#SmashTalk: end of the season for Rafa?

Serena has drawn the curtain on 2016. And if reports are to be believed, Rafael Nadal is poised to do the same.

Our panel of tennismash.com editorial staffers – Vivienne Christie, Paul Moore, Matt Trollope and Leigh Rogers – discuss what these absences mean for both the players and the sport, plus consider which players are slipping under the radar while others hog the headlines.

Agree or disagree with the views presented? Have your say on Facebook and Twitter using #SmashTalk.

Serena has confirmed she will skip the WTA Finals for the second year running. What does this mean for both her and the field in Singapore?

VC: I’m starting to feel a bit cynical when it comes to Serena. On the one hand, I admire – and make allowances for – her longevity. On the other, I’m disappointed that she doesn’t show more responsibility to the sport. Her absence is an unquestionable blow to the fans and the event – could she not at least make some promotional appearances? After all, the injured Serena seems to have been everywhere else lately.

PM: That’s easy: for her it means a longer off season / more time to have fun. For the WTA Finals it is a disaster. Despite protestations to the contrary, it always felt like Serena had checked out of 2016. The announcement on Monday merely confirmed that she has. The WTA, meanwhile, will be reeling. They’ve lost their biggest star, the only compelling narrative for their showpiece event (the battle for year-end No.1), and are left with a field of either injured or misfiring players (Radwanska and Cibulkova being the exception).

MT: I think this is a real shame – I was very excited to see how the battle for world No.1 would unfold between Serena and Kerber at the year’s final event. Majors are definitely the focus for Williams at this stage of her career – and I’m sure she’ll re-emerge fighting fit in Australia – but outside of them, there are not many events bigger than the WTA Finals. The event definitely cops a hit in stature and star power with Serena absent; crowds were down from 2014 when she skipped the event in 2015. With names like Halep, Pliskova, Muguruza and Cibulkova in the field, the hardcore tennis buffs will be excited, but the event may struggle to get much traction among casual sports fans.

LR: Serena’s withdrawal is hardly a shock. Yes it is disappointing for the tournament and the fans, but it makes sense for the world No.2 to rest her body and reset for more Grand Slam glory in 2017. Serena only played three WTA events during the season, so it is no secret where her priorities sit at this stage of her career.

There are reports that Rafa might also shut down his season – do you think this is a wise idea?

VC: It really depends on his physical health. If he risks further injury to his wrist, then by all means shut it down now. But if it’s more a mental consideration for Rafa, I’d love to see him hang in for these last weeks: he’s still capable of achieving big wins, and imagine the confidence that a quick turnaround could provide for next season.

PM: Pobre Rafa. It’s hard to know what the right thing for him to do really is. On the one hand, perhaps he should go home, relax, recuperate and get ready for 2017. On the other, I feel like he needs some big tournaments to start rebuilding the confidence. In all honesty, I think the latter is the right path. He needs matches, he needs wins and he needs them quickly, otherwise he’ll go into next season carrying a lot of baggage from 2016.

MT: Yes. The Spaniard doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself at the moment on court, and given he says he’s struggling with the lingering effects of his wrist injury, what’s the point in playing on? For a player of Rafa’s standing in the game, and considering his age, this portion of the season offers little in the way of legacy building. Nadal should take a leaf out of Serena’s book and step away from the game to get healthy and re-energised for a big push when he returns Down Under. (side note: I’ll have a lot less sympathy for his injury concerns if he fronts up for his usual series of exhibition matches in the off-season).

LR: It would be the smartest decision, especially for his own long-term benefit. Rafa has a 6-4 win-loss record since the Olympics and has been beaten by Borna Coric, Lucas Pouille, Grigor Dimitrov and Viktor Troicki. He’s not challenging for titles right now, so why not take a few extra weeks to rest and restore his body? It would help him start the 2017 season fresher – and tennis would be better for it.

Amid all the news surrounding Murray’s chase for No.1, Serena and Novak’s struggles and Nick Kyrgios’ ban: who’s another player you think deserves more headlines?

VC: I’m wondering whether we’re giving enough credit to Agnieszka Radwanska after an impressive Asian swing that included the China Open title. She’ll take a lot of confidence into the defence of her WTA Finals title. It’s been a stunning turnaround for Caroline Wozniacki too. After dropping outside the top 70, she was a US Open semifinalist and has claimed two titles to return to the top 20. As a former world No.1, shouldn’t we be paying more attention?

PM: No. There’s a reason why these players get all the headlines: they do a better job of generating compelling narratives than anyone else in the sport (including Nick, even if he doesn’t always do it for the right reasons). That said, there is one player whom I feel is deserving of a little more media love: Angelique Kerber. Her year has been spectacular, her tennis has been fantastic, her media appearances have been compelling, and the WTA desperately needs her to back it up in 2017.

MT: I feel Madison Keys’ rise hasn’t been given enough attention. The American is now up to world No.7 and has enjoyed an extremely solid season – she reached the second week at all four majors, reached big finals in Rome and Montreal and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time. Given American hopes have rested almost solely on the shoulders of Serena and Venus for pretty much the past decade, surely Keys’ emergence as a top 10 star is a huge boost for tennis in the United States?

LR: There’s plenty of negative and speculative headlines right now – which are unfortunately overshadowing some remarkable comeback stories on the WTA Tour. China’s Shuai Peng just won her first singles title in Tianjin, an incredible result considering a year ago the 30-year-old was told by doctors she might never return to the court after back surgery. Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova clinched her first-ever WTA Finals berth with a steely title win in Linz. She is playing the best tennis of her life after missing five months with a heel injury last season. Caroline Wozniacki’s resurgence is notable too – on the verge of falling outside the top 100 with an early US Open loss, she’s now won 19 of her past 22 matches to return to the world’s top 20.