Why Women’s Tennis Is On The Cusp Of A Golden Era

For nearly five years now, women’s tennis has been defined by unpredictability.

Since Serena Williams announced she was pregnant in April 2017, calling time on her season and – unknown to most at the time – marking the end of a truly phenomenal era of dominance, the women’s game has suffered from something of an identity crisis.

At the time of Williams’ announcement, the World No. 1 had won six of the last ten Grand Slams, reaching at least the last four in all ten. Such supremacy, followed by an equally abrupt absence, was destined to leave a gaping power vacuum at the top of the game.

And so it did. Players previously unable to make their breakthrough were now all storming to their seat at the table. Quite remarkably, the seven Grand Slam tournaments following Williams’ absence saw seven different champions – five of these were maiden Grand Slam winners.

An era characterized by Serena Williams’ pre-eminence had given way to one that was consistently unpredictable.

Years of unpredictability

Not until Naomi Osaka won back-to-back majors in New York and Melbourne in 2018 and early 2019 was there any significant indication that someone had arrived to carry the torch at the summit of the women’s game. Indeed, by the time Osaka had so spectacularly announced her presence on the world stage, Williams was back knocking at the door once again, finishing runner-up to Osaka in that 2018 US Open final, as well as succumbing to defeat in the Wimbledon final earlier that summer.

Despite the fact that Naomi Osaka had carved out a real presence for herself at the height of the game, 2019 saw a continuation of the volatility that had defined the past couple of years, with two more first-time Slam champions crowned that season. Ashleigh Barty arrived at the party with victory at the French Open that spring, while Bianca Andreescu became the third successive first-time winner at Flushing Meadows.

Yet these wins book-ended a second major victory for Simona Halep at Wimbledon, meaning the tour now had two double major champions playing at the height of their game in Halep and Osaka. The initial foundations for a spirited new era had been laid.

But they were far from complete.

2020 brought with it yet two more first-time and utterly unanticipated Grand Slam champions in Sofia Kenin and Iga Świątek, furthering the tumultuous irregularity that was now synonymous with the women’s game.

What differed in 2020 and beyond compared to the previous three years was that these anomalies were now also set against the inexorable rise of a new generation rapidly coming of age.

Naomi Osaka completing another pair of Australian and US Open major victories across 2020 and 2021 came either side of 19 year-old Świątek’s barely fathomable French Open win (played in the autumn due to the pandemic). Barbora Krejčíková’s surprise victory in Paris then followed Osaka’s fourth major, before Ash Barty triumphed superbly in Wimbledon that summer for her second Grand Slam title. All before the tennis world was left reeling by Emma Raducanu’s simply astonishing run to the title in New York – as an 18 year-old qualifier.

While Osaka and Barty were beginning to establish some level of regularity to the tour, victories for Krejčíková and – to a far greater extent – Raducanu in 2021 maintained a very real sense that women’s tennis had no discernible hierarchy when it came to Grand Slam champions.

The litany of startling and unforeseen victories over the past five years has provided far more questions about the future than answers.

Yet there have been, and continue to be, very real signs that a new, settled, and fiercely competitive era of women’s tennis is emerging.

Ash Barty At The Top

The arrival of 2022 saw Ashleigh Barty win her third Grand Slam title in her native Australia. With it came the final confirmation that she has the ability to achieve the type of success capable of defining a generation. Barty’s first great achievement in winning Roland Garros in 2019 has since been punctuated with lengthy spells away from the court, primarily due to intermittent injury and, in no small way, a global pandemic.

And still, during this time Barty has won three Grand Slam titles – across all surfaces – as well as winning the year-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen, and maintaining the World No. 1 ranking for all but four weeks since June 2019. Imagine what she could achieve in a few full seasons.

After missing essentially all of 2020, Barty then won five titles in a 2021 season that was again ended early in August. She is the undisputed World No. 1, the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, and can apply the best of her game on every surface – arguably starting as favourite against any opponent across grass, hard and clay courts.

