10 questions for women's tennis in '08
by MATT CRONIN, tennisreporters.net
1. Will Justine Henin finish No. 1 again?
After the most dominant year of her career where she finished with a 63-4 record and 10 titles, including the French and U.S. Opens, Henin will battle hard to firmly establish herself in the record books. With seven major crowns, she's just one Grand Slam behind archrival Serena Williams, whom she owned last year by battering her in three straight Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Henin also scored a rare and extremely significant win over her nemesis, Venus Williams, in the U.S. Open semis. No player on the planet is more committed or obsessed with winning than the 25-year-old Belgian, and no player has more variety and options in her game than she does.
However, even though she's in great health and will contend for the title in every tournament she enters, she'll only grab one Slam in '08. This will be a put-up-or-shut-up year for the Williams sisters and Sharapova, and the world should see major improvements out of youngsters like Ana Ivanovic and Nicole Vaidisova. Lock Henin in at No. 1 again, but she won't dominate like she did in '07.
2. Will Maria Sharapova win her third Slam and return to No. 1?
Just when it looked like Sharapova was headed into a major tailspin, she shook off a nagging shoulder injury and nearly took down Henin for the year-end WTA Sony Ericsson Championships crown. The 20-year-old may have finally turned the corner in dealing with that ailment, which plagued her during all of 2007 and caused her to doubt the foundations of her game. If Sharapova continues to improve her all-around arsenal (no, not her exploding commercial portfolio, her net attack), she'll live in the top five all year and will grab her third Slam crown — not in Paris, but in one of the hardcourt slams at Melbourne or New York or on the grass of Wimbledon. Expect her to continue to add to her lengthy endorsement list and become the first women's player to crack the $25 million per annum list in off-court deals.
3. Will Venus Williams make the most of the last two years of her prime?
While the elder Williams says that she'd love to play well into her 30s, it's doubtful that her fragile body will hold up that long. The 27-year-old played more in 2007 than she did at any time during the previous four years, but at year's end she was back in the doctor's office trying to discover whether she was anemic or not. The four-time Wimbledon champion will be the favorite on the lush lawns once again, but what she'll really like to do is win her seventh crown in Australia or Paris, two locales where she has never raised the big trophy. Count her out of a sterling clay-court run, but if she serves huge, plays standout defense and keeps attacking the nets like her father and coach Richard wants, another Slam title on cement is quite possible.
4. Will Serena Williams fight off injuries and return to success?
One of the greatest warriors the sport has ever seen, Serena had a near perfect first quarter of '07, winning in Australia and Miami, but then faded, failing to win another title and having her lunch handed to her by Henin on three occasions. It was the first time in six years that Serena has played a full season and was unable to be the dominant player she thinks she is, so 2008 will be a great test of her desire to get back to the top again.
At her best — and that's a rare sight these days, given how often she allows herself to get out of shape and become injured — she's right there with the rest of the elite players. Expect the ultimate drama queen to put on a rousing show at one major and at a few other tournaments, but also to spend a substantial amount of time off the tour nursing ailments and living the L.A. fast life.
5. Will Lindsay Davenport or Monica Seles have a major impact?
New mom Lindsay Davenport will return for a full season in 2008. In limited appearances during the fall of 2007, she showed she could still play top-10 level tennis. But she was barely playing top-five level tennis when she briefly retired in 2006 (she hasn't won a Grand Slam since 2000), and there are few reasons to think she can push through a slew of other elite player in a major at the age of 31. But don't count her out at the 2008 Olympics, as it's her dream to win another gold medal. She'll push very hard to achieve it while some other top players will be exhausted from long French Open-Wimbledon campaigns.
Monica Seles, at 34 and nearly five years out of the game, recently dropped hints that she might return in the spring, but added that her bum feet won't allow her to practice much, which means that she'll be unable to regain her once stellar form. Plus, Seles has dropped a tremendous amount of muscle and now looks more like a model than she does an athlete. A return would be much celebrated for the popular former star, but it will be brief and unproductive.
6. Is Ana Ivanovic the next elite player?
While Serbian countrywoman Jelena Jankovic finished one spot above Ivanovic in 2007 (No. 3 to No. 4), the 20-year-old Ivanovic showed more impressive weapons (especially her forehand, possibly the biggest on tour) and a great comfort level at the major events, reaching the French final, the Wimbledon semis and Sony Ericsson Championships semis. If Ivanovic can get a little more consistent and improve her footwork and serve, she has the potential to go on her maiden voyage to her first Slam title in 2008.
7. Can Amelie Mauresmo continue to hold up French tennis?
Call 2008 a last gasp year for two-time Slam champ and former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, who after a brilliant 2006 fell apart and burned out in 2007. The stylish all-courter will turn 29 in 2008 and will be contesting her 13th full season on tour. She has the goods to make one more strong run at a major, but even she knows that the future of French tennis is best left in the hands of Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli and the precocious Tatiana Golovin, who finished the year ranked a career high No. 13. They may never achieve Mauresmo's heights of winning two Slams and grabbing the top spot, but week in and week out, their stronger legs and blind ambition will carry them further.
8. Are any other Russians ready to rock?
There are more Russians ranked inside the top 30 than there are players from other countries, but outside of Sharapova, do any of them have a chance to dominate the headlines in 2008?
Svetlana Kuznetsova finished the season ranked No. 2, but only won one title and appears to have hit the wall. Old stalwart Elena Dementieva sustained her first career injury and fell out of the top 10, while Nadia Petrova and Dinara Safina didn't accomplish much of note either. Unless pin-up girl Maria Kirilenko suddenly sprouts 4 inches and is able to add some pop to her counterpuncher's game, it looks like it's up to the creative yet overly emotional Anna Chakvetadze to back up Sharapova in 2008. But if the sixth ranked 20-year-old ever wants to finds a way to become the top-ranked Russian (perhaps more important to the ultra-competitive Russian women than top world ranking), she'll have to find way to best Sharapova first, having failed to do so on four occasions in 2007.
9. No surprise: The more promising teenagers are from Europe
The United States and Australia have had a hell of time producing promising young women over the past five years (it's not even worth discussing England). That's why when you are talking teens with top-10 potential, you think Agnes Szavay (Hungary), Victoria Azarenka (Belarus), Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) and Michelle Larcher de Brito (Portugal). The U.S. must look to the junior ranks for hope in 18s players Melanie Oudin and Madison Brengle, while the Austrlains are praying that former top-five player Jelena Dokic can get her life together and make another sustained run as a pro.
10. Can China win an Olympic medal?
China has put millions into developing women's tennis players, with its eye on grabbing medals at the summer Olympics in Beijing. But its singles efforts have stalled as top player Na Li is riddled with injuries and its most promising player, Shuai Peng, doesn't work hard enough. But this team-oriented culture has done a fine job in developing doubles duos, so expect the paring of Zi Yan and TinaTian Sun, or Yan and Zie Zheng, to bring home some medals. Expect the outstanding Chinese Tapei duo of Chia-Jung Chuang and Yung-Jan Chan to medal, too.
advertisement
