A look at Serena Williams' possible path to true Grand Slam

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

http://news.yahoo.com/look-serena-williams-possible-path-true-grand-slam-064340336--spt.html

A look at Serena Williams' possible path to true Grand Slam


Highlights:

Shortly after the draw for the U.S. Open set up Serena Williams' path to completing a Grand Slam, she offered her own analysis.

"It's not anything simple or easy to go through," Williams said.

Actually, judging by her head-to-head records against many possible opponents, it might be.

The enormity of the accomplishment, and the amount of attention, might be tough to take, let alone what problems other players may present. "If I make it far, maybe I'll start to feel pressure," Williams said Thursday. "But as of now, I really don't feel any."

Here is a look at some opponents who could stand between her and tennis' first calendar-year Grand Slam since 1988:

FIRST ROUND

Vitalia Diatchenko, Russia. Ranked 86th. Grand Slam record of 2-6, including 0-2 at the U.S. Open. Never won a tour title. Against Williams: 0-0. Her WTA website bio says: "Admires Serena Williams for her fast and aggressive game." If she beats Williams, it would be one of the biggest surprises in tennis history.

SECOND ROUND

Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Croatia. Ranked 48th. Grand Slam highlight was 1999 Wimbledon semifinals; didn't reach a major's fourth round again until the 2014 U.S. Open. Against Williams: 0-2, but they last met in 1998.

THIRD ROUND

Sloane Stephens, United States. Seeded 29th. Got to 2013 Australian Open semifinals by beating — yep, you guessed it — Williams. Won first career title in August on hard courts in Washington. Against Williams: 1-5, 0-3 this year. Two years ago, found herself in a brouhaha over less-than-flattering comments she made to a reporter about Williams.

Also possible:

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, United States. Ranked 101st. Against Williams: 0-2.

CoCo Vandeweghe, United States. Ranked 43rd. Against Williams: 0-3.

FOURTH ROUND

Madison Keys, United States. Seeded 19th. Made Grand Slam semifinal debut at Australian Open in January, losing to Williams. Against Williams: 0-1. Coached by Lindsay Davenport, who was 4-10 as a player against Williams.

Also possible:

Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland. Seeded 15th. Wimbledon runner-up in 2012, losing to Williams. Against Williams: 0-8.

QUARTERFINALS

Venus Williams, United States. Seeded 23rd. Won seven Grand Slam singles titles. Against Serena: 11-15, including a loss in Wimbledon's fourth round in July. Asked about the prospect of facing her sibling in the quarterfinals in New York, Serena responded with a laugh: "It's better than the round of 16."

Also possible:

Belinda Bencic, Switzerland. Seeded 12th. Just 18; coached by Martina Hingis' mother. One of two players to beat Williams in 2015, this month on a hard court in Toronto. Against Williams: 1-1.

Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic. Seeded eighth. Against Williams: 0-1.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia. Seeded 31st. Against Williams: 0-5.

SEMIFINALS

Maria Sharapova, Russia. Seeded third. Five-time major champion, including at 2006 U.S. Open. Against Williams: 2-18, with 17 consecutive losses, most recently in the Wimbledon semifinals.

Also possible:

Ana Ivanovic, Serbia. Seeded seventh. Won 2008 French Open. Against Williams: 1-9.

Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain. Seeded 10th. Against Williams: 0-6.

Jelena Jankovic, Serbia. Seeded 21st. Against Williams: 4-10.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia. Seeded 30th. Won two major titles, including 2004 U.S. Open. Against Williams: 2-8.

FINAL

Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic. Seeded fifth. Two-time Wimbledon champion. Along with Bencic, one of two women to beat Williams this season, at Madrid on red clay in March. Against Williams: 1-5.

Also possible:

Simona Halep, Romania. Seeded second. French Open runner-up in 2014. Against Williams: 1-6.

Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark. Seeded fourth. Against Williams: 1-10, including a loss in last year's U.S. Open final.

Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic. Seeded sixth. Against Williams: 0-9.

Victoria Azarenka, Belarus. Seeded 20th. Against Williams; 3-17, including losses in the 2012 and 2013 U.S. Open finals.

Sam Stosur, Australia. Seeded 22nd. U.S. Open champion in 2011, beating Williams in final. Against Williams: 3-8.

