Moose Malloy
G.O.A.T.
From the Tennis Channel website, a nice article that puts Henin's year in perspective. A bit surprised at the ommission of Seles & Serena.
"Her year must be placed high among the best any woman has enjoyed in the Open Era which began in 1968. The way I see it, Steffi Graf had the best year of any woman in the professional era when she won the four majors plus the Olympic Games in 1988 for a "Golden Slam." Margaret Court won the Grand Slam in 1970 so I rank that as the second best year of any modern female competitor.
Undoubtedly, Martina Navratilova's 1984 was an outstanding season, and is No. 3 on my list. She lost early that year to Hana Mandlikova, won a record 74 consecutive matches, and then was beaten by Helena Sukova in the semifinals of the Australian Open at the end of the year. In between, she won three straight majors. Martina's 1983 campaign--- my selection for No. 4--- was almost as good; Navratilova had an 86-1 match record that season, losing only at the French Open to Kathleen Horvath. Graf's 1989 was extraordinary as she swept three of the four majors, closing that campaign on a 38 match victory streak. I rate that at No. 5. Chris Evert won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1976 and was victorious in 12 of 17 tournaments and 75 of 80 matches. Put that one at No. 6. And Hingis in 1997 had a banner year with 12 tournament wins and a 75-5 record, plus triumphs at three of the four majors. I place Hingis in 1997 at No. 7.
I would rank the 2007 Henin campaign at No. 8. Her winning percentage of .940 is the best since Graf hit .977 in 1989. Had she been able to compete in Australia, Henin would probably have finished even higher on the list. I would not be surprised if Henin put very similar results on the board next year. Her capacity to grind out tough matches as well as flow through easier ones is second to none. More than any other woman in the sport, with increasing conviction in the tight corners of tense contests, Henin has established herself as a quietly ferocious player who will not surrender."
http://www.thetennischannel.com/news/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=3545&SPC=1#POST_COMMENT
Steve Flink has been reporting on tennis since 1974. He was a columnist and editor for World Tennis Magazine from 1974-91. Since 1992, he has been a senior correspondent for Tennis Week Magazine. During the 1970's and 1980's he served as a statistician for NBC, CBS and ABC on their tennis telecasts. Since 1982 he has been covering Wimbledon and the French Open for CBS radio. As a fan, reporter in training and full time journalist, he has been at Wimbledon 39 of the last 42 years and he has only missed one U.S. (Open) Championship since 1965. He is the author of " The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century", published in 1999. Steve will be writing a weekly column every Tuesday for TennisChannel.com.
"Her year must be placed high among the best any woman has enjoyed in the Open Era which began in 1968. The way I see it, Steffi Graf had the best year of any woman in the professional era when she won the four majors plus the Olympic Games in 1988 for a "Golden Slam." Margaret Court won the Grand Slam in 1970 so I rank that as the second best year of any modern female competitor.
Undoubtedly, Martina Navratilova's 1984 was an outstanding season, and is No. 3 on my list. She lost early that year to Hana Mandlikova, won a record 74 consecutive matches, and then was beaten by Helena Sukova in the semifinals of the Australian Open at the end of the year. In between, she won three straight majors. Martina's 1983 campaign--- my selection for No. 4--- was almost as good; Navratilova had an 86-1 match record that season, losing only at the French Open to Kathleen Horvath. Graf's 1989 was extraordinary as she swept three of the four majors, closing that campaign on a 38 match victory streak. I rate that at No. 5. Chris Evert won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1976 and was victorious in 12 of 17 tournaments and 75 of 80 matches. Put that one at No. 6. And Hingis in 1997 had a banner year with 12 tournament wins and a 75-5 record, plus triumphs at three of the four majors. I place Hingis in 1997 at No. 7.
I would rank the 2007 Henin campaign at No. 8. Her winning percentage of .940 is the best since Graf hit .977 in 1989. Had she been able to compete in Australia, Henin would probably have finished even higher on the list. I would not be surprised if Henin put very similar results on the board next year. Her capacity to grind out tough matches as well as flow through easier ones is second to none. More than any other woman in the sport, with increasing conviction in the tight corners of tense contests, Henin has established herself as a quietly ferocious player who will not surrender."
http://www.thetennischannel.com/news/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=3545&SPC=1#POST_COMMENT
Steve Flink has been reporting on tennis since 1974. He was a columnist and editor for World Tennis Magazine from 1974-91. Since 1992, he has been a senior correspondent for Tennis Week Magazine. During the 1970's and 1980's he served as a statistician for NBC, CBS and ABC on their tennis telecasts. Since 1982 he has been covering Wimbledon and the French Open for CBS radio. As a fan, reporter in training and full time journalist, he has been at Wimbledon 39 of the last 42 years and he has only missed one U.S. (Open) Championship since 1965. He is the author of " The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century", published in 1999. Steve will be writing a weekly column every Tuesday for TennisChannel.com.