Serena's rivals from her generation better than the younger players now.

[Amelie Mauresmo]

Would Serena be dominant if young generation right now was as good as her own generation? This is something I wonder about. No dispute that Serena is a great player BUT this current younger generation on the WTA Tour something is up with these young ladies.

These young ladies are missing something EXTRA they don't have the speed and the power of Serena's generation. Justine Henin, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, Martina Hingis, they all had the speed and power to challenge Serena.

But these young ladies are missing something. Victoria Azarenka is mentally tough, she's also quick, and she volleys well BUT Azarenka's serve isn't powerful enough. I think Azarenka's weak serve cost her the US OPEN title. Azarenka is six feet tall yet she can't serve over 107 mph.

When are the young women going to step it up? I thought someone would have had a breakthrough but it still hasn't happened yet.

They are either lazy like Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens. Kvitova has all the talent in the world but she's not in top physical condition. I hear Kvitova has hired a new fitness trainer and that's a good step. However, Kvitova really needs to work on her on court attitude and the mental side of the game she should be in the top 4 in the world.

Sloane Stephens still hasn't even reached a WTA final yet which is SHOCKING! Eugenie Bouchard and Laura Robson have already reached WTA tour finals yet Sloane has not. Sloane's attitude about the smaller WTA events needs to change. Sloane needs to realize she has to win the small events FIRST before she can win a grand slam.

Serena Williams so called rivals on the WTA Tour aren't even close to being as talented as Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, Jennifer Capriati Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Venus Williams, and the older veterans Mary Pierce, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, and Monica Seles. All these women were multiple slam champions.

Right now Serena only has one player who can challenge her Victoria Azarenka but only on hardcourts. Azarenka is improving on clay BUT she hasn't won a big event on clay yet.

Sharapova, Radwanska, Errani, Wozniacki Li Na, are missing the complete package to compete with Serena. Sharapova isn't athletic enough, Radwanska, Errani, Wozniacki aren't powerful enough.

Li Na has the speed and the power BUT she lacks the mental toughness. Same with Samantha Stosur and Nadia Petrova. I mention Stosur and Petrova because they have the huge serves and they have both beaten Serena three times each.

Stosur and Petrova have the power to compete with Serena but they aren't consistent enough and lack the mental toughness.

Sabine Lisicki is perhaps the only young player who I feel can challenge Serena but she needs to get mentally tougher and physically fitter.

 

[Graf=GOAT]

I agree, WTA tour is at it's lowest right now, hardly worth watching. Can you imagine if Nadal, Murray and Djokovic didn't exist what Federer would do to the ATP tour? The situation is like that on WTA. S.Williams' biggest "rival" is Azarenka. Just lol.

 

[Midaso240]

Well,maybe in 2014 things will change. We can only hope so...

 

[rockandroll]

I have a feeling the WTA Championships was a big step for Na, even though she mentally folded in the second half of the final vs Serena in dissapointing fashion. I think she has a good shot to win her first Australian Open title to start the year, and if she does we could see her mount a real challenge the remainder of the year.

Radwanska I think was set back in a HUGE way by not winning Wimbledon this year. Only having to beat two of her pigeons to win the title, and losing in the semis after being way up in the 3rd set vs Lisicki who wasnt playing nearly as well as she had the last couple rounds (although still better than she would in the final) was crushing. She doesnt have the type of game that bothers Serena anyway though.

Sharapova is done IMO. Not that in any scenario she was competition for Serena, as the last 9 years have proven.

Azarenka is a threat to Serena I believe. Even on grass they had a tough match at Wimbledon 2012. Unless Serena is in god mode (Olympics) Azarenka will always play her tough. Yes her serve as compared to Serena's GOAT serve, will make it hard for her to win more than the occasional match though.

Sloane Stephens shows promise for the future. She has all the raw tools, but whether they will ever come together and assemble properly, or how soon, is anyones guess.

Stosur and Petrova both had awful 2013 years, and are both completely done as far as being contenders goes.

 

[MichaelNadal]

The women's game is in shambles compared to the early 2000's. I used to like it better than men's tennis back then.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

But these young ladies are missing something. Victoria Azarenka is mentally tough, she's also quick, and she volleys well BUT Azarenka's serve isn't powerful enough. I think Azarenka's weak serve cost her the US OPEN title. Azarenka is six feet tall yet she can't serve over 107 mph.

Vika will eventually take the leadership position, and it is not impossible for her to create a new, effective serve. she needs great placement, not necessarily a rocket.

They are either lazy like Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens. Kvitova has all the talent in the world but she's not in top physical condition. I hear Kvitova has hired a new fitness trainer and that's a good step. However, Kvitova really needs to work on her on court attitude and the mental side of the game she should be in the top 4 in the world.

