals of Wimbledon, Rafter exhilarated the galleries in New York and London with the spring he had in his step. He would propel himself forward swiftly behind his kick serve to play his first volley—no one could surpass him in that endeavor. I will never forget Rafter’s forehand volley display in dissecting Michael Chang in the semifinals of the 1997 U.S. Open. Rafter cast aside Chang in straight sets and, in my mind’s eye, I still see him punching away one forehand volley after another with absolute assurance.

5. JOHN MCENROE The New Yorker did wondrous things on the volley, off either side. What I liked about his forehand volley was his incomparable feel. Not only would he make his signature drop volleys off that side, but his touch was so astounding that he could take the low forehand volley off his shoelaces and deposit it at impossible angles and improbable spots. He kept his volleys low, making it difficult for his rivals to pass him. McEnroe was inventive at the net, a master of finesse and a genius in many ways.

FOREHAND VOLLEY

Women

1. JANA NOVOTNA The 1998 Wimbledon champion became one of the most proficient players ever at the net. She was agile in the forecourt, her technique was excellent and she was decisive in her execution. I felt her forehand volley was the best ever among the women because she could punch it with speed, depth, and precision—and she did it all in textbook fashion.

2. LOUISE BROUGH The winner of six major singles titles, and another twenty-nine in doubles and mixed doubles, Brough was one of the great female players of the late 1940’s and 1950’s. The primary reason she was so successful was her prowess on the volley. She was solid off both sides. Her forehand volley was first rate. She could make the low forehand volley more regularly than just about anyone in her era.

3. MARTINA NAVRATILOVA Early in her career, the forehand volley could be a glaring weakness for Navratilova, but during the 1980’s she improved that shot significantly. From that juncture forward, it became almost technically flawless.

4. MARGARET COURT. In her heyday, Court was always among the best on the volley. She had remarkable range at the net, and it was exceedingly difficult for opponents to find openings to drive the ball past her with more than sporadic success. They nicknamed her “The Arm” because of her capacity to cover the net so thoroughly. Her forehand volley was exemplary in every way.

5. BILLIE JEAN KING Like Navratilova, King could have off days when her forehand volley would let her down. But the fact remains that, at her best, King could get down to make the forehand volley better than anyone. She was never lazy in her approach to volleying, sticking assiduously to the fundamentals and producing those volleys as if she had been born to make them. No one understood good technique on the volley better than the ever inquisitive King.

BACKHAND VOLLEY

Men

1. STEFAN EDBERG The Swede was his era’s best at the net, by a considerable margin. He was the quintessential serve-and-volleyer, with a heavy kick serve designed to allow Edberg to get exceedingly close to the net for his first volley. His forehand volley was awfully good, but his backhand volley was stupendous. Edberg was supremely confident on the backhand volley, which he could “stick” better than anyone. Either high or low on the backhand volley, Edberg always had all of the answers, displaying finesse, precision and the capacity to put it away whenever possible.

2. TONY ROCHE The formidable Australian’s backhand volley was virtually on a par with Edberg’s—some would say that Roche’s was even better. His shoulder turn and soundness were his enduring virtues as a player. No one wanted to allow Roche to hit that backhand volley if they had a choice because he invariably would keep the low ones deep and put the high ones away emphatically. Roche played the backhand volley with clinical efficiency.

3. KEN ROSEWALL While the understated Australian was more revered in some circles for his backhand ground stroke, the fact remains that his backhand volley was every bit as impressive. Rosewall altered his game when he left the amateur ranks and turned pro, realizing he had to approach the net more frequently. Once that change occurred, Rosewall put his stellar backhand volley on display with growing assurance. It was ineffably good.

4. ROD LAVER The two-time winner of the Grand Slam was spectacularly versatile, capable of taking his place alongside any of the great shot makers of all time. But I believe no one gave him the plaudits he deserved for his backhand volley. This deeply humble left-hander had good feel and great control on that side and he never wavered when he was set up for a backhand volley.

5. PETE SAMPRAS Over the second half of his career, the American became more committed to following his second serve in at almost all times. Sampras made serious strides in his ability to volley with the best in his business. He had a very good forehand volley as well, but his backhand volley was outstanding. Even when he was stretched out or reaching down to his shoelaces, he would make even the toughest backhand volleys look remarkably easy.

BACKHAND VOLLEY

Women

1. MARTINA NAVRATILOVA This outstanding left hander’s athleticism was displayed most convincingly when she was stationed up at the net. Her speed and anticipation was second to none and her long reach on the backhand volley was phenomenal. It seemed almost impossible to get a ball by her on that side. Navratilova could not only pound her volleys for winners at sharp angles but also could use her touch for some astounding drop volleys.

2. BILLIE JEAN KING Her technique and flair on the backhand volley was comparable to Navratilova’s. King had a much better backhand than forehand off the ground. On the volley she was highly skilled off both sides, but her backhand volley was more of a weapon. She would knife it away with total conviction, go down the line as well as crosscourt and her footwork and forward movement was outstanding.

