TennisReporters.net 2020 year-end review: top 6-10, women

Bianca Andreescu

10.  Aryna Sabalenka 
In February, the Belarussian was on track, winning Qatar when she beat Kvitova in the final. She hits some huge balls and was very aggressive when she was returning. Her confidence was exploding but then COVID-19 hit and the tour shut down. When she returned, she was mentally rusty, and it took her two months to find her groove again. In the Ostrava tournament, she won the event, beating Jennifer Brady and Victoria Azarenka. In November, she won it again in Linz, knocking out Elise Mertens in the final. She finished 2020 on a winning streak. When she starts again in January, if she wants to go up in the rankings, she needs a calmness that she has yet to show.
 
9. Kiki Bertens
With limited play, the Dutchwoman was able to stay in the top 10. Her best showing was in St. Petersburg, where she downed Elena Rybakina in the final after taking out three Russians. She didn’t play the US Open and had some success in the other two Slams. She had a decent run in the Australian Open to the round of 16 (losing to eventual finalist Garbine Muguruza) and also made the same round in Roland Garros but dropped a two-setter to qualifier Martina Trevisan. Bertens remains a solid force based on a consistent but far-from-flashy game. She needs to up the power and find more dominance with her strokes.

8. Petra Kvitova
Mostly, she is a happy person. She can laugh a lot, and she can be goofy. She has won two Wimbledon titles. She is a gigantic hitter, with colossal first serve and forehand. When she nails a return winner. she can scream in delight. But, 2020 was a spotty year, with no titles and only one final reached in Qatar. Ash Barty took her out in the Australian Open while she fell victim to Sofia Kenin in Roland Garros. Anytime Kvitova can’t play Wimbledon her overall yearly results are going to suffer. With her hand injury well behind her, the 30-year-old still has the firepower and drive to pass her previous best ranking of No. 2 and become the game’s top player.

7. Bianca Andreescu
It’s strange to talk about Andreescu’s year when she didn’t play a 2020 match due to a lingering injury and COVID-19 fears that kept her from performing at a top level. It seems like forever but it’s important to review her incredible 2019. A qualifier at the Australian Open, she got into the second round of the main draw. But, then she moved into overdrive, beating Angie Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Muguruza in Indian Wells. In Toronto, she dispatched Karolina Pliskova, Kenin and Serena Williams to take her second Premier 5 crown. Then, in New York, she vaulted over Serena again for her first Slam trophy. The question for 2021 is: Will she be healthy and was 2019 the beginning of a great career? She is only 20, spirited and talented. It looks like her future is just beginning.

6. Karolina Pliskova
The Czech can really smash the ball, with a huge first serve. Sometimes she is totally on the ball. But, she does like to travel constantly; when she flies, she can be jaded. In 2017, she came No. 1. That was terrific. But, in order to get a Hall of Fame nod, you have to win a Slam. Perhaps at the Australian, Wimbledon or the US Open, she will break through. She just hired a new coach, Sascha Bajin, who worked with Serena for many years. Bajin knows Pliskova needs to increase her foot speed and round out her game. Those could be the keys to finally taking a major. In 2021.

Nice titles but great competitors don’t play 250s/Internationals

Gael Monfils

Was last week a positive one for pro tennis? Oh, sure, props to the winners, Gael Monfils, Kyle Edmund, Casper Ruud, Kiki Bertens and Magda Linette. They all had terrific tournaments, because they won. And I am sure that they are extremely happy.

However, the vast top competitors did not play last week. None of those five winners have won a Grand Slam. They may never do that.

It is very rare that the best players — the Slam winners —play the ATP 250s or the WTA Internationals. It is super rare, especially for the men. More of the top women play the Internationals because the WTA doesn’t have as many tournaments as the ATP.

With the guys, they are supposed to play all the four Grand Slams, and the ATP Masters 1000s— let alone the ATP Finals. That means they have to play at least nine ATP events, in total, so you have to compete 13 tournaments combined.

The fantastic players, such as Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, can skip the 1000s, because they have gone very deep everywhere on hardcourts, clay and grass. Their number of points are huge, which is why that Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are No.1, No. 2 and No. 3. They rarely play the 250s. At the 500s, they will play a little bit, during the year, such as Acapulco, or Barcelona and Switzerland. But after that, exactly when and why? Also, with the women, Serena Williams loves playing the Slams, which is why she has won 23 majors. But, playing other events, there were years when she would pull out, because she didn’t want to go. The big players just want to stay home.