If Barty can maintain regular competition, it would appear that women’s tennis has their consistent pace-setter – a crucial component to any highly competitive generation.           

Superb Świątek

Enter Iga Świątek. At just 20 years old, it is already self-evident that Świątek is a wonderful asset for tennis, and will play a crucial role in the future direction of the sport. A popular favourite among both players and fans, the young Pole shows maturity and intelligence beyond her years. She has demonstrated a commitment to highlighting issues around mental health and has been outspoken about wider political injustices such as the war in Ukraine, all while captivating audiences worldwide with a truly breathtaking brand of high-octane attacking tennis.

Possessing a devilish kick-serve, which she utilises to superb effect, Świątek’s unique game is built around her heavy use of top-spin. Yet the Pole is far from one-dimensional. She generates huge power off both wings, supplementing this with frequent forays to the net, and applies her own clear intellect to the game, demonstrating a level of understanding of tennis that few her age can.

Despite the obvious talent on display during her maiden major victory, Świątek’s stunning triumph at the 2020 French Open could quite easily have been an anomaly, rather than the beginning of a very special career.  

But what followed was a thoroughly promising sophomore season defined by consistency, hard graft, and taking those smaller, incremental steps that are vital in building a solid foundation from which to grow. Świątek’s undoubted prodigious ability is now grounded in an understanding of the year-round physical and mental demands of the tour. Continued success, in the form of victory in Adelaide and an Italian Open triumph in 2021, tapered with the realism of the season’s grind, has helped her to develop into a fully-rounded and exceptional young talent.

In majestic full flight on the red clay of Europe, Świątek’s game is a sight to behold. But crucially, her new coaching partnership with Radwanska’s former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski has seen her replicate this clay-court prowess on the hard courts – as demonstrated in her recent Masters victory in Doha, as well as an impressive run to the semi-finals in Melbourne.

With a Grand Slam, two Masters titles, and a steady climb up the rankings over the past eighteen months, the sky is the limit for Iga Świątek. If the jury was still out on Iga’s future following her Roland Garros victory in 2020, there is now an abundance of evidence to suggest that this extraordinary young Pole will be a formidable force in women’s tennis for many years to come.

Naomi Osaka

And one cannot overstate the role of a certain Naomi Osaka. At just 24 years old, in many ways Osaka has also already come of age. Her mental struggles over the past year and more have now been well-documented, not least because of the Japanese player’s own courageous candour in speaking openly about them.

An evidently vulnerable young woman, but with a strength of character that will only serve her well in the years to come, Osaka has voiced vocal support for numerous political and social causes. In 2020, Osaka wore a face mask with the name of Breonna Taylor imprinted on it – the name referring to one of many injustices relating to police brutality that Osaka has sought to shine a light on. Her decision to withdraw from the 2020 Cincinnati Open to raise awareness of the police shooting of Jacob Blake single-handedly led both the WTA and ATP to postpone all matches at that tournament for a day, in support of the cause of one tennis’ biggest stars.

For someone seemingly so reluctant to be in the spotlight, Osaka wields a huge amount of influence off the court. She uses it well, and tennis is lucky to have her.

On the court, she is ferocious. Already a four-time Grand Slam champion and with time on her side, Osaka still has room for improvement away from the home comforts of her preferred hard courts. This young player can and should be a fierce rival to Ashleigh Barty for many years to come.

Osaka has had a tumultuous past year in many ways, and continues to lay bare her vulnerabilities for all to see. But it would be unwise to bet against this young woman climbing all the way back to the top once more.

Barty, Świątek and Osaka may very well be the current leading candidates in a wonderful future for women’s tennis. Specialists on their surfaces, yet each with all-round games, the stage is set for magnificent rivalries to blossom.

But they will be sternly challenged by those in the rear-view mirror.