3. EVONNE GOOLAGONG Goolagong was very comfortable at the net, relishing the challenge to end points with her dazzling athleticism and staggering grace. Goolagong’s backhand volley was awesome. Navratilova and King were more adept at making the low volley in many ways, but Goolagong was the best on high backhand volleys and backhand overheads. She would leave audiences gasping when she played that shot.

4. MARIA BUENO The Brazilian’s elegance and grace were reminiscent of Goolagong. This fierce competitor hit a heavy ball off the ground, but her forte was the volley. Bueno had wonderful touch and vision at the net, which made her such an estimable grass court player. She knew exactly what to do with the backhand volley and had one of the best ever.

5. VIRGINIA WADE The winner of three singles majors on grass courts—including Wimbledon in 1977—Wade possessed a terrific first serve. It was among the most potent of her time and she followed it in persistently. Up at the net, she was comfortable and usually in command, exhibiting very good lateral movement. Her backhand volley was first rate. Wade could knife that shot crosscourt with extraordinary regularity.

Jan Kodes: Watch out for Petra Kvitova

May 20, 2011 by WTM

Jan Kodes of the Czech Republic, the 1973 Wimbledon champion and 1970-71 French Open champion, is the author of the new book JAN KODES: A JOURNEY TO GLORY FROM BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, a one-of-a-kind coffee table book featuring incredible, never-been-published historic photos. The book, featuring many anecdotes and stories about Czech tennis including Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl and others, is available for $37.96 on amazon.com.

By Jan Kodes

By winning big WTA event in Madrid, Spain earlier this month, Petra Kvitova showed again her great potential.

Her good results from last year’s Wimbledon – where she reached the semifinals – were confirmed with this excellent victory at one of the biggest clay court events on the WTA Tour.

She is working hard has a nice fighting spirit on the court. She is also very modest in her behavior and she provides sympathetic interviews with the press. She is on the right track to get to the top of the women’s game.

Her all-court game – with powerful groundstrokes – and her lefty serve can open the door for her to move higher and higher up the rankings and perhaps earn her a Grand Slam title. She is taking the torch for all the great Czech women players like Martina Navratilova, Hana Mandlikova, Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova.

She knows how and when to reach the net and is not afraid to play there. Her volleys and physical fitness is improving. She also cooperates very well with her coach David Kotyza and in my opinion her confidence is good enough now to win more titles. Petra is definitely the biggest hope for Czech tennis for Grand Slam events this year. She also powered the Czech Fed Cup team against Belgium to reach the finals against Russia. With other Czech lefty teamates like Lucie Safarova and Iveta Benesova could be a surprise winner later in this year. For now, she is a dangerous dark horse at the Grand Slams. Keep a close eye on her!

Jana Novotna: “Pour some olive oil on me” – On this day in Sony Ericsson Open history

March 27, 2011 by Admin

The Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the biggest, most prestigious tennis tournament in the United States next to the US Open. Its history dates back to 1985 and is documented in pages in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com). The following are events that happened in the history of the tournament – also previously called the Lipton Championships, the NASDAQ-100 Open and the Ericsson Open – as excerpted from the book from March 27.

March 27

1988 – Twenty-three-year-old Mats Wilander outlasts 35-year-old Jimmy Connors 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in 3 hours, 39 minutes to win the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla.

1999 – Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands wins the biggest title of his career besides his 1996 Wimbledon crown, defeating No. 74-ranked Sebastien Grosjean of France 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5 in the men’s singles final at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne, Fla. Grosjean becomes the lowest-ranked player to reach the final in Key Biscayne.

1997 – With on-court temperatures hovering around 110 degrees, sixteen-year-old Martina Hingis outlasts Jana Novotna 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Lipton Championships. Says Novotna of the hot conditions of the match, “Occasionally I looked in the corner – 105 and it’s like ‘Nice frying, let’s pour some olive oil on me.” Jim Courier, seeded No. 22, defeats No. 4 seed Goran Ivanisevic 6-2, 7-6 (2) in the men’s quarterfinals. Says Goran following the match, “I gave him everything – nice presents.”

1998 – Marcelo Rios allows Tim Henman only five points in the final set in his 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 semifinal victory at the Lipton Championships in Key Biscayne. Andre Agassi, ranked No. 31 in the world, also advances into the men’s singles final, defeating Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-2. Says Agassi of the talk of the race for the world No. 1 ranking between Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios following his victory, “I don’t know why they are all talking about Rios and Sampras, at the end of the year, I’m going to be No. 1.” Agassi goes on to finish No. 6, while Sampras finishes No. 1 and Rios No. 2.