Alize Cornet, France. Seeded 27th. The last woman to beat Williams at a Grand Slam tournament, in Wimbledon's third round in 2014. Against Williams: 3-3.

___

AP Sports Writer Rachel Cohen in New York contributed to this report

This is no easy march to the Grand Slam. Its more like an over saturated mine field, with many ready to explode at any second.[/quote]

 

[tennisaddict]

We have all seen how mentally clutch and strong the WTA has become. They should be ready to explode . Serena being 15-1 3rd set this year is some evidence right there.

 

[heftylefty]

Ah, the Weak Era nonsense. The 70s, 80s, 90's were sooo much deeper. smh

 

[NatF]

History shouldn't be made with a cakewalk. I'm sure Serena is ready.

 

[tennisaddict]

Ah, the Weak Era nonsense. The 70s, 80s, 90's were sooo much deeper. smh

Seriously ? I thought multiple major champions existed then. I must be mistaken.

Safarova, Muguruza, Wozniacki, Sharapova, Radwanska are the "mental fortitude" goddess.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Muguruza is a fresh player.

You know Sharapova is a majors winner.

Wozniacki is no different than other top players who either made majors finals, or were in this hunt, but did not come through. the list of fellow "did not happen" is long for both the WTA and ATP.

Radwanska was hyped to ridiculous degrees regarding majors potential if she made it to a final. Is it any different than the Nishikori hype, where some were all but ready to start a religion based on him (and overall, Radwanska is slightly better in the results department, as she's been a majors finalist, semi and quarter-finalist, while Nishikori has one final and 2 QF placings).

Safarova has the exact best majors results as Radwanska (1 F, 1 SF & 1 QF).

...and I notice this is the second time you created a list (the 1st in one of your threads), and left Vika off of it...another majors winner.

 

[tennisaddict]

They all are either fresh or hyped or worn out or injured.

Wake me up when someone wins that 3rd set against Serena.

 

[heftylefty]

Seriously ? I thought multiple major champions existed then. I must be mistaken.

Safarova, Muguruza, Wozniacki, Sharapova, Radwanska are the "mental fortitude" goddess.

Top 4 Slam winners and the multiple Slam winners they beat in Slams
Evert: Navratilova, Goolagong, Mandlikova,

Navratilova: Evert, Mandlikova, Graf

Graf: Evert, Navratilova, Sanchez-Vicario, Seles, Hingis

Williams: Venus, Davenport, Hingis, Henin, Sharapova, Azarenka

So, please save the weak era talk to the weak minded.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

She is winning it.

 

[tennis_pro]

Is this a joke?

 

[heftylefty]

Is this a joke?

Your Google doesn't work?

 

[tennisaddict]

Top 4 Slam winners and the multiple Slam winners they beat in Slams
Evert: Navratilova, Goolagong, Mandlikova,

Navratilova: Evert, Mandlikova, Graf

Graf: Evert, Navratilova, Sanchez-Vicario, Seles, Hingis

Williams: Venus, Davenport, Hingis, Henin, Sharapova, Azarenka

So, please save the weak era talk to the weak minded.

When was the last time Venus, Davenport, Hingis, Henin won a major ? LOL. That is a long list of retired players. Yes, the player who won last in 2004 is the competitor and the last one is injured for I don't know how long now.

 

[heftylefty]

tennisaddict, I know that you don't want to get the Point. I understand. But it doesn't mean that the Weak Era arguments are not bogus. Last checked Serena career didn't start in 2004

 

[tennisaddict]

tennisaddict, I know that you don't want to get the Point. I understand. But it doesn't mean that the Weak Era arguments are not bogus. Last checked Serena career didn't start in 2004

Last i checked, Serena won 11 of her 21 majors after age 28 in the "Golden" era of Wozniacki, Jankovic and Safina.

 

[heftylefty]

Last i checked, Serena won 11 of her 21 majors after age 28 in the "Golden" era of Wozniacki, Jankovic and Safina.

And? Check the non slam winners Martina, Chrissie and Steffi had to soldier thought.

That's the funny thing about hypocrisy. So easy to point out.

 

[tennisaddict]

And? Check the non slam winners Martina, Chrissie and Steffi had to soldier thought.

