#SmashTalk: Caro’s back and Serena talks kids

As the Asian swing continues through China, Caroline Wozniacki has gathered steam while Serena Williams has retreated from view.

The #SmashTalk panel of Viv Christie, Paul Moore, Matt Trollope and Leigh Rogers discuss Wozniacki and Williams’ respective paths, as well as Serena’s comments about whether or not she’d like to see her kids eventually play tennis.

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A few months ago, one of our #SmashTalk topics was: has Caroline Wozniacki checked out of tennis? Now, she’s thriving and perhaps the most in-form player on tour. Where do you think she’ll finish the 2016 season in the rankings?

VC: In a sense, it doesn’t matter where Caro ends her season but how far – and how quickly – she’s come. Just a few weeks since the former world No.1 dropped outside the top 70, she’s verging on the top 20 after her US Open semifinal and the Tokyo title. There aren’t many points-nabbing opportunities left this season but the actual number shouldn’t worry Wozniacki too much: most important now is how superbly she is positioning herself for next season.

PM: I think this is less about where she ends up this year, but more about her quite sensational reinvention (but to answer the question I reckon she’ll finish 2016 somewhere between No.10 and No.15). From being a player that people would happily draw in the first round just a few months ago, Caroline is now one of the most feared opponents on Tour. This startling turnaround is not only a good thing for her, it’s a much needed dose of ‘star power’ for the WTA.

MT: This has been one of the unexpected plot twists of 2016. I’ll admit – I thought we’d seen the best of Caroline Wozniacki two years ago when she had a resurgence in 2014, only to fall away dramatically in 2015. And now she’s back playing almost better than ever – finally fit, more aggressive, and with renewed vigour. In just a few weeks she’s soared from outside the top 70 to the brink of the top 20. With few points to defend from this time last year and the face she’ll be fresher than most other players at this stage given her limited activity in 2016 due to injury, she could easily complete a top-15 season.

LR: Wozniacki’s resurgence is great for tennis. She is a big personality and it is exciting to see her having an impact again. It’s remarkable to think that only a few weeks ago she’d fallen out of the top 70 – yet with her current form she’s definitely capable of pushing for a year-end top 20 finish. She only has 190 points to defend for the rest of the year too – so a top 16 finish, which would help secure a stronger seeding position at the Australian Open, is definitely an achievable goal.

Serena Williams has said she wouldn’t want her kids playing tennis (unless they really wanted to). Why do you think so many pros share her sentiments?

VC: What we most remember about our record-breaking champions is their Grand Slam titles and record-breaking moments. It’s easy to overlook the many sacrifices – and the mental and physical toll – required to construct such storied careers. For all the accolades and lucrative rewards, there’s clearly a craving for some normality too. Having experienced so much pressure of their own, Serena and other champions are understandably reluctant to pass it on. And let’s face it, nobody would face such heightened expectations as the offspring of those superstars.

PM: I get that. Like any professional sport, it’s a grind to get to the top of the tennis tree (and one that few people can truly understand). The world’s best have been there and done it, and maybe they see opportunities where they have had to sacrifice. What’s more, can you imagine a kid living with the expectation that would go with having Serena or Roger or Novak in their box? I think her views are completely understandable.

MT: Serena said the reason for her thinking was the fact that her reputation as a legend of the game would put enormous pressure on her children to emulate her feats. And that pressure would be crushing for any child – who could hope to match Serena’s incredible career? Professional players also have insights into the lives their children would inevitably lead – the enormous sacrifices from a young age, the constant nomadic life of the tour, the expectations of fans, the glare of the spotlight and social media, and the fact that your every move is documented in the media. It would be understandable if tennis-playing parents wanted to shield their children from the negative aspects of elite-level sport.

LR: Serena’s statement that “I would like for them to do their own thing and have their own name and be the best at whatever they wanted to do” is hardly controversial. Imagine the pressure of being the child of arguably one of the greatest players ever? No one would push that onto their child if it wasn’t something they wanted. That doesn’t mean Serena won’t encourage them if it is something they did want to pursue. Growing up around the sport, the odds are they will be interested. Just look at Cruz Hewitt (Lleyton’s son) – tennis is what he knows so it’s no wonder he loves getting out on court just like his dad did. Yet the seven-year-old Cruz is already been touted as a future star in the media, simply because of his name. That is unfair pressure on a young kid who is just starting out in the sport and should be worrying about how to improve his basic skills, rather than emulate his father. Such pressure and unfair external expectations is exactly what prompted Serena’s comments.

Serena has also announced she is skipping the Asia swing to prepare for the WTA Finals. Is her decision understandable?

VC: It may not provide the suspense and storylines we’d love so late in the season, but it’s understandable – even excusable – that Serena would skip most of the Asian swing. Preservation has long been a priority for the prolific champion, who manages her health for the big events. You could argue that the WTA, and specific events, need their drawcards. On the other hand, it’s their selective appearances that can make the fans crave them more.

PM: If Serena is injured then it is completely understandable. However, this is the second year in a row that she has skipped this swing after an untimely defeat at the US Open. What’s more, she’s competed at more Majors in 2016 (four), than WTA events (three – Indian Wells, Miami and Rome). The Tour needs her and her marketing power to support – and legitimise – these events, and in many ways she owes it to tennis – a sport that has given her so much – to do so.

MT: At this stage of her career, Wuhan and Beijing do nothing for Serena’s CV. Only the Grand Slams – and perhaps the WTA Finals, the “fifth major” – add to her legacy. At age 35 her body is beginning to show increasing signs of wear and tear and she needs to ensure she’s fit, rested and healthy to dedicate her energy to the events that matter. This is a smart scheduling decision.

LR: Of course it is. It is all about Grand Slams for Serena, and at 35-years old you can’t blame her for that. Her scratchy form post-Wimbledon, exacerbated by shoulder and knee injuries, suggests she needs time to let her body heal to challenge for the big titles. Although her absence hurts the WTA’s Asian swing, it is a smart scheduling decision by the world No.2. Why push her body for a couple of extra titles and ranking points in the final weeks of the season when her heart is set on entering the Australian Open in optimum form?