Will Justine Henin win Wimbledon? Can Maria Sharapova recover fully from her shoulder injuries? Who will be next to hang up her racquet?
Read Aaress Lawless’ ten predictions for how she thinks the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour will fare in 2010.
1. Justine Henin won’t win Wimbledon
That’s not to say that Justine won’t bag a major. Rusty or not, she’s likely still the Tour’s best clay court player and heavily favored to win a fifth Roland Garros title. But the long-coveted SW19 trophy will have to wait for another year. Venus Williams has her eye on reclaiming that trophy and will not let anyone, not even little sis, get in the way in 2010.
2. Venus rises again in July
Venus’ stay in Wimbledon last season was bittersweet even though she still left with two trophies. One of them was a cherished piece of memorabilia after winning yet another doubles title with her best friend. But the other was not quite as welcome. Holding the runner-up trophy while watching someone else clutch her namesake dish was a hard pill for Venus to swallow and she’ll not want to experience that again, especially as she is entering the twilight of her career. Look for Venus to rise yet again.
3. Another comeback attempt
At this point, I have no idea who will be back, but I can almost guarantee you that someone will make a return this season. Although with Martina, Lindsay, Kim, Justine, Alicia and Kimiko having already experienced the contagious comeback bug, the list is a bit shorter than normal. However, I would not be surprised to see Amelie back—especially if Justine proves that power isn’t everything.
4. Azarenka, Wozniacki or both will win a major
Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki showed that they have what it takes to challenge the older veterans on the Tour in 2009, so I’m looking for one or both of them to win a big title this season.
5. On-court coaching will stay
Even though I personally would love to see it go the way of Wimbledon’s old Court No. 2, I have to concede that on-court coaching is here for good. It’s been a few years since we saw it implemented and by now, it’s become a fixture.
6. Minimal rain delays at Wimbledon and a wet US Open
The good folks at SW19 were praying for rain last year in hopes of seeing their beloved new roof close. On the flip side, inclement weather played havoc at the US Open. Expect more of the same this year—unless the USTA announces plans to build a roof. In the meanwhile, CBS, please buy the rights for a few more matches to rerun. Yes, the oldies are goldies, but now that we know Agassi’s mullet was fake, it doesn’t hold quite the same charm.
7. Farewells in 2010
A few players are puttering around on their last legs, so I think we’ll see some retirement announcements. At the top of my prediction list are Nicole Vaidisova and Patty Schnyder.
8. Changing of the guard in doubles
Cara Black and Liezel Huber have had a stranglehold on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s number one double ranking for many, many moons, but that will change in 2010. Venus and Serena have suddenly remembered how much they love doubles—maybe they like talking about their post-major shopping trip plans during changeovers. Regardless, the Williamses are having fun, and generally when they’re having fun on court, they are the ones doing the winning. They nearly ended 2009 with the number one ranking, and it probably won’t take them long to achieve that distinction this year.
9. The Russians Return
Expect to see a full Russian contingent winning titles in 2010, led by none other than Maria Sharapova. Her shoulder should be fully recovered by now and she is ready to make up for lost time. She’ll face the threat of not only the Belgians and the American sisters, but also her countrywomen—Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
10. A year of surprises and drama
Bless their hearts, but the women on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour certainly love their drama and surprises. That’s also why we love watching them —- and possibly why I’ll go 0-10 in my predictions this year.
I think on-court coaching will indeed go exactly the way of Wimbledon’s old No.2 court – it’ll still be there, just under a different name!
Of course, on-court coaching’s nothing new—coaches have been doing it for decades and will keep doing it even if it does get banned again!
Drew, what do you think of Justine’s chances for RG? I definitely think Nadia and Svetlana are the Tour’s 2nd and 3rd best on clay, but mentally, that’s a different story.
A few surprises in there Aaress!
I’d place Mary Pierce as the strongest contender to come back. Last I heard she was working hard at Bollettieri’s.
Strongly agree with point 10
Look out for my lady back in the top 10 and higher!
Good point about Mary Pierce, Alice. I personally would love to see her back on Tour.
With Marion just over 100 points behind A. Radwanska, I think it’s definitely feasible to predict that she’ll be back in the Top 10.
