After a Federer-like season last year, in which she thoroughly dominated the women’s tour (she won 10 titles including two majors as well as the WTA Championships), Justine Henin’s unexpected immediate retirement a fortnight before the French Open left a gapping vacuum at the very top of women’s tennis. Just what was the extent of Henin’s supremacy when she retired? Consider this: she was more than a thousand ranking points ahead of then world number two Maria Sharapova when she quit the sport and right after she did so, there was immediately a four horse race for the top spot she had vacated. Sharapova took over the number one ranking for the French Open fortnight but so close behind her were Serbians Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic and her Russian compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova that whoever won the French Open would immediately top the rankings as well. In the end it was Ivanovic who was the last woman standing at Roland Garros and the 16th woman to hold the world number one spot. Still, the first question that pundits were asking before Ivanovic even had time to lift her maiden Grand Slam trophy was how long she could hold on to the top spot. After all, she’s still relatively unproven on grass and with Wimbledon loaming in another two weeks, her reign at the top might prove to be a very short one. It is probably with that in mind that she’s entered the pre-Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Eastbourne to familiarize herself with the green stuff.
Also gearing up at Eastbourne for her run at a second Wimbledon title is new mum Lindsay Davenport. The veteran American has swept every minor tournament she’s entered since her return to the tour last year, but make no mistake about it, Davenport did not cut short her maternity leave to win a few trophies at places no one’s ever heard of. The three-time major champion shrewdly declined to play at the French Open where she has as much chance of winning as Roger Federer as long as Nadal is alive so that she could concentrate her energy into preparing for the one major she believes she still has a shot at winning again. Other than Ivanovic and Davenport though, none of the other legitimate contenders for the Wimbledon crown have deigned to enter Eastbourne and the tournament that was once regarded as a launch pad to Wimbledon glory has lost much of its gravitas and relevance. The real favorites for the Wimbledon title are far too busy shopping at Old Bond Street for suitably glamorous accessories to wear onto centre court.
Defending champion Venus Williams will go into the tournament as the favorite for her fifth title with little sister Serena not far behind. Both endured completely incomprehensible early defeats at Roland Garros but Wimbledon seems to bring out the best in the Williams sisters, who together have brought home the Venus Rosewater Dish for six of the last eight years. As long as they survive the early rounds (who else but the sisters would even dare use the first week of a major to play themselves into form), they will be the players to beat. The elder Williams has yet to win a title this year but it’s practically written in the constellations that from late June to early July that Venus is rising. Another player who finds her best form on grass is Maria Sharapova who started the year in blistering fashion, winning the Australian Open without dropping a set. Since then her level of play has dipped somewhat but she’s the only player not named Williams who’s ever beaten a Williams sister in a Wimbledon final (that was 2004 against Serena) and the quick grass surface plays to her style of power tennis. Finally let’s not forget the other Serb, Jelena Jankovic, who is as consistently tenacious as she is consistently injured. She’ll probably come into the Championships held together by scotch tape but it’ll still take a hell of a high caliber opponent to knock her out. And last of all, let’s hope the stylish Amelie Mauresmo can regain the form and self-belief that won her the 2006 title and give us some reprieve from mindless ball bashing that characterizes the women’s game today.