In 2019, Djokovic only played one 500, in Tokyo, not three. So, two of them provided no points. But he is No. 1, so it really doesn’t matter. The same thing went with Nadal, who got hurt in 2019, and he couldn’t play three times at the 1000s, but he wanted to regain No. 1. He did in the fall after he won Canada and the U.S. Open.

Federer is 38 years old, and he is always thinking how to handle his schedule. In 2019, he decided that he wouldn’t play at two 1000s: Canada and Paris. In the ATP Tour 500s, he did play Dubai, Halle and Basel, winning all of them. That is all good, but Federer had three zeros, and because of that, a lot of people won’t bother attending the 250s. Why? When he isn’t there, the fans are disappointed so they won’t go.

If you are an owner of those tournaments, how will you bring in the fans when you aren’t sure who is playing? There are thousands of people who love tennis, and they will go to the events just to watch them. But, those people – the diehard fans – truly understand what tennis is, with the rallies, the strokes, and how fast they are running. It is amazing. Truly.

This is reality; at the 250s [the men], and the Internationals [the women], that I have seen, over the past 27 years, there weren’t many fans at the events, especially early during the day. I mean, not much.

During the spring, on Monday through Thursday in the afternoon, there are very few people at the events. At night, it is a little better, but not much. It is not only that certain people are working and cannot go, but also because in order to take a day off, they have to know who is playing and is it worth it? A few, or some, will do it, but it is pretty rare.

That has happened when I started writing tennis, and doing radio, and still goes on today. You can’t pretend. But, it was packed during the weekend, here and there. There were more people to watch the semis and the finals, especially in California, where I live. But before that…ugh.

At the ATP Tour 250s and the WTA Internationals, it hasn’t changed at all. The owners have tried, for sure, but it is extremely difficult to get attendance to watch the “unknown” players. Without sponsorship and TV income, these smaller tournament would rarely survive.

So once again, props to Monfils, Edmund, Ruud, Bertens and Linette, for winning the event, but none of them have reached the Slam finals yet and maybe they never will. Or maybe they will play fantastic for seven matches and shock the world. That would be very surprising, but I cannot see it.

Top 20 in 2019: Women, 10-6

No. 10: Serena Williams
In 2019, she played 31 matches, which is OK, but the 38-year-old needs to compete more. Yes, she is one of the best players ever, and she could win another major. Then she will tie with Margaret Court, with 24 Slams. I am sure that she wants to do it, but she is aging. While she still crushes the ball, she isn’t quite as fast anymore and she will continue to slow down. That happens to everyone. However, there are things she can go to compensate, like when she has an opportunity, she can rush into the net. To win a Slam again, she has to push herself. To run back and forth, it is difficult to out-run the young, excellent players. In 2019, she did not win an event, even though she reached in the finals at Roland Garros and US Open when Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu twisted her around. Obviously, Serena has a serious chance to win Slam in 2020. But when? My guess, I would say Wimbledon, if she can through in a bundle of aces. 
 
No. 9: Kiki Bertens

The tall Netherlander had a solid year, hitting harder, and becoming more patient. A couple of years ago, she won Charleston, Cincinnati and Seoul, and it was clear that she was leaping up. In 2019, she has been respectable, winning Madrid, upsetting Petra Kvitova, Sloane Stephens and Simon Halep on clay. Sadly, at RG, she became hurt and she has to retire in the second round. After that, she was decent, but not spectacular. At least she made the final at Beijing, and then she was on the verge of ousting No. 1 Ash Barty. But, she went down 7-6(7) in the third. Talk about close. In 2020, if she gets better, then she will push into the top 5, but not for No. 1.

No. 8: Belinda Bencic
You have to wonder whether the 22-years-old will win a Slam in 2020. The Swiss finally rose up in the spring, and over the months, she upset Naomi Osaka at the US Open, and she beat Karolina Pliskova, Elena Svitolina and Simona Halep, at different tournaments. When she beats the top 5 players (and she can), then it is so clear that she can grab a major. Her forehand and backhand are big and convincing. She hustles, and she is enthusiastic. However, she plays too much, and in 2019, she was forced to retire here and there. One of the reasons was that four years ago, she was winning all the time. But, she got hurt for many months. When she returned, she had to re-start again. It wasn’t instantaneous, but she was pretty patient, and this year, she finally grew. If she goes deep at the Slams, she will be knocking at the door. 

