Serena Williams, by all accounts, has not given up in her hunt for that elusive 24th Grand Slam title. There’s been talk about her retirement for a few years now, but it has been gathering pace recently as she has appeared in fewer and fewer tournaments. Indeed, the narrative in the media rumor mill is that Williams is “preparing” for retirement, hinting that a tilt at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in the summer might offer a fitting stage for one of the greatest athletes of all time to say farewell.
But if and when Williams does hang up her racquet, it should be remarked that women’s tennis feels like it has a stronger foundation than any time in the last decade. There’s a bright future for a group of young players, ready to take up the mantle left by Williams. While everyone respects Williams’ achievements, we might argue that this new era will be a little more exciting due to increased competitiveness at the top of the game.
Youth abounds among the world’s top players
All of the players currently ranked in the world’s top ten are in their 20s. And while there are some great young players in the men’s game, the narrative is still dominated by the likes of Rafael Nadal (35) and Novak Djokovic (34). Led by Ashleigh Barty, the women’s rankings show a lot of young players coming up the ranks, and it suggests we are in for a decade of fascinating battles on the tennis court.
Barty is the favorite in the tennis betting for the next Grand Slam, the French Open, but there is more of an open feel to it and other Grand Slams after the two decades of dominance by Williams. Perhaps our point is this: Women’s tennis no longer has just one superstar; it has several. At least, potentially so. Some of the young players like Emma Raducanu, Coco Gauff, and Leylah Fernandez are still teenagers and not yet in the world’s top ten, but they have exploded onto the scene and provided a taste of what the future might look like.
Players ready to battle Barty for her crown
That’s what has been missing in the women’s era in recent years. Again, we give all due respect to Williams, against whom no player could consistently compete with over the years. But there was always a sense of disappointment that there was not a new clutch of players ready to wrest the crown from her head should she stumble. It’s different now. Naomi Osaka, Paula Badosa, Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejicova, Aryna Sabalenka, Jelena Ostapenko are just a short list of players who could challenge Barty for her world number one spot, and we should not overlook the youngsters like Gauff and Raducanu who have yet to reach their full potential.
This is all good news for raising the profile of the women’s game in tennis, and women’s sports in general. It’s going to be fascinating to begin a Grand Slam campaign and see that there are perhaps a dozen quality players with an excellent chance of success. Sport, whether it be male or female-led, relies on the kind of drama that can only be delivered by intense, quality competition. It seems that women’s tennis is heading that way, with a group of young players who could dominate for the next decade.