That's the funny thing about hypocrisy. So easy to point out.

Martina and Chris had parallel careers. Steffi had the same with Martina, Seles, ASV.

Serena's majors till 2008 was well deserved with great competition. The question is about the absurd amount (majority) being won after age 28 in the "golden" era.

 

[heftylefty]

Martina and Chris had parallel careers. Steffi had the same with Martina, Seles, ASV.

Serena's majors till 2008 was well deserved with great competition. The question is about the absurd amount (majority) being won after age 28 in the "golden" era.

Again, there has never been a deep pool of talent in the WTA.

Tell us when was the golden age of the WTA?

But I'm glad you admit that Serena played during a time when there was a greater amount of talent.

 

[Deanjam]

I'd say the tour was strongest in the first few years of this century.

It's not a strong WTA scene at the moment. The biggest contenders to Serena at the moment ought to be Sharapova, Kvitova & Azerenka, but all three have been struggling with illness/injury and Sharapova has the same mind block against Serena as Fed has against Nadal. All of them are quality players but aren't able to show it this year. Halep, Muguruza and Bencic have potential but they've yet to realise it fully with a major. Wozniaki & Ivanovic aren't in Williams's league and never were. Radwanksa has a beautiful game, but no power to trouble Serena.

Compare that lot to when Serena had to face Hingis, Davenport, Clijsters, Henin, Venus, Capriati, Mauresmo & Seles.

 

[tennisaddict]

Again, there has never been a deep pool of talent in the WTA.

Tell us when was the golden age of the WTA?

I see you are going back to "depth" argument. because you know well that there is no "real" competition now.

Majors are won and lost by competitive Finals and Semi Finals.

It does not matter if R3 opponent is Begu or a mom like Bondarenko.

 

[tennisaddict]

I'd say the tour was strongest in the first few years of this century.

It's not a strong WTA scene at the moment. The biggest contenders to Serena at the moment ought to be Sharapova, Kvitova & Azerenka, but all three have been struggling with illness/injury and Sharapova has the same mind block against Serena as Fed has against Nadal. All of them are quality players but aren't able to show it this year. Halep, Muguruza and Bencic have potential but they've yet to realise it fully with a major. Wozniaki & Ivanovic aren't in Williams's league and never were. Radwanksa has a beautiful game, but no power to trouble Serena.

Compare that lot to when Serena had to face Hingis, Davenport, Clijsters, Henin, Venus, Capriati, Mauresmo & Seles.

Fair post.

The main issue raised is the "absurdity" of a 34 year old player winning a grand slam and winning double digit majors after 30.

 

[heftylefty]

Fair post.

The main issue raised is the "absurdity" of a 34 year old player winning a grand slam and winning double digit majors after 30.

It's called Hard Work & Talent.

Tom Brady won the last Super Bowl @ 37.
Kimiko Date-Krumm is still playing tennis on Tour at 44.
Ken Rosewall was a top 20 player at 43.

Unlikely, maybe. But not impossible.

 

[tennis_pro]

It's called Hard Work & Talent.

Tom Brady won the last Super Bowl @ 37.
Kimiko Date-Krumm is still playing tennis on Tour at 44.
Ken Rosewall was a top 20 player at 43.

Unlikely, maybe. But not impossible.

Did any of the sportsmen listed above dominate the sport even remotely close to Serena? No, because they faced way tougher competition. I thought the WTA tour was a joke back in 2008-2011 but 2012-2015 proved that it could be even worse. I don't want to know where the WTA tour is heading after Williams retires.

 

[heftylefty]

tennisaddict, when was the golden age of women's tennis?

 

[tennisaddict]

It's called Hard Work & Talent.

Tom Brady won the last Super Bowl @ 37.
Kimiko Date-Krumm is still playing tennis on Tour at 44.
Ken Rosewall was a top 20 player at 43.

Unlikely, maybe. But not impossible.

Tom Brady does not play tennis, KDK is ranked 180 and Ken Rosewall played 50 years ago.

 

[tennisaddict]

tennisaddict, when was the golden age of women's tennis?

This decade. No questions about it.

 

[heftylefty]

This decade. No questions about it.

Well, I will never accused you of being courageous.