No. 7: Petra Kvitova
The Czech has won Wimbledon twice, and she was very close to win the 2019 Australian. But, in the final, she lost 6-4 in the third to Naomi Osaka. That was a terrific contest with huge swings by both of them. Had she found a way to trip up Osaka, then she would have been incredibly happy. But she could not, so Kvitova will have an opportunity in 2020. She has to bear down, and concentrate, all the time. She will be 30-year-old and the best thing for her is not to play a tremendous amount now. How long she will continue to play in the next few years in up in the air. If she is playing great, she will stay there, but if she is mediocre, month after month, then she will stop, and retire. Just like Caro Wozniacki recently said that in January, that is the last time she will play tennis because that will be it and she will wave goodbye. They are the same age. At the 2020 Australian Open, Kvitova will be thinking about her path forward, which would be to improve her second serve, her return and net play. All of it, slightly, and then she can win it at Melbourne.

No. 6: Elina Svitolina
The good thing about the Ukraine is that this year, she finally reached the semis at the Slams, twice, at Wimbledon and the US Open. But, the bad news is that on court, in front of thousands of fans, she backs off and she went down, to Halep and Williams. Clearly, it is not easy to beat the fantastic players, but she has to shake it off and concentrate. Svitolina has won 13 titles. In 2017, she grabbed in Dubai, Rome and Toronto, three Premier 5s. She is super strong, fast on her feet, muscular and ambitious. However, she has done everything, except win a Slam. In 2020, Svitolina has to be tranquil. If she does, she will reach a Slam final somewhere, and grind her opponent into the ground.

Svitolina wins the WTA Finals, beats Stephens

Elina Svitolina was not playing fantastic during the last few months. But when she arrived in Singapore, she decided that she would swing out. And she has always run super fast, and extremely strong.  
 
Svitolina knocked down Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova, Caroline Wozniacki, Kiki Bertens, and in the final, she played terrific in the last two sets, jumping on Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-2, 6-2,

She has never played great at the Slams, but outside of that, she can be very cool and calm.

“It’s definitely a good statement for myself and good boost of – I can’t say confidence, because I try to always have confidence in myself, to have it is my personality,” Svitolina. “I think for me it’s just that the third set really showed that I was mentally tough. That’s what made the difference…When I qualified for this tournament, definitely decided that I’m going to just go for it and I’m good enough. I’m going to trust my game, going to trust myself.”
 
She is going to have to do it once again at the 2019 Australian Open, in three months. Then, the No. 4 can lock in, breath, and think of things that I am darn good — and not pretending that I am going to lose.

She didn’t in Singapore last week, and just Wozniacki, who it took her 10 years to finally win a major. Svitolina can do it, too.

“I was staying very positive, and I think that’s what made the difference in this week. I was able to play well and to compete.”

WTA Finals Race: Wozniacki, Stephens, Kvitova



It is in the middle October, and next week the top 8 players are at the WTA Finals in Singapore. On Wednesday, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova qualified, joining Simona Halep, Caro Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens.

Halep’s back issues flared up enough for her to withdraw. Holland’s Kiki Bertens will take her spot.

Will they go out there and really battle? Mostly, but over the years in Singapore, a few people couldn’t run fast, or they were so exhausted. Right now, we don’t know until they get on the court, but day after day — they have to play three matches, wins or lose —so we will discover who really wants it.

There were some incredible matches last year. Kvitova, who reached the final and had a solid chance, but she lost 6–2, 4–6, 6–3 to Aga Radwanska, when the Pole was healthy and she out-thought everyone. Aga has been hurt over the past year so she isn’t in Singapore, but Kvitova is right there. The Czech has had a some terrific wins this season, but in the fall, she has been so-so at best. Will she rise? Perhaps, as Kvitova won the WTA Final in 2011, knocking out Vika Azarenka in three fun sets.