The Challengers

The current supporting cast contains a plethora of gifted players, each with their own unique claim to the throne that Ash Barty occupies. Such is the depth of talent, that it would be impractical to go through them all, yet there are some names that simply cannot go unmentioned.

Paula Badosa arguably leads that field. The young Spaniard is a recent Masters champion, winning Indian Wells last autumn with scintillating baseline power that took the wind out of her opponents. Early comparisons to Sharapova may be more style than substance, but she displays a maturity and intelligence reminiscent of the Russian’s own steely resolve, and her talent is immense. It wouldn’t surprise in the least if Badosa was able to replicate the type of career Sharapova had.

Anett Kontaveit is another one to watch. The talented Estonian already has several years of tour experience, but her form has sky-rocketed over the past seven months. During this time, Kontaveit has won five tournaments out of the past thirteen she has played, also finishing runner-up twice. Before last August, Kontaveit had one career title to her name. She now has six, sits inside the world’s top five, and has reached the final of the WTA Finals, having qualified quite brilliantly in the most unlikely of scenarios.

If – and it is a big if – Kontaveit can continue to show the form that her partnership with Dmitry Tursunov has given fruit to, the indications are that she can be in and around the very top for the duration of her career.

the US Open Teenage Wonders

While it may still be some years before we see their full potential on a consistent basis, US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and champion Emma Raducanu each hold boundless promise.

Already described as one of the most marketable athletes around, Raducanu’s greatest strength is her remarkable ability to find equanimity in the face of extreme spotlight pressure. Nowhere was this more manifest than during her three golden weeks in New York last summer.

Fernandez, meanwhile, arguably had the more impressive fortnight at Flushing Meadows last season, despite finishing as runner-up to Emma. She defeated two of the top five, as well as Kerber and Osaka, all with an infectious joy reflective of the spirit of that marvellous tournament. Fernandez has already added another title in Monterrey to back up her credentials as a Grand Slam finalist. With a magnetic charm off the court, fierce resilience on it, and a full season on tour now under her belt, the young Canadian has every ingredient needed to challenge the game’s future elite.  

Coco Gauff, already iconic in the States and throughout much of the tennis world, simply cannot go unmentioned. She is another whose current trajectory and early accomplishments demonstrate a phenomenal depth of talent, partnered with a strong mental resolve. All three of her meetings against Osaka had the aura of seminal early bouts in a rivalry for the ages.

Simona and Garbiñe

Then there is the not so small matter of double slam winners, Simona Halep and Garbiñe Muguruza. Still very much in their prime, but with experience some of the younger women are lacking, these two will play an important role in shaping the next generation.

Muguruza’s recent WTA Finals triumph is proof that the Spanish champion can still rise to the top of the pile. Halep, meanwhile, remains the formidable force she always was across all surfaces. It would be a real surprise if the Romanian, who is as motivated as ever, was not to add at least one more Grand Slam trophy to her cabinet. She is a massive obstacle for anyone with ambitions of winning a major.

A Golden Future

Unpredictability can be thrilling, and it is a crucial element of any sporting theatre. But unpredictability alone is unsustainable – especially in a sport whose rich narrative is built upon legendary rivalries.

The seeming randomness we’ve witnessed over the past five years was not because of a lack of talent – the depth in this area is astounding. It was due to a lack of sustained dominance at the top of the game. This led to what is a sizeable talent pool of potential future champions prematurely surging to great heights, most of which were self-contained breakthroughs set against the backdrop of a ranking in a near constant state of flux.

But this is changing. The new world order of women’s tennis is beginning to take shape. As the dust settles on five frantic years of players vying for a seat at the vacant summit, we can now start to see some semblance of what the future will look like.

Women’s tennis is on the brink of a truly golden generation. It is only a matter of when, not if, this current crop of players will fully cement that status.

Based on the current evidence, it may well be one of the most glorious eras we have seen.

Jamie Smith contributes to The Slice from London, UK.