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Are we sick of the whole comeback drill on the WTA tour already? I know I am, and this is coming from a person who thinks Justine Henin is the one woman who comes closest to matching Roger Federer’s level of tennis, if not in terms of power or athleticism then at least in artistry and variety. And coming as it does on the heels of the much-celebrated Kim Clijsters’ saga, Justine Henin’s comeback sounds more like a ‘me-too’ jump on the bandwagon than anything else. Of course, it helps that Henin has way more game than Clijsters ever did, so perhaps the intense media attention being heaped on the Belgian with the gorgeous one-handed backhand is understandable. Can we shift focus from the ‘Comeback Queens’ just for a little bit, though, and have a look at what possibilities the women’s draw holds at this year’s Australian Open?
First Quarter:
First up, there’s Serena Williams, and though I never thought I’d say something like this, I actually feel sorry for the younger Williams right now. All that attention being lavished on the Belgian girls must absolutely be killing her. Don’t be surprised if she pulls another “I’ll shove this —-ball down your —–throat” kind of stunt just to make sure that the shutterbugs are firmly fixated where she wants them to be. Jokes aside, the last I looked, Williams was still the world’s top-ranked player, with world-beating tennis skills to match. Her only hurdle may come in the form of Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals, but given how temperamental the young Belarussian has been of late, I wouldn’t put too much stock into that clash. Miami 2008 was a long time ago. Really, the only adversary Serena Williams could face is herself, with her tendency to descend into a flurry of wild unforced errors in at least one match every Grand Slam she plays, but the onus is firmly on the other girls to take advantage of that. I wouldn’t bet on it.
Semifinalist: Serena Williams
Second Quarter:
Venus Williams has been remarkably off-colour outside Wimbledon for at least two years now, and although she’s the biggest name in the second quarter, I’d say Caroline Wozniacki is the player to watch out for here. She may not have the most power-packed strokes in the women’s game, but she’s a tough gal and can be consistent to a fault, two attributes which count for a lot these days in the WTA. Lurking in this quarter are quite a few talented youngsters including Agnieska Radwanska, Tamira Paszek, Alize Cornet and America’s sweetheart Melanie Oudin, and it would be great for the women’s game if one of these players made some noise here. I can’t see any of them defeating the Great Dane though, and that goes for you too, Venus Williams.
Semifinalist: Caroline Wozniacki
Third Quarter:
Why not drop all pretenses and just call this the Belgian Quarter? That name that was on every single tennis follower’s radar before the draw sheets came out, Justine Henin, lies here, but there’s trouble brewing for the little Belgian in the form of a potential showdown with 5th-seeded Elena Dementieva. Dementieva comes into a Grand Slam riding on a hot streak for the umpteenth time, having just crushed Serena Williams in the Sydney final. Then there’s Yanina Wickmayer, who has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately, but who also, if you remember, showed plenty of promise in reaching the semis of the US Open last year. Kim Clijsters, of course, reigns atop this quarter as the player to beat, and I see no reason why any player could change that. And I’m sorry, but I don’t see Justine getting past the likes of Dementieva just yet. Also, are we perhaps being guilty of completely giving the short shrift to the 3rd-ranked player in the world? Svetlana Kuznetsova couldn’t possibly have asked for a worse draw, both in terms of the quality of players she’s likely to face and the amount of show time that will be showered on her. I guess this is just one of those injustices of this world.
Semifinalist: Kim Clijsters
Fourth Quarter:
The three names of note here are those of Dinara Safina, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova, but really, you can narrow down to just one. Safina is pretty much a trainwreck on the court these days, what with all the crying and woebegone glances at her coach, and Jankovic is just not the same player that she was a year ago. Look for Sharapova to come close to the dazzling form she showed in Melbourne two years ago, assuming, of course, that her shoulder is fully healed and her serve is back to what it was before she was hit by injury.
Semifinalist: Maria Sharapova
Semifinal I: Serena Williams def. Wozniacki
Wozniacki lacks the weapons to challenge a healthy and motivated Serena, did you say? I whole-heartedly concur.
Semifinal II: Sharapova def. Clijsters
This has the potential to be the match of the tournament, but I’m still not convinced that the post-motherhood Clijsters has it in her to hang with the fierce battlers of the ilk of Sharapova and Williams. The world may go ga-ga over Clijsters’s newfound mental toughness, but lest anyone forget, she’s no Justine Henin.
Final: Sharapova def. S.Williams
Yes, yes, I do realize that Sharapova hasn’t defeated Williams since, what, the year 2005? But since prediction has never been known to be an exact science, I may as well base my pick on a statistical quirk – Serena Williams only wins the Australian Open in odd years (2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009). This is the year 2010. Make of that what you will.
