2020 Roland Garros - WTA General Discussion

[bluetrain4]

Anybody think Swiatek can beat Serena in total majors won?

Not at all. I doubt she'll even equal Seles' 9. Not because she's not great, but because we seem on the verge of the Age of Relative Parity in women's tennis where we're just not going to have one or two players who dominate (relatively) a generation. No Chris, Martina, Graf, Seles, Serena. Swiatek is good and she thrashed the competition here. But, it's one single run. An impressive run, but one run. If she gets to 5 Slams in the next two years then maybe she'll get to 10 for her entire career.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Not at all. I doubt she'll even equal Seles' 9. Not because she's not great, but because we seem on the verge of the Age of Relative Parity in women's tennis where we're just not going to have one or two players who dominate (relatively) a generation. No Chris, Martina, Graf, Seles, Serena. Swiatek is good and she thrashed the competition here. But, it's one single run. An impressive run, but one run. If she gets to 5 Slams in the next two years then maybe she'll get to 10 for her entire career.

Agreed, she can become an ATG but that doesn't mean 9 slams or even 6 slams. Many consider Sharapova a ATG with her 5 slams. Venus is definitely up there and she got stuck on 7.

She's got a career ahead of her and i'm sure she'll follow up on this success, her game looks very good but we can't forget this RG was like a RG we've never seen before. Played in the freezing cold which Swiatek is used to and then there's all that impacts weather with the game (i'm not good with understanding all that e.g. wind, racquet tension, the weather, hard clay/wet clay, closed court or open court etc).

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Of course i'm not trying to discount Swiatek's win, it was insane, Not a set dropped.

But when it's back playing in normal conditions, in the heat and sun as opposed to the wet and cold that Swiatek is probably used to, we'll see. I definitely don't think she's an Ostapenko or a Sloane. She has good mental a strength thanks to her coaching staff etc.

 

[Goret]

[...]
If she gets to 5 Slams in the next two years then maybe she'll get to 10 for her entire career.

Getting 5 Slams in the next two years would mean an average of two slams a year... and she'd only be a 21-old player. In that kind of hypothesis, I'd be surprised if she would stay below 10 career victories, as that'd be the kind of start for a top-tier ATG.

Right now for sure, we don't know. We have to see what she does now that she's not an unknown outsider anymore. If she can cope with the pressure, wins more tournaments including slams, with a full field, and gets firmly in the top-4, everything would be possible. Careers will be longer than they used to be, and any real ATG coming to the current field ("Age of Relative Parity" as you call it) could feast on this opposition (like Serena did in her second part of career). We'll see in a few years whether there's such an ATG (and who that'd be), or just a large number of players who can win any tournament. It's really too early to call.

Swiatek has potential... as do Barty, Andreescu, etc... Osaka has already confirmed she can have consistent results at Slams and thus isn't a fluke, we've yet to see if she'd be an ATG. The next few years could be interesting.

 

[PDJ]

Question: What's your view on whether Swiatek will bring, outside of Poland, new fans to the sport?

Side bar- I can spell her name, I couldn't before the tournament, so maybe that's encouraging?

 

[Goret]

Question: What's your view on whether Swiatek will bring, outside of Poland, new fans to the sport?

It depends what kind of career she'd achieve.

If this RG was a fluke: nothing.

If this RG was the starting trophy of the next big GOAT: yes, she could bring more fans (or at least help keep the current ones), because her game can be spectacular (if she keeps it aggressive) and because she seems to have a nicer personality than some of the previous contenders. She'd need at least one rival though.

Somewhere in between: probably not much. There are already many young promising WTA players out there, and if she's just average-good she won't bring much change to the fanbase.

 

[AM75]

Question: What's your view on whether Swiatek will bring, outside of Poland, new fans to the sport?

Side bar- I can spell her name, I couldn't before the tournament, so maybe that's encouraging?

There's literally no one at least on the WTA tour right now who can bring new fans to the sport. The time of huge tennis-superstars like Serena, Kournikova, Sharapova of Li Na (she didn't do much for the Western part of the world, but had huge impact on popularity of tennis in China) is gone.

 

[Goret]

There's literally no one at least on the WTA tour right now who can bring new fans to the sport. The time of huge tennis-superstars like Serena, Kournikova, Sharapova of Li Na (she didn't do much for the Western part of the world, but had huge impact on popularity of tennis in China) is gone.

Don't underestimate Osaka. If she keeps getting strong results, she can have an impact in Japan and probably Asia (an Olympic Gold for sure wouldn't hurt).

Currently, there's no WTA superstar (excepted Serena) but it doesn't mean it's gone forever. That's even quite the contrary, I'd think it's up for grabs if someone has the proper talent - people become stars, it's not something that should be granted from birth.

As for Kournikova, I do think she was a "star" and brought people, but not for the "right" reasons.

 

[AM75]

Don't underestimate Osaka. If she keeps getting strong results, she can have an impact in Japan and probably Asia (an Olympic Gold for sure wouldn't hurt).

Currently, there's no WTA superstar (excepted Serena) but it doesn't mean it's gone forever. That's even quite the contrary, I'd think it's up for grabs if someone has the proper talent - people become stars, it's not something that should be granted from birth.

As for Kournikova, I do think she was a "star" and brought people, but not for the "right" reasons.

WTA just need a better marketing team. Stars are made by the management and PR companies, personal charisma is important but secondary.

Kournikova was a good player, who was undone by injuries. Her active career lasted only 3 or 4 years. People really underestimate her, she was very successful in doubles and was Nr 1 in doubles for 3 months, won 2 slams and 2 WTA YE tour champinships along with 12 other doubles titles. She retired when she was 23.

