No. 15: Beatriz Haddad Maia
The Brazilian finally became more thoughtful, and also, more fierce, on court. In Toronto, she upset the No. 1 Iga Świątek, Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova until she lost in the final against Simon Halep. That was a revenge factor by Halep, as Haddad Maia beat her on the grass in Birmingham. Halep can be damn steady. Haddad Maia can stay in long rallies and she can mix it up as well, especially on the grass,as she won Nottingham. What is pretty odd is that when she first started to play in South America, there were not many grass courts but she learned how to play on all surfaces. Almost a year ago she was ranked No. 115, and now she is in the top 15. That is a huge jump. She does scramble, and she can also try to leap on the lines. Next year though, when she plays the Grand Slams, she has to push herself as she has yet to reach a third round. In 2023, if she wants to be a force at the Slams she needs to reach the second week. Then, if she does, she can really smile.
No. 14: Danielle Collins
The American is so intense on court. She aims deep to the backcourt, and she strokes are so effective. When she is locked in, then she can immediately hit winners. Yes, she has won some wonderful matches, but she has lost against the very important players. Sure, she can be uptight in close matches. However, in January at the Australian Open, she beat the No. 1 Świątek in the semis. Unfortunately for Collins, Ash Barty beat her in the final, and then the Aussie retired. Collins does not love the clay, but on hard courts she is pretty good. Next year, the 29-year-old has to be more fit, improve her serves and net game. Without a doubt, she wants to win a Grand Slam, one day, so she has to seize the day.
No. 13: Paula Badosa
In 2021, she came alive, and she won some astonishing matches. But this year, she shuddered, and she did not reach any finals. In fact, she only advanced to semis twice. She could not out-hit the very good opponents. She can run really fast and she can be creative. On the other hand she does not hit the balls deep enough and other people can smash at her. The odd thing was last year, when she won Indian Wells, she downed Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber, Ons Jabeur and Victoria Azarenka. That was her best two weeks ever. Also, she won a bunch of important matches, starting 2022 ranked No. 10. She was on fire and she had so much confidence. Throughout the year she stalled and was totally unfulfilled. Next year, she can try to reset and use more strategy.
No. 12: Belinda Bencic
There have been years that the Swiss was prepared to win a Grand Slam. Before she became hurt, the big hitter won Toronto in 2015, and it appeared that she was going way up the top of the charts. She has had some terrific days, such as when she won the Olympics in 2021, yet she has only won six events, which are good, but not outstanding by any means. This year, she won Charleston, beating Keys, Badosa and Jabeur. That was stellar, and it looked like she would rise again. She has her strong legs, and she slaps the ball, but when she is playing a lot, she folds. She reached the final in Berlin, which was just a big step, but she can lose when it is so close. At the end of the year she lead Switzerland to victory in the ITF BJK Cup Final. Now, next year, if she stays with her strokes, then she can win another couple events. But at the Slams? She has to proof it.
No. 11: Madison Keys
The American hits so many winners crosscourt, down the line and when she returns. She has gone super deep over the years at the Grand Slams, such as getting to the US Open final, and the semis at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. She was right there, but she has had so many injuries, and she had to stop. Yes, she loves to play, but on court now, she does not run fast enough. She has won “just” six titles, and she started in the WTA Tour 10 years ago. She is a pleasant person. In 2023, if she wants to reach the top 5, then she will have find a way to succeed at the net. She has to throw in some slices. To win a huge event, she cannot play the same style over and over.