Kerber, too, is playing once again, but she hasn’t won the event. In 2016, she was on top of it, but she lost toDomi Cibulkova, who was on fire towards the end of the season. Cibulkova isn’t in this draw, having plummeted to No. 27.

Last year in October, Wozniacki won the event, for the first time, and she has qualified so many times. Back in Doha, she reached the final in 2010 against Kim Clijsters, who is now retired, and the Belgian overcame Wozniacki 6–3, 5–7, 6–3, which was pretty close. In 2017, in the final in Singapore, Wozniacki settled down and cracked her wonderful backhand. She was thrilled, which is why a few more months later, she won the 2018 Australian Open, the first time she had won a Grand Slam. Obviously, she was thrilled, but the most important thing is that not only was she confident, but she has improved her forehand and her returns. Maybe she can win it again next week? She is right there.

Who is playing the best in the event?

Kerber just split with the coach, Wim Fissette, andhad a pretty decent year. But, since she won Wimbledon, she has slipped. Winning Singapore would be almost shocking. 

The young Osaka certainly has a chance to win it. Kvitova has been struggling during the fall, and the same goes with American Stephens, is not playing well at all now. Pliskova looked awful in Moscow, while Svitolina has been very shaky.

Who will win it?

My vote for the top three in Singapore: Wozniacki, Osaka and Kvitova.

Steady, powerful Djokovic downs Federer to win Cincinnati

So many peo­ple love Roger Federer: his game, his personality and his influence. But on Sunday in Cincinnati, he was off, while Novak Djokovic was totally locked in. He won 6-4, 6-4, hitting with so much depth, with aggression and thoughtfulness.

Federer had held 100 holds, but early in the first set, the Serbian pushed him back, cracked it and finally, the Swiss was broken. From right then, you knew that Djokovic would continue to mix it up, back and forth, nailing his backhand and hustling. Now the former No. 1 is totally back, and while on Monday, he will “only” be ranked No. 6. The three favorites at the US Open will be Djokovic, Federer and of course, Rafa Nadal, who just won Toronto. Perhaps those three players are the best players, ever. That should be a hell of a match in Flushing in a week’s time.

Djokovic is not serving as well as he could, and sometimes, he gets angry. He stopped playing over most of the end of last year because he was heavily injured. During the first five months in 2018, he was hesitating and missing. He grew frustrated and ticked off. But every day, he kept pushing, battling, changing and practicing. At the beginning of July, he was finally healthy and he won Wimbledon, edging Nadal 8-6 in the fifth in the semis and besting Kevin Anderson in the final
    
This week in Cincy he was not perfect, but he would re-boot. He won three setters over Grigor Dimintrov, Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic. In the final, he was almost perfect, with his high, spinning forehand and his powerful backhand. He is certainly back and after he won, he smiled very wide.

“This seems to be a bit unreal, to be honest, to be back at this level,” Djokovic said. 
 
Bertens’ surprise jump to the title
Who would have thought that Kiki Bertens would win this event? Sure, she improved a lot this year, but she’s 26 years old, so she was not a top 15 player for a decade. Now she is, beating the No. 1 Simon Halep 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-2 in the Cincy final. She is now ranked No. 13, and should go higher in the next month.

Halep had a match point in the second-set tiebreak, but she hesitated and hit it soft. She missed and then Bertens flew away. She wasn’t tired at all, while Halep was worn out. She won Montreal, and she was so close to winning big titles back-to-back, but she slipped, with 13 unforced errors in the third. Halep gave Bertens a chance to pull away.

“I had a match (point), so I was there,” Halep said. “I didn’t take my chance. In the third set, I was empty and I couldn’t fight anymore I need a little bit of rest because I’m exhausted,” Halep said. “But I also take the positive from these two weeks. It’s a great confidence (boost).”
Bertens has been very steady, but until this season, she rarely went for winners. This time, she was hitting close to the lines, spinning it around, changing things and focusing. That is the biggest tournament she/s won, besting Caro Wozniacki, Anett Kontaveit, Elena Svitolina, Petra Kvitova and then upsetting Halep. 

Bertens almost stopped playing in November and maybe ever quitting tennis, but she decided that she would try extra hard and be patient. And now, she is more calm, patient and better.