Kvitova needs professional help to deal with her scattered behavior; on court, she either dives into insecurity, or tries to fll back on the idea of her winning a major (but not playing like it--or realizing the world had time to "get" her game). That, and her off-court behavior has her mind off in some strange zone, or the gutter. She used to have the tools which would suggest another major was in her future, but at present, i'm not sure.

Sloane Stephens still hasn't even reached a WTA final yet which is SHOCKING! Eugenie Bouchard and Laura Robson have already reached WTA tour finals yet Sloane has not. Sloane's attitude about the smaller WTA events needs to change. Sloane needs to realize she has to win the small events FIRST before she can win a grand slam.

Remember--her foolish behavior was based on (likely) being told she was the "great project"--the "anyone other than Serena"/false hope in American tennis. This explains the unwarranted hype, and her sociopathic statements/actions in social media, etc.

I would not bet against her new coach still training her to focus on one player, instead of the field--a field including Vika, who wiped the courts with Stephens at the AO.

Sharapova, Radwanska, Errani, Wozniacki Li Na, are missing the complete package to compete with Serena. Sharapova isn't athletic enough, Radwanska, Errani, Wozniacki aren't powerful enough.

Yes, Sharapova was always talent-challenged, Errani seems to have little game to find, and Wozniacki was an overrated loser. Li Na has skill, but brainfarts too often to regain the height of her success. Still, she has a chance to be a stronger challenge from time to time.

Stosur and Petrova have the power to compete with Serena but they aren't consistent enough and lack the mental toughness.

Both are past their primes--not just against Serena.

Sabine Lisicki is perhaps the only young player who I feel can challenge Serena but she needs to get mentally tougher and physically fitter.

Yrs, her weight issues need to be addressed, but what is going on between the ears is her own, personal Kryptonite with no remedy---she's born drama, which hurts much potential.

 

[captainbryce]

Would Serena be dominant if young generation right now was as good as her own generation? This is something I wonder about. No dispute that Serena is a great player BUT this current younger generation on the WTA Tour something is up with these young ladies.

These young ladies are missing something EXTRA they don't have the speed and the power of Serena's generation. Justine Henin, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, Martina Hingis, they all had the speed and power to challenge Serena.

Martina Hingis was NOT a powerful player. She was something in between a crafty, all-court player and a counter-puncher. She used her speed and court positioning to take the ball early (on the rise) and take time away from her opponents. She also used crafty plays and a variety of tactics to turn points around in her favor. That combined with her general lack of unforced errors and touch at the net made her a player who despite lacking power, could often hang in there against the more powerful players (Williams, Davenport, Clijsters, etc). However, even Hingis in her prime would not have been able to deal with Serena of today. Agnieszka Radwanska basically plays the same style as Martina Hingis (though not nearly as accomplished a player), but Serena dominates that rivalry. When Hingis was in her prime, Serena was a very streaky player that relies only on her power an athleticism. She has since become a much better tactical player that uses much more variety and strategy in her game. Also, her serve is much better now than it was 10 years ago. Serena today would defeat Serena of 2002, and she would also dominate Hingis and the other players mentioned. In fact, the only three players from Serena's prime generation that could even regularly challenge Serena of today (assuming they were all in their prime) would be Venus, Clijsters and Henin on clay. But of all the players you mentioned from her generation (and including Clijsters and Davenport who you left out), Serena still has a winning head to head record against ALL of them! Serena of today would arguably have an even more dominant record against all of them.

But these young ladies are missing something. Victoria Azarenka is mentally tough, she's also quick, and she volleys well BUT Azarenka's serve isn't powerful enough. I think Azarenka's weak serve cost her the US OPEN title. Azarenka is six feet tall yet she can't serve over 107 mph.

At the 2001 US Open, Martina Hingis' average 1st serve speed was 86 mph and her fastest serve was 98 mph. Her fastest serve recorded in her career was 110 mph and Hingis hadn't beaten Serena since the beginning of 2001 (Australian Open).

When are the young women going to step it up? I thought someone would have had a breakthrough but it still hasn't happened yet.

They're doing the best they can given their natural abilities. But really, the game has changed significantly since the days when Hingis, Henin, and Venus, were major threats. Nowadays, it's going to take another player that can match Serena's abilities (today) in order to dominate. No player has ever had the combination of power, speed, athleticism, precision, control, variety, and mental fortitude that Serena Williams has demonstrated in the past two years. There have been dominant players in the past (Navratilova, Graf, etc), but they've all had at least one exploitable weakness or hole in their game that could be exploited by a good enough player. Serena has no major holes in her technical game. She did at one point in her career, but today those holes have been filled. She has the best serve ever, one of the best returns ever, she can hit winners off both wings (forehand and backhand), she's a great volleyer (with the best overhead in the game), she moves better than most players, and utilizes great court positioning, her defensive skills match her offensive skills, she lobs well, she drop shots well, and her game now translates to all surfaces equally well. There's never been another player in women's tennis that has that combination of skills while lacking an exploitable weakness. Serena also has no major holes in her mental game, and she actually uses specific strategies to play against specific players. She has become a perfectionist who plays within herself, and doesn't make a million unforced errors like she used to during the days of the "Serena Slam". And despite her "advanced" age, she doesn't seem to have any major physical limitations or health concerns that might impede her.

