With the game’s two biggest female stars, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, missing from the WTA Finals field, it got tennismash thinking – which players make up the next generation of talent set to fill their shoes?
This week in Singapore could be considered a snapshot of tour life beyond the careers of its current superstars.
Yet thankfully, tennis fans can sleep soundly knowing that when those superstars do eventually depart, plenty of exciting talent is emerging behind them.
The ATP World Tour has put a big emphasis on its young athletes – this year saw the debut of its #NextGen campaign, featuring players aged 21-and-under and ranked inside the top 200.
The WTA, by contrast, seems to move away from its Rising Stars concept; in 2014 and 2015, an invitation tournament was staged in Singapore featuring similar players, but is not a part of the 2016 event.
So who are the women set to thrill fans when players like Serena and Maria hang up their racquets?
Using the ATP’s criteria – and adjusting it slightly to include some must-see 22-year-olds – we showcase 10 players who represent the future of the WTA.
(all photos by Getty Images)
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EUGENIE BOUCHARD: The Canadian is already an established figure on tour, after a stunning 2014 in which she reached the Australian and French Open semifinals, advanced to the Wimbledon final and cracked the top five. Since that zenith, Bouchard has found the extra attention and expectation hard to adjust to, but has sporadically shown flashes of that form in subsequent seasons. Her rapid rise from the junior ranks was helped by aggressive court positioning, rapid-fire groundstrokes and a steely competitiveness, and her presence on social media has made her one of the more popular players among fans.
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BELINDA BENCIC: Bencic is arguably the most talented of the next generation of women’s stars. Having already reached a Slam quarterfinal and cracked the top 10, the Swiss star has fallen on hard times on 2016, constantly battling injury. When at her best, Bencic recalls the court sense and shot-making skills of mentor Martina Hingis, and can translate her game well to all surfaces. She owns WTA titles in Eastbourne and Toronto (both in 2015) and is an entertaining on-court presence.
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ELINA SVITOLINA: The 22-year-old is one of the game’s best movers, perhaps helping to explain why she was a French Open junior champ and later made the women’s quarterfinals at the same venue. Svitolina, now working with Justine Henin, hit a career-high ranking of No.14 in 2016 and is a tough competitor with an emotionally combustible side. She closed the season strongly with semifinals in Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow.
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ANA KONJUH: Compatriot Goran Ivanisevic tipped her as a top 10 talent. And Konjuh has shown signs of why the 2001 Wimbledon champ was so forthcoming with praise. The youngest player inside the top 100, Konjuh blasted Agnieszka Radwanska off the court en route to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the US Open. Her big groundstrokes, when clicking, recall Kim Clijsters and Li Na. The Croatian teen won her first career title at Nottingham in 2015 and peaked at world No.48 this week.
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NAOMI OSAKA: There’s a lot to like about Osaka. The Japanese-Haitian star has broad appeal in all facets of her game. She owns a huge serve, powerful ground strokes and explosive athleticism. Her off-beat social media presence is gaining a cult following. Her on-court styling and demeanour evokes a little of Serena Williams, her tennis idol. And she’s beginning to make a serious impact on tour – she reached the Tokyo final in front of excited home fans and the third round at three of the four majors in 2016. Osaka is one of the newest members of the top 50 and looks set to rise higher.
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DARIA KASATKINA: The Russian teen, with some of the best hands and smoothest strokes in the game, has been one of the biggest improvers on the women’s tour in 2016, verging on the top 20 after beginning the year outside the top 70. Kasatkina impressed in her Grand Slam debut at last year’s US Open, beating the higher-ranked Gavrilova and Konjuh to advance to the third round as a qualifier. Having won almost 40 matches this year, her most memorable battle was actually a loss – she and Venus Williams lit up Court No.1 in a Wimbledon third-round thriller that ended at 10-8 in the third set.
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DARIA GAVRILOVA: Emotional, passionate, intense and bubbly, Gavrilova has captured the hearts of fans around the world, nowhere more than her home country of Australia where she thrilled fans with a run to the fourth round earlier this year. The former world No.1 junior is an exceptional mover who possesses plenty of power for her size, especially on the forehand wing. After stagnating midway through the season, Gavrilova finished it with a bang, winning 10 of her last 13 matches, reaching her first career WTA final in Moscow and cracking the top 25.
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MADISON KEYS: Keys is the gold standard of the group. Peaking at world No.7 in 2016 and qualifying for the elite eight-player WTA Finals in Singapore, her extreme power and ball-striking abilities allow her to dominate most opponents from the back of the court. The 21-year-old reached the second week at all four majors and displayed newfound consistency in a breakthrough season, highlighted by the title in Birmingham and finals in Rome and Montreal. Widely tipped as a future major champion and world No.1.
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CATHERINE “CICI” BELLIS: Another player hailing from the States, Bellis is just 17 years of age and already starting to make an impact in the women’s tour. She reached the quarters in Stanford and Quebec City and thrilled fans in New York when she qualified for the US Open and then went all the way to the third round. Although Angelique Kerber gave her a tennis lesson on Ashe, Bellis’s boundless energy, competitive instincts and impressive composure look set to take her far. Just one spot away from a top 100 debut.
