When Serena Williams fought off Justine Henin to win a tough three set battle at this year’s Australian Open final, many expected both to dominate the rest of the WTA tour for 2010. But that wasn’t to be as Henin struggled to find her form this spring then suffered an arm injury at Wimbledon that forced her not only to miss the U.S. Open but the rest of the season. Williams, though dominating at Wimbledon, played a limited schedule due to injuries (whether you believe them or not) and then shocked everyone by withdrawing from New York leaving the tournament scrambling to convince fans that this year’s U.S. Open will be “a memorable event, as it has been every year.”
Last year’s U.S. Open for the women was certainly memorable with many up and down matches, the final meltdown of then No. 1 Dinara Safina, the Melanie Oudin “believe” run, and then the “incident” followed by Jada Clijsters stealing the hearts of America. And while many talk about the wide open field for this year, the reality is that the next two weeks in New York could not only be career defining moment for one player but also a defining moment for the WTA tour to prove that it doesn’t need its biggest name at all to create a compelling and competitive Grand Slam on the world’s biggest stage in tennis.
I used the phrase “first among equals” because the perception many have with the WTA tour right now is that aside from Williams, Henin, and a few others who’ve earned a Slam title is that the women more or less play the sport the same way i.e. bang the ball from the baseline while trying to hold serve as best they can. Many also feel an ongoing rivalry like Williams/Henin or even Williams/Sharapova would increase interest in the women’s game as it did back in the days of Navratilova/Evert or even Graf/Seles. But wasn’t it only a few years ago that the women’s game was viewed as more interesting to watch because of the depth of the field as opposed to the men who just hit rocket serves all the time? No one seems to mention that the men’s game right now is drifting back to a more hard-hitting less stylish era, but we’ll save that debate for another time.
For me to sit here and sift through the Women’s Draw and discuss potential quarterfinal matchups would be a waste of time. The reality is that the women’s game is tougher than ever and any of the 32 seeded players along with a few more “floaters”, given a good two weeks of tennis, some luck and staying healthy, could win the U.S. Open. Yes, No. 32 seed Tsvetana Pironkova, who got to the semis of Wimbledon by taking out Venus Williams, and who could meet Williams again in the third round in New York, has just a good of shot of going all the way as Williams herself, who despite winning the event twice, albeit at a younger age, is not viewed by many as having any chance of winning this year despite her No. 3 seed. Williams, who’s been overshadowed herself by her little sister’s personality and better winning record, could use this moment to find herself in the winner’s circle one last time, but it will take her playing the best tennis of her life to get there.
With Williams, along with the handful of other Americans, not given much of chance to go far in New York, expect the tournament and the networks covering it to focus on the “adopted Americans” who do have a legit chance including everybody’s favorite mom, Kim Clijsters, Caroline “Sunshine” Wozniacki, who’ll have to deal with what Safina went through last year in people asking how she ended up as the No. 1 seed, everyone’s favorite pin-up girl Ana Ivanovic who looked like she was on the comeback trail before a foot injury in Cincinnati stopped her momentum and Maria Sharapova who many expect to win despite still being hampered with an middle seeding of No. 14 that could force her to face off against Wozniacki in the fourth round. If that matchup occurs, expect the winner to meet Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Kuznetsova, the former champion, who’s found her game again just in time for New York, could play spoiler so long as she keeps thumping her forehand as she has been all summer. (Ok, I did one potential quarters matchup, but that’s it folks).
Whoever wins this year’s U.S. Open may have to deal with those who will say their name on the trophy should have an asterisk next to it indicating that Serena Williams was not entered. But I don’t think it will matter. For even if a new star, like Victoria Azarenka, is crowned or a veteran seals another victory to qualify herself for Hall of Fame status, this year’s women’s field has a great chance to prove wrong those who say the women’s game lacks depth, is “lackluster” or a “wasteland”. Because as the U.S. Open said themselves “She (Williams) will be missed, but the tournament is about the competition and the players on the court.”
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