Five Future Tennis Rivalries That Can Reinvigorate the Women’s Game

Rivalries sustain and enhance the game of tennis. Watching two players with a fierce competitive history and whose games match up evenly attracts fans and media to the sport, and with this interest comes increased television exposure and sponsorship dollars.

Women’s tennis has had many exciting, intense rivalries. Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf-Monica Seles and Serena Williams-Jennifer Capriati are some of the classic battles that have taken place on tennis courts throughout the world.

However, great rivalries are becoming increasingly rare on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Retirements, injury and off-court events have seen several of the game’s biggest stars leave the sport.

Justine Henin, Martina Hingis and Monica Seles (and until now, Kim Clijsters) have all officially retired in recent years. Capriati shows no sign of returning to the tour following shoulder surgery, while Lindsay Davenport seems unlikely to resume her career after announcing she is pregnant. Maria Sharapova has been on the long-term injury list and continues to delay her return to singles competition. Amelie Mauresmo—apart from her performance at the Paris Indoor tournament—has struggled for form and has slipped down the rankings.

So which players can we rely on to reinvigorate the women’s game? Here are five match-ups that could develop into potentially classic rivalries:

Jelena Jankovic versus Venus Williams

In the nine matches between Williams and Jankovic, the Serbian narrowly leads the head-to-head with five wins. Eight of those nine matches have extended to three sets. These women have contrasting playing styles—often a feature of a classic rivalry—with Williams the more aggressive, powerful player and Jankovic the superior defender and generally more consistent.

Both move extremely well and are gifted shotmakers, and their matches often feature intense, gruelling rallies. Their 2008 Stuttgart semifinal exemplified all of these elements, and hopefully they will have many more chances to do battle throughout 2009.

Serena Williams versus Carla Suarez Navarro

Fans got a taste of what Suarez Navarro is capable of when she sensationally upset Venus Williams in the second round of Australian Open 2009. Although she has never played Serena, the Spaniard possesses keen court sense, nimble footwork and fluid groundstrokes reminiscent of Justine Henin, a player who had a great record against Williams in the latter stages of her career.

Williams’ modern brand of power baseline tennis against Suarez-Navarro’s classic technique means this match-up has great potential to replace the intense Henin-Williams rivalry that was lost following Henin’s retirement in 2008.

Elena Dementieva versus Dinara Safina

Matches between Russian players—currently tennis’ most dominant nation—can bring out some of the best tennis imaginable. Russian women have said that it is sometimes considered a higher honour to be ranked as the No. 1 Russian instead of the world’s best player. With Safina and Dementieva currently Russia’s best two players, they are building a stunning rivalry in their quest for top bragging rights in their homeland. Since 2003 they have met on ten occasions for five wins apiece.

However, three recent encounters have seen this match-up become one of the most exciting in the women’s game. Safina clinched victory in the 2008 French Open quarterfinals after saving match points, while Dementieva gained revenge two months later with a three-set win in the Olympic gold medal match. Their match in the 2009 Sydney International final also went to three sets, highlighted by wonderful ball-striking.

Unlike the Williams-Suarez Navarro match-up, this contest succeeds as a spectacle because of the similarities in Safina and Dementieva’s playing styles. Watching this pair engage in powerful slugfests with the result frequently in doubt makes for compelling tennis.

Caroline Wozniacki versus Victoria Azarenka

This match-up pits two of the game’s brightest prospects against one another. They faced off in the recent Memphis final, with Azarenka winning in straight sets, and while that may not seem like an auspicious beginning to a long and riveting rivalry, Wozniacki beat her Belarussian opponent in their only other meeting at last year’s US Open.

The two teens have enjoyed great success recently, with Azarenka claiming the Miami crown among her three titles of 2009 and peaking at World No. 8, while Wozniacki won in Ponte Vedra Beach and is on the verge of cracking the Top 10. Both have attractive games—Azarenka plays a powerful baseline game and displays on-court intensity similar to Maria Sharapova, while the Dane is a stylish player, with lovely groundstroke technique, a solid serve and excellent court coverage.

The stage is set for a similar scenario to when Martina Hingis and Venus Williams emerged as teen prodigies over a decade ago and engaged in one of tennis’ most exciting battles. Could Wozniacki-Azarenka become the game’s new blockbuster affair?

Kim Clijsters versus Maria Sharapova

News of the Belgian’s return to the game for the North American hardcourt season later this year has been heartening for the women’s game. Clijsters’ athletic, powerful brand of tennis has been sorely missed on tour, and her return could see the resumption of her rivalry with Maria Sharapova, also set to come back to the sport in the coming months.

The head-to-head currently stands at 4-3 in Clijsters favour, with the Belgian winning the first four. Their best match to date was an intense three-set battle in the 2005 US Open semifinals – despite Clijsters winning that and going on to claim the title, it seemed to give Sharapova the belief she could match it with her more experienced opponent, and she has since triumphed in the pair’s most recent three matches.

With both women re-entering the ranks after long absences, they will hopefully be injury-free and presumably thirsting for battle. Their matches feature powerful ball striking and fearless shotmaking, all ingredients for a match-up of the highest entertainment and quality. Will fans be treated to a US Open rematch in September?

Matt Trollope is a journalist from Melbourne, Australia. He has covered the past two Australian Opens for the tournament’s official website.