 

[Chadillac]

A true grand slam? What happened to the serena slam you guys were braggin on for the past 10 years?

 

[Man of steel]

Did any of the sportsmen listed above dominate the sport even remotely close to Serena? No, because they faced way tougher competition. I thought the WTA tour was a joke back in 2008-2011 but 2012-2015 proved that it could be even worse. I don't want to know where the WTA tour is heading after Williams retires.

How was 2012-2013 weak years. I'd admit 2014-15 have been week but certainly not 2012/13. Aza-serena went 2-2 in finals in 2013 and serena-maria-aza were all consistently meeting each other in semi's and finals. Serena-maria-azarenka- Radwanksa actually hold the record for the longest consecutive top 4. 2012/13 were two very good years competition wise

 

[mattosgrant]

tennisaddict, when was the golden age of women's tennis?

In the fantasy world this poster lives in, in general.

 

[mattosgrant]

Martina and Chris had parallel careers. Steffi had the same with Martina, Seles, ASV.

Yes Martina who was 13 years older than Steffi had a parallel career with Steffi Graf. Maybe in a parallel universe. As for Seles, we all know what happened there. ASV doesn't hold a candle to even the likes of Sharapova or an in form Azarenka anywhere but clay.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

How was 2012-2013 weak years. I'd admit 2014-15 have been week

Actually, it was not weak, since several of the majors finals of '14 & '15 marked the breakout debut of the young generation--Bouchard, Halep, Muguruza & late bloomers like Safarova. Of course, veterans Kvitova & Sharapova won majors in 2014 (with Sharapova being a 2015 AO finalist). It is certainly a transitional period, with the forceful Azarenka on the comeback road to take her place as the face of this younger generation, and older players still in the mix.

but certainly not 2012/13. Aza-serena went 2-2 in finals in 2013 and serena-maria-aza were all consistently meeting each other in semi's and finals. Serena-maria-azarenka- Radwanksa actually hold the record for the longest consecutive top 4. 2012/13 were two very good years competition wise

Agreed.

Yes Martina who was 13 years older than Steffi had a parallel career with Steffi Graf. Maybe in a parallel universe. As for Seles, we all know what happened there. ASV doesn't hold a candle to even the likes of Sharapova or an in form Azarenka anywhere but clay.

Interesting.

 

[tennis_pro]

Yes Martina who was 13 years older than Steffi had a parallel career with Steffi Graf. Maybe in a parallel universe. As for Seles, we all know what happened there. ASV doesn't hold a candle to even the likes of Sharapova or an in form Azarenka anywhere but clay.

In 1987-1990 both were in or close to their peaks. Navratilova only started to make a name for herself when she was in her mid 20's. I mean she even played a Wimbledon final at the age of 38. Definitely a late bloomer.

The main difference between the ATP and WTA is that the men's game is way more physical. That's why men tend to have 7-9 prime years while women can go longer. Evert, Navratilova, Graf, Serena, Court - ALL of them were capable of winning majors for a decade and a half.

 

[tennisaddict]

Yes Martina who was 13 years older than Steffi had a parallel career with Steffi Graf. Maybe in a parallel universe. As for Seles, we all know what happened there. ASV doesn't hold a candle to even the likes of Sharapova or an in form Azarenka anywhere but clay.

You forget Martina was a late bloomer and Graf a teen winner ?

What happened with Seles ? she won 9 majors right in the midst of Graf's career.

ASV robbed Graf of clay titles , Please throw light on how many majors Sharapova and Azarenka stopped Serena from winning.


It is a joke if someone argues that Serena has competition after 2008. She may be at a higher level than the rest, but the point being made is there is a huge gulf in disparity in talent.

It is absurd for someone to win more majors in their tail end of their career than when they were young .

grand slam at 34? LOL.

15-1 in 3 setters ? LOL LOL.

 

[Krish872007]

Who cares if it's absurd or the competition is "weak" (which it isn't really, so there). We could see someone actually win the CYGS again.

 

[tennis_pro]

Who cares if it's absurd or the competition is "weak" (which it isn't really, so there). We could see someone actually win the CYGS again.

