in Tennis Articles

Serena Williams, who began her 2007 Australian Open campaign ranked 81st, stormed through the ranks to No. 14 in the WTA following her victory. Winning against all odds to claim her eighth Grand Slam title, Serena Williams not only schooled rival Maria Sharapova, whose performance belied her world No. 1 rank, but, more importantly, Serena Williams’ victory put the strength of the point system of the WTA rankings into question, forcing everyone to reevaluate who the top five players on the tour are and to wonder how they will fare in this suddenly exciting 2007 tennis season.

According to the WTA rankings, the top five women are No. 1 Maria Sharapova, No. 2 Justine Henin, No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 4 Kim Clijsters and No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova. But, with the 2007 Women’s tennis tour in full swing and with the French Open and Wimbledon in the not so distant future, the emergence in Melbourne of a few players worthy of note and the 2007 Australian Open Finals showdown seemed to all but promise that the women’s rankings are poised for a shakedown!

Moreover, with Kim Clijsters on her final tour, her departure at the end of the 2007 tennis season is certain to contribute to the shuffle. Clijsters, who started the year by snagging the Sydney Final title, looked like she could very well retain her ranking, even advance. However, following her faltering Australian Open performance, she may very well find herself lost in the shuffle before the end of her swansong tour!

So, with Clijsters on her way out, thus opening up a spot in the top five, the question of how the women’s rankings will shape up and who are the top five contenders is uppermost in everyone’s mind. Here is my take on who are the top five contenders:

Serena Williams – Without a doubt, the biggest threat to all the women in the top five is Serena Williams. After her spectacular victory at the Australian Open, the rest of the tour has their work cut out for them. Serena Williams clearly set herself up as the woman to beat, irrespective of the WTA point system, and with more hardcourt tennis in store over the coming months, Serena’s odds of climbing in the ranks are looking very promising. The self-described ‘bootylicious’ Williams can only get fitter, so the ladies in the top five better beware. It is not so much a matter of ‘if’ Serena will land in the top five; it is a matter of “when” and “where” in the top five she will end up before the season is done!

Justine Henin – Back on the tour after skipping out from the Australian Open is Justine Henin – 1H not 2H. Justine not only dropped from World No. 1 to No. 2, but she dropped the second H in her name, giving credence to the rumors of a pending divorce that surrounded her mysterious absence from the Australian Open this year. Regardless of her twofold drop, and the ground she lost by missing the Australian Open, Henin is a world-class tennis player, whose all-round tennis game can be tough to beat. Appearing in all four Grand Slam finals last year, and with an overall 56-8 performance in 2006, Henin is not one to idle in the ranks. Expect Henin to serve and volley her way back into the No. 1 rank before the season is out.

Maria Sharapova – With Henin breathing down her neck, Serena Williams advancing, and a host of young emerging stars on the women’s tour clamoring to climb the rankings, Sharapova’s No. 1 rank is all but secure. The precariousness of her position could not have been made any clearer than when Serena gave her a lesson on good tennis in the finals of the Australian Open. Serving at just under 45% on her first serve, and at an average of 50% throughout the tournament, Sharapova’s performance did not speak of her rank.

Moreover, at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo last week, Sharapova was soundly dismissed in the first set of her semifinals match against Ana Ivanovic 1-6 before she retired from the match in the second set.

As the season unfolds, Maria Sharapova must be feeling the pressure of her rank, as she is clearly not playing her best. She will be getting no favors from her rivals Justine Henin, Serena Williams and the like, and if she continues dropping her serve as she did in her first Grand Slam event of the year and dropping out of tournaments, she will soon be dropping in the ranks as well.

Amelie Mauresmo – At the onset of the 2007 tennis tour, Amelie Mauresmo, ranked No. 3 in the world, looked poised to climb the ranks even further and bag a few more Grand Slam titles. However, following her truly shocking defeat in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Lucie Safarova, ranked No. 70 in the world, Amelie appears to be less of an imposing threat.

Mauresmo’s defeat was reminiscent of the days before her 2006 Australian Open title, when the word ‘potential’ was synonymous with her name and speculation surrounded her ability to harness that ‘potential’ into a Grand Slam title. Therefore, the question with respect to Mauresmo is whether she can put her unceremonious departure from the Australian Open behind her. How she answers remains to be seen and, while she may be seeking to redeem herself in the coming months, her rank will, at the very best, stay the same in 2007, if not fall a step or two in the coming shuffle.

Martina Hingis - Hovering at No. 6 in the world, Martina Hingis just claimed her fifth Pan Pacific Open title in Tokyo, defeating one of tennis’s new young talents Ana Ivanovic. Martina Hingis has a great all-round court game and looks determined to gain ground. She is not far behind Svetlana Kuznetsova in the point system of the WTA ranks, and it is not a stretch of the imagination to see her claim the No. 5 rank this year.

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributer to the BetUS.com Locker Room

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