Advertisement

Simona Halep rules roost before WTA Finals but Serena is being missed | Jacob Steinberg

Simona Halep
Simona Halep is world No1 without having won a grand slam. Photograph: Sipa Asia/Rex/Shutterstock

Sometimes it is not the quality of the competition that matters to an audience but the possibility of witnessing new and exciting narratives. For proof that a contest can be compelling without being entertaining, look no further than the US Open final last month between Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys. It was a stinker. Keys froze and Stephens needed only 61 minutes to beat her friend 6-3, 6-0.

That there have been more memorable finals was indisputable, but that was unimportant. Instead of griping about the level of the tennis, fans and pundits revelled in a stirring comeback tale featuring a character who had just returned from 11 months out with a foot injury. The point of the story was how, in the space of six weeks, Stephens rose from the depths of 957th in the world rankings to become one of the unlikeliest of grand slam champions. This was sport at its most human. It was also ammunition for those who believe that women’s tennis is on the slide.

That idea, which gathered pace when Simona Halep became a slamless world No1 at the start of this month, has faced plenty of resistance and it is easy to understand the belief that the game is in rude health before the start of the WTA Finals in Singapore on Sunday. Unpredictability has been a prominent theme throughout the season and picking a clear favourite from the eight qualifiers is impossible.

Comparisons with the men’s game, where injuries to Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have diminished the spectacle and left Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal without worthy rivals, are favourable. The women have put on more of a show recently.

This has been a year rich with drama and intrigue: a pregnant Serena Williams underlining her majesty by winning the Australian Open, the thrill of Jelena Ostapenko’s Parisian flourish, Stephens blooming in New York and Garbiñe Muguruza sweeping to a first Wimbledon title, to Maria Sharapova’s divisive return from a doping ban, all of it capped off by the No1 spot changing hands with dizzying frequency.

That last part is pertinent. For while surprise slam champions are welcome, the constant fluctuations at the top hint at wider flaws that could lead to stagnation, hurting the sport’s elite reputation. With Williams on maternity leave, several pretenders to the throne have stuttered in their attempts to seize power. Angelique Kerber has slipped outside the top 10 after a grim year, but Karolina Pliskova only took the No1 ranking off the former Australian Open and US Open champion after exiting in the second round at Wimbledon.

Then it was Muguruza’s turn. An up and down talent, the Wimbledon champion reigned for four weeks before being overhauled by Halep, whose recovery since blowing a handsome lead over Ostapenko in her second French Open final has been impressive. The Romanian had to show resilience after a narrow quarter-final defeat to Johanna Konta at Wimbledon and a humiliation at the hands of Muguruza in the Cincinnati final denied her the No1 spot, then when her coach, Darren Cahill, pinpointed her “shit” serve as the reason why she lost to Sharapova in the first round at Flushing Meadows.

It was a calculated gamble from Cahill, but his stinging words hit home. Halep’s lack of height – she is 5ft 6in – is a strength and a weakness. Being so light on her feet enhances her movement, but it also makes her vulnerable against good returners and she has spent a lot of time working on her serve in the past two months. Her reward arrived when she earned a breakthrough win over Sharapova in the China Open before wresting the No1 ranking off Muguruza with a semi-final win over Ostapenko. Caroline Garcia, whose excellent recent run pushed Konta out of contention for a Singapore spot even before the British No1 ended her season because of the foot injury that has troubled her since Wimbledon, beat Halep in the final 24 hours later.

The 26-year-old Halep has time on her side to avoid emulating Dinara Safina and Caroline Wozniacki, two former No1s who failed to win slams, but the inconsistency that flared against Garcia showed why the leading players do not convince.

Singapore is the setting for a battle between eight fine competitors. Yet only two of them, Muguruza and Ostapenko, have won majors this decade. It is nine years since Venus Williams won the seventh of her titles. Halep, Pliskova and Wozniacki can swap stories about being seen as compromised No1s. Garcia and Elina Svitolina, meanwhile, are still developing.

Until someone stamps their authority on proceedings, tennis will pine for Queen Serena’s return. Her absence explains why certain tournaments have been keen to thrust Sharapova into the spotlight. Despite being ranked 146th, the Russian’s showbiz appeal saw her swan on to Arthur Ashe for each of her four assignments at the US Open.

Stephens was the last woman standing in the end, of course, a popular and deserving champion who reminded us of sport’s capacity to raise spirits in any circumstances. In the long run, however, it matters that fans watch tennis that will enter the pantheon.

As the men might discover when the Big Four step aside, sport needs its hall‑of-famers and legendary rivalries as much as the great stories.