It has no value because it has been handed to her on a silver plate. Remember Laver's 1962 Slam? It has little value but still more than Serena's because he still had to beat Emerson, Fraser, Santana despite the fact that Gonzales, Hoad, Rosewall were pros.

If she did the Slam in 1999-2007 that would've been something. I'm way more impressed with her 2002-2003 Serena Slam than her 2015 Slam (if she wins it) because it had serious competition at the time.

This year the competition is so weak that even if I picked players from the draw by hand and put them in certain rounds for Serena, she would still win. I just can't imagine anyone beating her if she plays at her standard level, Azarenka from 2012-2013 would have a shot but other than that? Puhlease. Sharapova being an all-time great should've found a way by now to at least threaten her or beat her from time to time, she's 6 years younger goddamit. But no, being the most one-dimensional 5+ Slam champion that she is, she's got no plan B to counter Serena's power.

 

[mattosgrant]

tennisaddict, when was the golden age of women's tennis?

Prepare to never get an answer on this.

In reality the answer is probably 99-2003 where Serena dominated and won 6 slams, more than anyone else in that period. The competition today is weak relative to most of Serena's career, but is just normal for what Evert, Navratilova, Graf had their whole careers (and yes I am considering Evert and Navratilova faced each other, since if they had not I would be saying it were much worse than today).

 

[tennis_pro]

Prepare to never get an answer on this.

In reality the answer is probably 99-2003 where Serena dominated and won 6 slams, more than anyone else in that period. The competition today is weak relative to most of Serena's career, but is just normal for what Evert, Navratilova, Graf had their whole careers (and yes I am considering Evert and Navratilova faced each other, since if they had not I would be saying it were much worse than today).

She didn't dominate 1999-2003, come on. She had a great year starting with the 2002 FO to 2003 WImbledon but before that she won 1 Slam and until the 2008 US Open won 2 Slams (2005 AO and 2007 AO)

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Who cares if it's absurd or the competition is "weak" (which it isn't really, so there). We could see someone actually win the CYGS again.

Yes--that's the point--the Grand Slam, reserved for the greatest of all time, and we are now witnessing Serena's chance to share that platform of the tennis masters.

 

[Man of steel]

She didn't dominate 1999-2003, come on. She had a great year starting with the 2002 FO to 2003 WImbledon but before that she won 1 Slam and until the 2008 US Open won 2 Slams (2005 AO and 2007 AO)

Considering she was mostly out injured and only missed 1 slam from 1999-mid 2003.
She missed 5 slams from mid 03 to 07. And her ranking dropped outside the top 100 in that time span. The fact is serena barely played during her prime. Which means she wasn't going to on the decline as much as other 30 year olds. Plus she is a far superior athlete.
Put serena 2002/3 healthy and fit serena into 03-07 seasons and she would have walked out with way more majors and other achievements.

 

[tennisaddict]

Considering she was mostly out injured and only missed 1 slam from 1999-mid 2003.
She missed 5 slams from mid 03 to 07. And her ranking dropped outside the top 100 in that time span. The fact is serena barely played during her prime. Which means she wasn't going to on the decline as much as other 30 year olds. Plus she is a far superior athlete.
Put serena 2002/3 healthy and fit serena into 03-07 seasons and she would have walked out with way more majors and other achievements.

Well, this is likely the Rafa example. Put a healthy Rafa in any era and he will win grand slams after grand slams, right ?

Serena played in a competitive tour during that period as evidenced by decent h2h against several players, different multiple major winners, etc.,

Not a lopsided one like the last 7 years , where Wozniacki, Errani, no serve Ivanovic, make deep runs.

 

[tennisaddict]

It has no value because it has been handed to her on a silver plate. Remember Laver's 1962 Slam? It has little value but still more than Serena's because he still had to beat Emerson, Fraser, Santana despite the fact that Gonzales, Hoad, Rosewall were pros.

If she did the Slam in 1999-2007 that would've been something. I'm way more impressed with her 2002-2003 Serena Slam than her 2015 Slam (if she wins it) because it had serious competition at the time.

This year the competition is so weak that even if I picked players from the draw by hand and put them in certain rounds for Serena, she would still win. I just can't imagine anyone beating her if she plays at her standard level, Azarenka from 2012-2013 would have a shot but other than that? Puhlease. Sharapova being an all-time great should've found a way by now to at least threaten her or beat her from time to time, she's 6 years younger goddamit. But no, being the most one-dimensional 5+ Slam champion that she is, she's got no plan B to counter Serena's power.