2007 – For the second time in a month, Roger Federer loses to Guillermo Canas of Argentina, falling by a 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (5) margin in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Canas ends Federer’s 41-match win streak in the first round of the Indian Wells two weeks earlier and in Key Biscayne, ends the Swiss maestro’s chance at winning his third straight title in the island paradise. Says Federer. “It’s one of those matches I never should have lost.” Says Canas, “I’m surprised because I beat two times the No. 1 in the world. Really, I don’t know what is my secret I’m just trying to enjoy the moment. For me it’s like a dream.” Fellow No. 1 seed Maria Sharapova is also eliminated from the event but in a much more convincing fashion, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Serena Williams.

The State of Women’s Tennis

February 8, 2011 by WTM

By Blair Henley

It’s fair to say that the folks over at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) were likely feeling a little uneasy upon entering the 2011 tournament season.

After all, Serena Williams continued to extend her layoff due to a foot injury sustained in a German bar last July. Now we’ll be lucky to see her back by springtime, and given that she was photographed in a cast as recently as mid-November, she may actually have to do some serious training in order to make her way back to No. 1. We all know how much the Williams sisters like to practice.

And despite positive projections for the latter half 2010, tennis’s resident glamour girl, Maria Sharapova, failed to regain her pre-shoulder injury form. In fact, she’s made more news lately for unveiling her Australian Open outfit than for her play. Now, at age 23, she’s engaged to Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, and unfortunately, romantic distractions off-court don’t usually translate to improved performance on-court.

On top of that, reigning world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has yet to win a major. Yes, she’s cute and charming (as evidenced by her press conference shenanigans at the Australian Open), but sports fans generally have a low tolerance for perceived rankings injustice. Let’s just hope the mounting pressure to produce a Grand Slam title doesn’t result in Wozniacki becoming Dinara Safina 2.0.

Women’s tennis may also be feeling the effects of age inflation. This year, the ages of the four Australian Open semifinalists were as follows: 20 (Wozniacki), 26 (Zvonareva), 27 (Clijsters) and almost 29 (Li Na). Ten years ago, the ages of the semifinalists were 20 (Hingis), 20 (V. Williams), 24 (Capriati) and 24 (Davenport). And twenty years ago the ages were younger still: 17 (Seles), 19 (Fernandez), 19 (Sanchez-Vicario) and Jana Novotna was the senior in the bunch at age 22.

While the fact that the women’s game is getting older may not faze hard-core tennis enthusiasts, the casual fan is likely less interested in tuning in without the lure of the teenage phenom. Imagine how different women’s gymnastics would be if the competitors were in their late twenties instead of their early teens. It just wouldn’t be the same. Perhaps some would-be tennis fans feel the same way.

Then, of course, there’s the Safina meltdown, the Elena Dementieva retirement, the recent Justine Henin retirement and the Melanie Oudin disappointment to add to the list of negatives.

So maybe the WTA Tour is experiencing some growing pains. But amidst the Cons, there are some Pros to be found.

Take the fact that women’s tennis is chock full of entertaining personalities for a change. As mentioned above, Wozniacki responded to criticism from the media about her “boring” press conferences by livening things up with a fabricated story about a kangaroo bite in Melbourne. She then proceeded to bring a blow-up kangaroo and boxing gloves to her next presser where she apologized to the media for duping them.

And then there’s Li Na’s breakout Australian Open both on the court and off. She not only proved to be an inspiration to the entire Chinese nation, but she also charmed fans all over the world with her entertaining post-match interviews regarding her husband’s snoring, her credit card use and her love of prize money. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping we see lots more of her this year.

Francesca Schiavone, 30, is another player who has become a fan favorite since her win at last year’s French Open. It’s easy to appreciate her gritty style of play (did you see her Aussie Open win over Svetlana Kuznetsova?), but her self-deprecating sense of humor makes her that much more likable.

Speaking of personalities on tour, it turns out Kim Clijsters has become the face of women’s tennis in Serena’s absence. Now that she’s announced 2011 may be her last full year on tour, we can only hope that she’ll make the most of it. Younger players may draw in new fans, but Clijsters’ dramatic return from retirement, marriage and motherhood to win three more Grand Slams is just the drama tennis needs.

After Kuznetsova’s rough year in 2010, I don’t think many were expecting much from her at the Australian Open. She fell in the fourth round to Schiavone in the longest women’s match ever played in a Grand Slam (4:44), but the fact that she went toe to toe with one of the most fit players on tour is reason to believe that a noticeably slimmer “Kuzie” could be back in the top ten this year.

Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic also has the potential to return to superstardom after making her way back into the Top 20 from a low of No. 65 in 2010. Her first round loss in Melbourne was disappointing, but we’ll give her a break as she was coming back from an abdominal strain. Sponsors and fans (of the male variety, in particular) would love to see her rankings climb continue.

And despite the fact that Serena Williams has kept the WTA waiting for her comeback much longer than anyone would have anticipated, the good news is that she will be returning at some point in 2011 (as far as we know). There’s no doubt that the media frenzy surrounding her grand re-entry will produce a much needed interest boost for the women’s game.

One thing’s for sure: the door of opportunity is wide open for any female player who decides to step through in 2011. As the WTA knows well, the “next big thing” might be right around the corner.