By Women’s Tennis has had quite the year. The top 20 is flooded with young players and we have seen some amazing storylines. Look no farther than the US Open final which saw 2 teenagers on the biggest stage. Emma Raducanu blazed through her draw and became a British Icon. She didn’t drop a set throughout the whole tournament and what makes it even more impressive is that she had to go through qualifying. She is the first Male or Female to win a major after going through qualifying in the open era. We also saw 4 different major champions which is becoming something of a normality. Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty both won a Major which would be expected but so did Barbora Krejcikova and Raducanu. Those 2 came out of nowhere. Krejcikova won the doubles title at the french open which is something that has only been done once before at Roland Garros. This year has been truly unique for really all of sports but Women’s tennis brought us tons of upsets and new champions.
Women’s Tennis has been dominated by Serena for so long and it seems like she is always the biggest storyline and the favorite. While she may still be the biggest storyline, she is no longer the top player in the game. She may not even be in the top 10. The new generation of younger players have taken the game by storm. Players like Raducannu, Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu, Krejcikova, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and then also Barty and Osaka. All of these players are age 25 and younger and should be at the top of the game for the next 10+ years.
Women’s Tennis is getting younger, faster, and being played with more variety. There are huge hitters like Sabalenka and Osaka, finesse players Swiatek and Krejcikova, and then combinations of the 2 like Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez. The game has such a diverse group of talent that it should only continue to grow.
With all that said about how deep womens tennis is and how many talented players have already established themselves, I bet we have 4 different major champions next year and 1 or 2 that come out of nowhere. It has been a trend for a while and i dont see it stopping next year.
The year end race to the WTA finals in Mexico has also been heating up. 4 players have clinched their spots leaving room for 4 more. Sabalenka, Barty, Karolina Pliskova and Krejcikova are in so far. The next 4 in order of the rankings are Maria Sakkari, Garbina Muguruza, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka. With Osaka not playing right now its likely she will fall out and be replaced. Ons Jabeur is currently ranked 9th in the race to the end of year tournament but there are 7 other women within 400 points of Jabeur. If any of them get hot they could definitely take over that final spot. It will be an interesting race to watch with only a couple of more tournaments left.
After Indian Wells concludes there is only one 500 level tournament left and then a handful of 250 level events in between. This doesnt give the players trailing a ton of time but with a win at the 500 level event the gap could close considerably.
Looking ahead to next year the big story line will remain Naomi Osaka as well as the return of Serena. Osaka has said that she is inching closer to getting back on the court and my guess is that will be at the Australian open. A place she is a 2 time champion and the defending champ. I really hope she is able to enjoy her time on tour and not feel the same stress and anxiety she has felt for a while now. Maybe if media was more supportive and understanding of her she would be open to playing more which is really what everyone wants. We want to see Osaka on court and if that means not doing post and pre match press conferences she should absolutely be given an exception.
The other story line will be if Serena can make on more run and get her 24th major, which would tie her for the most all-time. I personally think the womens game has caught up to her to the point where she won’t be able to but there is nothing more exciting that watching serena in prime-time against equal competition to her. I would love to see her get back to form and be able to beat the top players again. She is already going down as the GOAT and if she can get one more it will make her case that much more solidified.
The whole year has been a whirlwind for womens tennis and there is no reason to think next year won’t be the same. While the storylines will be dominated by the big names, the winning will probably be done by a mix of up and coming players as well as established players. While this might sound obvious, the men’s side hasn’t had an unexpected winner of a slam since I can remember. It isn’t that normal that players come out of nowhere to win majors but we have seen it relatively frequently recently. Should it continue, women’s tennis will add more talented players to the large group of players already contending. I am one person who can’t wait and see how it unfolds.
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