Great point.

In fact if her draw included all of the top 8, she would win more easily. I favor some unknown players to face her rather than the usual Azarenka / Halep / Sharapova / Radwanska / Wozniacki.

 

[tennis_pro]

Considering she was mostly out injured and only missed 1 slam from 1999-mid 2003.
She missed 5 slams from mid 03 to 07. And her ranking dropped outside the top 100 in that time span. The fact is serena barely played during her prime. Which means she wasn't going to on the decline as much as other 30 year olds. Plus she is a far superior athlete.
Put serena 2002/3 healthy and fit serena into 03-07 seasons and she would have walked out with way more majors and other achievements.

There are maybe 6 or 7 Slams that Serena has missed which she maybe could've won:

2002 AO - FAR from certain, Capriati, Mauresmo, Henin, Clijsters, Hingis, Seles, Venus reached the last 8. I think Capriati would've beaten her, she had her mark in Slams
2003 US - also far from certain, Henin, Clijsters, Davenport, Mauresmo, Capriati and Myskina were in the last 8.
2004 AO - ditto, Henin, Davenport, Mauresmo, Myskina, Clijsters in the last 8
2006 Wimbledon - Clijsters, Henin, Dementieva, Mauresmo, Myskina

These are the 3 years that hurt her the most:
2010 US
2011 AO
2011 FO
Only Clijsters could've stopped her so it was basically between her and Kim.

But still, let's not talk as if Serena is the only player who missed out Slams. Henin did too, Clijsters did, Hingis did, Davenport, Graf did. Margaret Court - check how many Slams she missed because of her pregnancies. FOUR. She missed out a year, took a while to get back to form and while having a kid (far tougher for a mother on tour than for a father, Federer has basically all the work done for him!) kept winning Slams. And she repeated this cycle a couple of times!

 

[tennis_pro]

Great point.

In fact if her draw included all of the top 8, she would win more easily. I favor some unknown players to face her rather than the usual Azarenka / Halep / Sharapova / Radwanska / Wozniacki.

I never thought about it but this is so true and so sad at the same time. The top 10 is just horrendous compared to 1999-2007:
Pliskova, Muguruza, Suarez-Navarro, Safarova, Wozniacki, Halep, (mono)Kvitova, Ivanovic and Sharapova. If only Sharapova could threaten her it would've been a different story. Some people think that Federer's 2006 was weak but he still had Nadal, Davydenko, Roddick, Nalbandian. Serena has virtually no-one.

 

[70後]

Just looking at some old wta matches. Some of them are way worse than I remembered. The Maleeva's were the usual top tenner, Evert clone types for their day. No power, no speed, puff ballers who would usually moon ball their way out of trouble. Nothing to do with racquet tech, tbh, they were just really really bad. I don't think they are even ITF level today. An Alize Lim would have them for breakfuss. 80's were full of these Evert clones who copied the way she played. Except none of them had Evert's accuracy or mentality or her actual qualities. Only Graf and Seles had real power and real weapons. typical of any top 50 player today, who can hit the ball hard and knock an opponent off the court with baseline winners; Graf was fast, in Seles' case two winged ball striking. Young Seles played very different from her post stabbing career when she became big and fat and clumsy, in her best years she was small, skinny, and was therefore very quick and maneuverable around the court to cover the ball even if she didn't have Graf's absolute top 1% speed. Only Venus is as fast as Graf.

Those three Maleeva's combined are a staggering 1-51 !!! against Seles/Graf. The one only loss to either was - the stabbing. That was Maggie Maleeva getting her one win over Seles. ( a thought what would the Maleeva's h2h have looked like against Graf/Seles no stabbing? Another 20 losses to Seles alone?)

Now put those three moonballing dweebs next to the Amazonian types of today, never mind multislam champs Pova/Tova/Renka, or even the bombs of the Pliskova's the Safarova's, the bombers two levels down in the rankings from those will still wipe them out.

