After two years in which the world No. 1 position remained unchallenged, women’s tennis appears to have awakened. Here’s how the rankings could change in 2024 amid heated rivalries and now-obvious ambitions.
Women’s tennis: Iga Swiatek not invincible
If the end of the 2023 women’s tennis season and the start of 2024 have taught us anything, it’s this: Iga Swiatek is no longer indisputable. The Polish tennis player, born in 2001, gave the feeling that she had no rivals at the end of 2022 and that she would dominate the world of women’s rackets for many years.
On the other hand, given the number of points the Warsaw girl achieved in December 2022, it was difficult to imagine otherwise. 11085 was the highest since 2013Serena Williams had stopped the rankings at an unreal 13260. But then 2023 came and with it a definite feeling behind Swiatek that the competition was getting serious.
Women’s tennis: the strongest thing to beat
To tell the truth, the Polish athlete At one point he even lost the number 1 wand.In fact, Aryna Sabalenka crowned a very long chase, wresting the top step of the podium and retaining that title until the end of October, when Swiatek won the WTA Finals in Cancun (and beat Belarus). Put the items back in their original places.
But the beginning of the new season began again with the leitmotif of the year that had just ended: a determined Sabalenka. Won his second consecutive victory at the Australian Opena Swiatek who continues to suffer on the fast track, followed by third wheel Coco Gauff.
The nineteen-year-old American lost to Sabalenka in a fine semifinal in Melbourne. various gaming and destructive services She now has her sights set on the third spot in the WTA rankings and seems determined to aim for the top two places in the rankings rather than looking back.
Then there is an important detail: The rivalry between Sabalenka and Gauff continues in doubles as wellwith the nineteen-year-old American and Belarusian considered among the best experts on the circuit today.
Sabelenka conquers the WTA throne
Moreover, Sabalenka’s success on Australian hard courts without sacrificing even one setIt was the first back-to-back record at the Australian Open since 2013, when compatriot Viktoria Azarenka repeated the feat in 2012. The twenty-five-year-old tennis player, who draws attention with his competitive game and first serve, can reach speeds of 200 kilometers per hour. It definitely looks like it’s shifted gears..
While it is eagerly awaited to see how the first episode of the season will continue, the biggest curiosity is this: How will Sabalenka face the next two blows?, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. These are the two tournaments in which she reached the semi-finals last year, and her chances of rising to the top spot in the WTA rankings may depend significantly on this.
Winning another Slam this season is indeed Earn 2000 more points and granitically consolidate at least the first two places in the rankings. Of course, we should not underestimate Swiatek. It is true that he has proven himself human, but clay season is not far away and this is his natural battlefield.
To think that the Qutb could give up the fight for victory Roland Garros favorite tournamentHaving already won three times (including the last two in a row) would be naive. But what is certain is that she will have to sweat it out until the last point if she wants to maintain the lead in the rankings, holding even the advancing Gauff behind.
The fearsome American girl in Paris has lost twice in the last two meetings against Swiatek (in the quarterfinals last year, in the final in 2022), but His game has increased a lot and if the forehand gradually calms down, it will become a very difficult nut to stop.
In short, all the conditions are there for a high-intensity women’s tennis match in 2024, as are the conditions for a triple challenge that could give vitality to women’s tennis for several years. At least let’s not forget that they are behind it three other names that might fit, Elena Rybakina, Qinwen Zheng and very young Russian promising Mirra Andreeva. In short, there will be entertainment for the fans, and sweat on the court for the tennis players: It will not be easy to maintain the status quo, which is now definitely being questioned.