 

[bluetrain4]

Getting 5 Slams in the next two years would mean an average of two slams a year... and she'd only be a 21-old player. In that kind of hypothesis, I'd be surprised if she would stay below 10 career victories, as that'd be the kind of start for a top-tier ATG.

Right now for sure, we don't know. We have to see what she does now that she's not an unknown outsider anymore. If she can cope with the pressure, wins more tournaments including slams, with a full field, and gets firmly in the top-4, everything would be possible. Careers will be longer than they used to be, and any real ATG coming to the current field ("Age of Relative Parity" as you call it) could feast on this opposition (like Serena did in her second part of career). We'll see in a few years whether there's such an ATG (and who that'd be), or just a large number of players who can win any tournament. It's really too early to call.

Swiatek has potential... as do Barty, Andreescu, etc... Osaka has already confirmed she can have consistent results at Slams and thus isn't a fluke, we've yet to see if she'd be an ATG. The next few years could be interesting.

Yes I agree, if she gets to 5 in the next two years, she could eclipse 10. That's a major point - all the players who won double digit Slams had a period or two where they won in bunches - multi-year periods heavy in Slam wins. It's a necessity to get to higher numbers. Even Seles with "only" 9 did most of it in a fairly narrow window [and I of course realize it could have been more sans stabbing.].

The other part of that is continuing that pace. I don't necessarily think if Swiatek gets to 5 in the next two years, she's destined for more than 10 (on the other hand I'm not a all ruling the possibility out). I'd use Hingis as an example - she never kept her pace after she won her five and was still very young. She was close - lots of other finals, but just couldn't get it done. People will say she got pushed aside by an entire generation of more powerful players and Swiatek doesn't have such a power disadvantage. But, still, players go through phases, new players emerge who trouble them, and there's of course a lot of pressure - physical and mental to maintain that rate of winning and status. All I'm saying that even if a player has a great rate of wins for Slams that would enable them get to double digits slams, it's very difficult to maintain that rate - and there just seems to be all sorts of players who can spring an upset in this day and age.

It's going to be really enjoyable to watch Swiatek's career unfold and see what happens.

 

[FakeEmpire]

Question: What's your view on whether Swiatek will bring, outside of Poland, new fans to the sport?

Side bar- I can spell her name, I couldn't before the tournament, so maybe that's encouraging?

I don't think she'll make a bigger splash than, say, an Andreescu or a Kenin. To attract new fans to a more niche sport like tennis (in the sense tennis is not really the most watched sport anywhere as football, basketball or rugby are), a player has to make huge strides like a Federer or a Nadal or have a personality that's almost bigger than the sport itself, kinda like an Usain Bolt. And although Swiatek seems like a really nice girl, I don't think she's that flashy and people really do like their shinny stuff (and I don't mean that in a pejorative sense, as I'm also more on the quiet side and I enjoy immensely people on that spectrum). The rest, obviously, remains to be seen.

 

[PDJ]

WTA just need a better marketing team. Stars are made by the management and PR companies, personal charisma is important but secondary.

Kournikova was a good player, who was undone by injuries. Her active career lasted only 3 or 4 years. People really underestimate her, she was very successful in doubles and was Nr 1 in doubles for 3 months, won 2 slams and 2 WTA tour champinships along with 12 other doubles titles. She retired when she was 23.

Given she rarely chases/courts publicity I can only assume she's happy out of the limelight despite being in a famous couple.
And I agree she's underrated as a tennis player- such quick hands.
I saw her at Wimbledon leaving an outside court (mixed with Bjorkman if memory serves) and she was (is) breathtakingly beautiful.

 

[tennis24x7]

Of course i'm not trying to discount Swiatek's win, it was insane, Not a set dropped.

But when it's back playing in normal conditions, in the heat and sun as opposed to the wet and cold that Swiatek is probably used to, we'll see. I definitely don't think she's an Ostapenko or a Sloane. She has good mental a strength thanks to her coaching staff etc.

This whole tournament has an asterisk next to it. I thought Lenin would get it done(almost a walkover) but Swiatek played very well. I think she is already Ostpenko or Sloane considering her age. She may go deep unless Ms.Del potro(Bianca) shows up next year. But I feel we will see a lot of Kenin-Osaka finals

 

[AM75]

Given she rarely chases/courts publicity I can only assume she's happy out of the limelight despite being in a famous couple.
And I agree she's underrated as a tennis player- such quick hands.
I saw her at Wimbledon leaving an outside court (mixed with Bjorkman if memory serves) and she was (is) breathtakingly beautiful.

I saw her at Kremlin Cup, she was fascinating to watch. There are many beautiful girls on tour right now, but no one has this kind of charm and the air of glamour she had. Sharapova – and numerous Russian (and not only) WTA-girls today – wouldn't be possible without her. At some point at the turn of the century everybody just wanted to be like her. The whole Kournikova-hype is pretty forgotten now, but she, Williams sisters (at the beginning it was Venus) and Hingis brought the audience to the WTA, not the likes of Henin, Davenport or Mauresmo.

 

[volleyandfun]

Of course i'm not trying to discount Swiatek's win, it was insane, Not a set dropped.

But when it's back playing in normal conditions, in the heat and sun as opposed to the wet and cold that Swiatek is probably used to, we'll see. I definitely don't think she's an Ostapenko or a Sloane. She has good mental a strength thanks to her coaching staff etc.

Define "normal" conditions? Is AO 30-35°C normal?
In 2019 at AO she was 17 and after 3 qualifying rounds she ended in 2nd round. In 2020 she lost at AO very tight matching in the 4th round.
Besides, I don't buy this explanation that conditions were favouring her, if anything it only shows she can handle tough conditions others cannot.
In 2019 in Toronto she beat Woznicki and gave Osaka all she could handle loosing tight 2 setter, which btw, with her current mental focus, could have
gone the other way. And those were pretty normal conditions.