Every 10 years or so, women's tennis is presented with a challenge, with a test pitting its past vs. its future. The results are usually pretty one-sided. As in, only one person takes advantage.
In 1987, with Martina Navratilova turning 31, Chris Evert turning 33, and stars like Pam Shriver and Hana Mandlikova hitting the downside of their careers, Steffi Graf would surge to the top of the field. Just 18, she would win her first slam title at the French Open, reach two other finals that year, then proceed to win eight of the next nine slams.
By 1997, Graf had been joined primarily by two other players — Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario — atop the tennis world. But she would succumb to a series of injuries and miss most of a year of action, and Seles and Sanchez Vicario, Nos. 2 and 3 in 1996, were past their prime. They would combine for just two more slam finals.
There was a leadership void, and once again it was filled primarily by one player: 16-year old Martina Hingis, who won three of four slams. Only one slam final was even slightly exciting (Hingis’ three-set Wimbledon win over veteran Jana Novotna). Hingis’ accuracy was enticing, and her personality was divisive. But 1997 as a whole was a dud.
Youngsters like Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport would finish 1997 hot on Hingis’ tail, however, and by the end of 1998, Davenport had overtaken her. In 1999, Venus’ younger sister Serena won her first slam title.
By 2007, depth again was challenged. Serena Williams had spent most of 2006 battling injury and depression and had fallen out of the top 100. Venus Williams opened the season fighting back from a wrist injury and barely in the top 50. Maria Sharapova would battle a shoulder injury for much of the year. Amelie Mauresmo, winner of two slams in 2006, would never advance to another quarterfinal.
Into the void stepped ... one person. Justine Henin would win the French Open and U.S. Open and reach the Wimbledon semifinals. A host of youngsters showed potential — Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchová, Marion Bartoli — but in hindsight, it was something of a lost generation. Since 2007, those six players have combined for three slam titles, and four have retired.
This year presented maybe the biggest test yet. Serena Williams, winner of six slams in 2015-16 and a finalist in two others, went on maternity leave. Sharapova got suspended for use of a banned substance. Two-time slam champion Victoria Azarenka had a child in Dec. 2016. Two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova was stabbed during a December home invasion, resulting in tendon and nerve damage to her dominant hand. The winners of 32 career slams spent most of the year on the sideline.
Meanwhile, other formerly elite players hit a wall. Angelique Kerber, the world No. 1 after two 2016 slam titles, failed to advance to a single slam quarterfinal. Aga Radwanska, No. 3 at the end of 2016, reached the fourth round only once. And for fans of American tennis, it was even worse: Sloane Stephens was recovering slowly from a foot injury, and Madison Keys was dealing with a wonky wrist.
Into the void stepped ... everyone.
Against significant odds, the result of all of this turnover and attrition and uncertainty has been one of the most singularly enjoyable seasons the women's tour has ever seen.
You never know when or how your depth will be tested, and you never know how well it will respond. The WTA has responded with utter aplomb. Rather than one person taking control of the situation, it’s been an “all hands on deck” response. The quality of the product has been outstanding, the drama even greater.
As we prepare for the U.S. Open semifinals, let’s recap.
Before her announced pregnancy, Serena rolled through the Australian Open without dropping a set. But behind her dominance lurked some other interesting plot lines.
- Venus, at 36, made her first slam final in eight years.
- CoCo Vandeweghe, a 25-year old from California, made her first slam semifinal by utterly destroying both Kerber and defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.
- Mirjana Lučić-Baroni, a soon-to-be 35 year old, made her first slam semi since 1999, upsetting U.S. Open finalist Karolina Pliskova in the quarters.
If you’re not much for stories about resurgent veterans, you just had to wait until the next slam. At the French Open, Jelena Ostapenko, just 19, knocked off defending Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig in the second round, 2010 French Open finalist Sam Stosur in the fourth, two-time slam finalist Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals, and second-time French Open finalist Simona Halep to win the crown.
At Wimbledon, Muguruza, who hit a funk after breaking through in Paris the year before, surged back. She beat Kuznetsova in straight sets in the quarterfinals, then destroyed Magdalena Rybarikova in the semis and absorbed Venus Williams’ best blows in the finals before winning, 7-5, 6-0.
All the while, players like Halep, Pliskova, Johanna Konta, Elena Svitolina, Kuznetsova and Kristina Mladenovic filled the week-to-week WTA tour with a mix of intensity, dramatic finishes, and personality. A number of different women had a chance to seize the No. 1 ranking at the U.S. Open, and while that could feel scary — the top spot falling to someone who didn’t really take control of it — the depth and quality on display instead made it exciting.
The U.S. Open has been the best slam yet.
- Sharapova announced her comeback by taking down Halep in a thrilling first-round match.
- Kvitova made her grandest comeback statement yet by taking down Muguruza in straight sets in the fourth round.
- Stephens, in the first slam since her return, won two three-setters in the first week, then outlasted Anastasija Sevastova in a third-set tiebreaker to reach the semis.
- In the very next match on Tuesday, Venus beat Kvitova in another third-set tiebreaker.
- After winning just one match at both the French Open and Wimbledon, Keys, still only 22 years old, finally reached full strength on her way to New York. She beat Elena Vesnina in a three-setter in the third round, then took down Svitolina in three in the fourth. She rolled over Kaia Kanepi — another comeback story who has made six slam quarterfinals but has dealt with countless injuries — to reach her first slam semifinal since the 2015 Aussie Open.
- Vandeweghe, meanwhile, rediscovered her Melbourne form. She eked by fellow American Alison Riske, 6-4 in the third, in the first round, then took down Radwanska in the third round. In the second week, she has reached fifth gear, and she took down Pliskova in straight sets to reach the semis.
For the first time in more than three decades, there are four American women in a slam semifinal. All four have unique stories and unique personalities and have had their perseverance tested in countless ways.
The 16 slam semifinal slots this year have been filled by 13 different players. Venus has made three, Vandeweghe has reached two, and 11 other players have made it once. This could be a sign of awful depth and a lack of an elite tier. But watching it play out, it hasn’t felt that way at all.
With old stars sticking around longer, a group of mid-20s stars like Pliskova and Halep maintaining a high level, and youngsters like Ostapenko and Keys making waves, three generations of stars have converged to make the women’s game as strong as it has ever been.
The men’s tour has faced a similar challenge this year, with stars Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, and others missing significant time with injury. But late-career resurgences for both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have papered over depth issues. Still, for the men’s tour this year, it has felt like a chapter in the Nadal-Federer story. For the women’s tour, it has felt like a rebirth.
By the way, Serena will return soon. This story might get even better.