“It is safe to say an end of another era is approaching fast for the WTA Tour.”
Serena Williams is injured. Venus Williams is injured. Justine Henin retired again for good. Maria Sharapova’s shoulder not working. And Kim Clijsters continuously threatening to retire.
The WTA Tour once again faces one of its most dismal situations with the top ladies not doing so well. With no big raising stars on the way, things need to be moving soon or it’s going to be another year worth forgetting.
When Na Li stepped out on the court and then later lost to Kim Clijsters, people saw her as the next big thing in tennis; at least in China’s tennis. We shouldn’t forget that Li is 28 years old.
The Chinese is no spring chicken, and while it was a great tennis story to begin the year, other headlines will be in question the rest of the way. Serena and Venus, Sharapova, Clijsters, and…who else?
Serena and Venus make headlines more about their injuries than tennis, and Clijsters is always saying today is her last day, this year is her last, and she can stop anytime if her family says so. Sharapova is not doing any better with her bad shoulder.
Henin celebrated her one-year comeback story with another retirement. I hope this time the Belgian will retire for good because tennis can be cruel to your body and health.
She would do better settling down with a family and kids than coming back once in awhile and injuring parts of her fragile body as it seems. Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati…these players sure as hell aren’t going to make a comeback.
It is safe to say an end of another era is approaching fast for the WTA Tour. The Williams Sisters will end their career soon and Clijsters already said 2012 will be her last; if she lasts that long.
There are a flock of new players coming out of the tour leaded by Caroline Wozniacki, but most of these players have the game but are just not ready to do anything with it. They are succumb to the big moments and that is understandable in this day and age of tennis.
There won’t be any Hingis anytime soon with the power game of today. Sharapova was the next best thing to a Hingis’ headline but injury took that away.
While the WTA Tour still has some breath left at this moment, the future looks really bleak. There is still light at the end of the tunnel, but this tunnel seems to be hundred of thousand miles long.