Some high-quality tussles between players would cement the sense that after a tricky period, women’s tennis is on the rise
most notable matches in women’s tennis in recent years came in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January. It pitted Elena Rybakina , a Kazakh who is the reigning Wimbledon champion, against Iga Swiatek , a Pole who holds both the French andOpen titles. Those four tournaments are tennis’s Grand Slams, the biggest prizes in the sport. The match was the first time that two reigning female Grand Slam champions had met at a major event since 2016.
This statistic illustrates the difficulties that women’s tennis has endured of late. The men’s game has benefited from the long rivalries between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Their many tussles brought new fans to the game and ensured plentiful media coverage. The women’s game has been much more open. Since Serena Williams won her 23rd and final Grand Slam title in 2017, 15 women have won a major, but only three have won more than two.
Ms Williams, the greatest player of her generation, retired last year, just before turning 41. So did Ms Barty, who was just 25 and top of the world rankings. In addition to losing players capable of winning the biggest prizes consistently, women’s tennis has faced other troubles. In November 2021 the Women’s Tennis Association lost touch with one of its members, Peng Shuai, after she accused a former Chinese vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, of sexual assault.
For fans, the most obvious source of optimism comes from the court. The five Grand Slams since Ms Barty’s retirement have been won by Ms Swiatek, Ms Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka, a Belarusian. A lasting rivalry is in the offing. Though the youngest at 22, Ms Swiatek is the leader of this pack, having won three of the past four French Opens as well as last year’sHowever, Ms Rybakina may have her number, having won three of their four matches.
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