Hilarious – but please, spare me the rain in NY – the other 9 1/2 predictions are fine, though I am worried about Venus (knees, age, etc…).
No. 10 will definitely come true, so now way in **** will you go 0 for 10.
Thanks, Chris. Definitely hope I’m wrong about the rain. I’ve endured rain delays at the USO and definitely agree that they are no fun!
I also read somewhere about Pierce’s return. I think Justine will win Wimbledon, I can see Caroline winning a major, maybe US Open or at least end of the year championship. Not so optimistic about Victoria, she has some attitude issues which affect her play. I think we could see something from Serbians, namely Jankovic who is still looking more solid than Ana. I think this will be a year of struggle for Ivanovic and she better pull herself together as with Justine back sponsors can raise the bar very very high.
The following numbers correspond to Aaress’s:
1. I agree that Henin won’t win Wimbledon. She could certainly be a major threat, though, with her newfound aggression at the net.
2. Venus’s Major-winning days ended at Wimbledon 2008. She’ll be 30 by Wimbledon 2010.
3. Amélie Mauresmo is 30, so I don’t see her coming back. I hope Iroda Tulyaganova and Tatiana Golovin will come back this year.
4. Azarenka could certainly win a Major this year. Wozniacki doesn’t have the weapons to win a Major, though she might reach some Major semi-finals this year. I think Sabine Lisicki has a better chance of winning a Major – perhaps Wimbledon.
5. On-court coaching will, and should, stay.
6. The snow in Britain looks like it’s here to stay, so perhaps this year, we’ll get our first white Wimbledon!
7. Nicole Vaidišová turns 21 in April, so it would be a tragic shame if she were to retire this year. She still has time to turn her career around, and get back to the Major-winning potential she showed at 17.
9. Maria Sharapova will lead the Russian contingent, but Safina’s ranking will go into freefall, as the last few months have been very bad for her, and she has a ton of points to defend. I predict that Maria will return to the top 4, while Safina will finish the year outside the top 64.
10. I think Sabine Lisicki could surprise a lot of people by winning Wimbledon. There will be plenty of on-court drama, and also off-court drama (in the form of unjust bans relating to the Draconian regulations against doping and match-fixing, and unwanted political controversy) – all leading to one big, shocking climax in February.
Andrew — regarding No. 10, are you referring to Dubai?
You’ll have to wait and see…
Of the three–Wozniacki, Azarenka and Lisicki–I think that, with certain conditions, Lisicki has the best shot at winning something really big. But, 1. She has to stay healthy, and 2. She has to learn more control. The going-for-broke-all-the-time strategy doesn’t work for anyone but Serena.
I think Venus has won her last Wimbledon title.
I think the player most likely to come back is Golovin, but her condition is not curable, and–sadly–I don’t think she would be back for long.
What would your prediction be regarding how Ana Ivanovic will fare in 2010?
BTW, as for my predictions, Ana Ivanovic will get back to the top 12 again and will eventually be back as an elite player for 2011 and beyond. Girl is way too **** talented to keep struggling. Hope she turns it around, because I cant think of a greater ambassador or representative for womens tennis.
Sharapova will win at least 1 GS. Caro and Vika I’m not so sure. The clock is ticking for Marion, and with JuJu back, it will be hard for her to win GS, although I hope she does. Hardcourt is Marion’s surface. Shame for Vera Zvonareva, I hope the ankle recovers. She always comes so close to a GS, then gets injured.
Last year was a terrible year for Ana Ivanovic; I remember how traumatised she looked during her first-round match at Wimbledon.
It’s difficult for a lot of players to follow up a great year with even a good year, but with that ordeal behind her, I feel things can only get better for Ana, who has always been brilliant enough to win a Major, but surprisingly inconsistent.
Vera Zvonarëva was on course to win her first Major singles-title before she suffered that terrible ankle-injury last April. She had surgery on 11th November and retired at Sydney, so unfortunately the Australian Open – where she’ll be defending her first Major singles semi-final – will be too soon for her to shine.
I really look forward to seeing what an injury-free Vera can do later in 2010, though!