If Serena's competition were really weak, why aren't Hingis/Henin/Clijsters who are younger and peers of Serena still at the top today? Why isn't Davenport not still playing? Why isn't Venus no 1? If a new generation were not coming up and constantly displacing old players, Serena's peers of the 2000's would obviously still be at the top. They had the same opportunities as Serena. Health management is part of pro tennis. If you tried too hard like Henin to keep up and wear out your body quickly, that isn't Serena's problem.

 

[70後]

Serena has no rivals today. She saw off the rivals of her generation, the next lot and yet the next lot. The field she faces today is imo, full of strong competitive players many of whom can play at elite level and match her, actually most everybody in top 50 these days can play top 5 tennis, depending on their form, but also have big flaws in their game and can't be called a true rival to her.

 

[Man of steel]

There are maybe 6 or 7 Slams that Serena has missed which she maybe could've won:

2002 AO - FAR from certain, Capriati, Mauresmo, Henin, Clijsters, Hingis, Seles, Venus reached the last 8. I think Capriati would've beaten her, she had her mark in Slams
2003 US - also far from certain, Henin, Clijsters, Davenport, Mauresmo, Capriati and Myskina were in the last 8.
2004 AO - ditto, Henin, Davenport, Mauresmo, Myskina, Clijsters in the last 8
2006 Wimbledon - Clijsters, Henin, Dementieva, Mauresmo, Myskina

These are the 3 years that hurt her the most:
2010 US
2011 AO
2011 FO
Only Clijsters could've stopped her so it was basically between her and Kim.

But still, let's not talk as if Serena is the only player who missed out Slams. Henin did too, Clijsters did, Hingis did, Davenport, Graf did. Margaret Court - check how many Slams she missed because of her pregnancies. FOUR. She missed out a year, took a while to get back to form and while having a kid (far tougher for a mother on tour than for a father, Federer has basically all the work done for him!) kept winning Slams. And she repeated this cycle a couple of times!

Clearly you can't remember anything back in 2002-3.
2003 Us open she would have certainly made the final. Considering she made the last 3/4 Us opens and non of the mentioned davenport, myskina, henin troubled serena of 2002/3 on HC. If she came into that slam she would have been the heavy favourite. She dodn't drop a set in the previous year and she probably wouldn't have dropped a set for that year as well

2004 AO again none of the players were hurting serena on HC. Maybe clisjters. But the rest of them had no chance against serena.

2006 wimbledon. The first year neither williams made the final. Lol if they were healthy and weren't dealing with injuries and personal issues mauresmo and henin would have gotten near that final. Mauresmo certainly wouldn't have. Henin can't touch bothe williams on grass. Same goes for the rest.

 

[ScottleeSV]

I thought it was quite telling this week that 'top' players such as Wozniacki, Safarova, Kvitova, and Radwanska (+ maybe some others I've forgotten), have all gone for the New Haven title, with seemingly little care for how this will affect their fitness in the second week of New York.

You know what this tells me, really? It tells me none of these players have any fire or belief they can actually win the US Open. Chequebook midgets.

 

[boredone3456]

Many of the players who could have given SeRena a tough match before the final landed in the bottom half. Only the QF looks to be potentially dangerous before the final match with Venus or Bencic waiting...assuming it's them that makes it there because we all know what can happen with upsets.

I don't see Serena losing before the final unless she feels that pressure or someone somehow finds a god mode.

Personally I'm pulling for a Serena/Azarenka final...that might be competitive given their other matches at the majors this year.

 

[tennisaddict]

Kvitova, Wozniacki did not even win 1 HC match this USO series till this week. I guess the same is with Sharapova.

That is 3 of the top 5 ?

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

Kvitova, Wozniacki did not even win 1 HC match this USO series till this week. I guess the same is with Sharapova.

That is 3 of the top 5 ?

If by questioning that you are also suggesting they are no threat, well...

Kvitova played very well against Caroline yesterday. She seemed more focused than at any other time/event this year. Not a bad way to go into the last major of the year (while acknowledging her terrible USO history).

Sharapova does not really need to win anything to be prepared for the USO, as I do not see an upset with her during week 1.

Caroline also stepped up her HC game, appearing to recapture her newfound aggression from 2014. She does not wish to leave the sport witohut at least one major, and being a runner-up gave her a taste she cannot forget.