Serena Williams so called rivals on the WTA Tour aren't even close to being as talented as Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, Jennifer Capriati Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Venus Williams, and the older veterans Mary Pierce, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, and Monica Seles. All these women were multiple slam champions.

That may be true, however keep in mind that none of those players were as good as Serena Williams is today either. She still had a winning record against ALL of them even when she was a "lesser" player than she is today. Think about that!

Right now Serena only has one player who can challenge her Victoria Azarenka but only on hardcourts. Azarenka is improving on clay BUT she hasn't won a big event on clay yet.

Sharapova, Radwanska, Errani, Wozniacki Li Na, are missing the complete package to compete with Serena. Sharapova isn't athletic enough, Radwanska, Errani, Wozniacki aren't powerful enough.

Radwanska, Errani and Wozniacki just don't have the power or athleticism to compete with Serena, and they never will. As far as Sharapova goes, her game is just a little too one dimensional to have any major impact on Serena. Her game does not match up well with Williams (who can do everything Sharapova can do well, but just a little bit better).

Li Na has the speed and the power BUT she lacks the mental toughness.

I agree. Of all the players that you mentioned, I do think that Li Na has the capability to challenge Serena Williams. She certainly has the game, power, speed and athleticism to match Williams. But as you said, she's a mentally fragile player who can't ever seem to sustain a high level of play throughout the duration of a match. If she could ever learn to put it all together without the mental lapses, she would make a worthy opponent for Serena in my opinion.

Same with Samantha Stosur and Nadia Petrova. I mention Stosur and Petrova because they have the huge serves and they have both beaten Serena three times each.

Stosur and Petrova have the power to compete with Serena but they aren't consistent enough and lack the mental toughness.

I'm not sure how much of a factor Petrova is on the tour anymore. I think her best days are behind her. I could make the same argument for her compatriot Svetlana Kusnetsova, who also had a game that matched up well with Serena. As far as Stosur goes, she's just way too inconsistent of a player to consistently challenge a player like Serena. And even when she plays well for a long stretch of time, she is still likely to mentally collapse at the big moments.

Sabine Lisicki is perhaps the only young player who I feel can challenge Serena but she needs to get mentally tougher and physically fitter.

Sounds like a broken record, but her defeat of Serena at Wimbledon, followed by the embarrassing performance she gave in the final just highlights the fact that many of these women do not possess the mental fortitude of Serena Williams. The good news for Sabine Lisciki, and Sloane Stephens, and Petra Kvitova, is that they are all still very young, and have time to develop their game (and approach to the game). Any of them could potentially become great Champions. But chances are, it won't happen until Serena retires!

 

[Amelie Mauresmo]

Hopefully someone ELSE is going to step up and challenge Serena in 2014. It just isn't exciting seeing Serena win everything. Something could happen in Australia perhaps? Victoria Azarenka I feel could beat Serena in the Australian Open women's final next year?

 

[Vanhool]

Hopefully someone ELSE is going to step up and challenge Serena in 2014. It just isn't exciting seeing Serena win everything. Something could happen in Australia perhaps? Victoria Azarenka I feel could beat Serena in the Australian Open women's final next year?

I would enjoy seeing Serena win everything. Perfect season. Won't happen, but I would enjoy it.

 

[Midaso240]

I would enjoy seeing Serena win everything. Perfect season. Won't happen, but I would enjoy it.

I'm pretty sure something like that happening would be a sure sign the apocalypse isn't far away...

BTW,am I the only one who thinks Vika is being overrated by a lot of people? I don't think she'll be a challenge to Serena next year,in fact I don't think she's going to be a factor in any of the slams next year

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

I would enjoy seeing Serena win everything. Perfect season. Won't happen, but I would enjoy it.

I'm down with that.

 

[Vanhool]

I'm pretty sure something like that happening would be a sure sign the apocalypse isn't far away...

That's ok...Cenozoic was a weak era anyway

I don't know about Vika being overrated, but it felt like she was falling off form toward the end of the year. I was even starting to wonder if she was pregnant, but it ended up she was just a little out of shape from her Wimbledon injury. And perhaps boyfriend distractions. Hope she's back full force next year. I think her return is a real threat to Serena. I think it was the USO she returned one of Serena's 120+ mph serves. Serena punished it, but I couldn't believe she got it back.