“You can achieve everything. Like, if you really work hard, a lot of things are possible. I think you see that with me,” Bertens said. “I would have never believed, that I would have come so far, but it is still happening.”

Monday magic in the rounds of 16

FROM WIMBLEDON —

John Isner vs Stefanos Tsisipas
We are talking about John Isner, still here at Wimbledon. As he has said, he has lost many so long, very close matches over the years, all in the fifth sets, going down against Marin Cilic, Jo Tsonga, Alejandro Falla and Dudi Sela. But finally, this week, he pushed himself, he served huge, and for him — which is very unusual — he actually returned very well.
The 19-year-old Tsisipas is very young, and apparently, he is pretty good. He is 6 foot 4, and he has already cracked the top 30. He can get frustrated, but he is a big, healthy hitter. Isner has to get on top of him early. The American will in four sets.

Karolina Pliskova vs Kiki Bertens
This should be a doozy. Pliskova has finally reached in the second week at Wimbledon. She has done deep at the US Open, Roland Garros and the Aussie Open. But, on the grass, she checked out. Not anymore. Bertens is also knocking on the door. She is strong and agile. They played in Stuttgart, and in the first round, Kvitova crushed her. However, Bertens kept chucking along. She won Charleston, on the hard courts, and reached the final in Madrid on clay. Now, on grass, the Dutch player has a more positive attitude. While Bertens can push the Czech, Pliskova will out serve her in two long sets.

Roger Federer vs Adrian Mannarino
Federer is just moving along, side to side, front and back, so casually. Mannarino has been smart at times; he can chop it, and whack the ball. Once again, Federer has all the tools, especially when he is playing extremely well. He likes to be creative, and he is very happy when he is bombing serves. Federer will win in three sets.

Serena Williams vs Evgeniya Rodina
During the first week, even though she was struggling, Serena was totally in control. That is why she has moved into the second week — many, many times. Serena might be a little off, but her first serve is gigantic, she can hustle, and she can blast her forehand. 

Rodina has been around a long time. She is almost 30 years old. While the Russian has never been great, this week, she kept fighting and battling. She stunned Madison Keys. But that’s different, because as Keys said, she was looking ahead, which was a bad move. Rodina will push her again, but Serena is substantially better than she is, so the American will win in an easy contest.

Julia Goerges vs Donna Vekic
German Goerges has become so much more dependable than she used to be. The Croatian is more consistent, she really loves the grass, and she can hit it very hard from both sides. Goerges has finally reached the top 10, and she really thinks — finally — that she belongs there. While Vekic is hungry, but so is Goerges, who wants to move up. She will win in two sets.

Kevin Anderson vs Gael Monfils
This should be a terrific contest between the two vets. Anderson is quicker, his backhand has improved, and he is thoughtful. When Monfils is healthy, he is so much fun to watch him. His backhand has gotten been a little bit stronger, and at the net, he loves to dive and put it away.

I am somewhat surprised that Anderson finally understands how to play at Wimbledon. It took him awhile but now he is right there. There will be few rallies, but Anderson will survive in four sets.

Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald
I have see Raonic many, many times, but I haven’t seen McDonald much. He has now cracked the top 100, which is better than nothing, but after he left UCLA when they won the 2016 NCAA Championships, it was time to move up. He has worked and worked, and now, he is hitting harder with depth.

However, Raonic is much older, he knows grass, and he is very smart when he is serving, as well whacking his forehand. The Canadian is pretty calm against the younger players, so he will win in straight sets.

Camila Giorgi vs Ekaterina Makarova
Is this a tossup? Possibly. The Italian scrambles and then she leaps in the air and puts it away. The Russian is a natural strong person, and while last year she was out of it mentally, now she is much more composed.

While Giorgi likes to run, she cannot crush the serves like Makarova can. This will go three. The Russian will raise her game and win it, but it will be very close. Super close.

Australian Open picks for Wednesday, January 21

Rod Laver Arena

10-Etkaterina Makarova v Roberta Vinci
The “other” Russian has quietly become much more consistent; she can rip her forehand and smack her shots to the corners. She is a pretty good net charge, and while Vinci used to mix up her one-handed backhand and trouble opponents, she is declining very quickly in the singles. Makarova will win easily.

2-Maria Sharapova v Alexandra Panova
The 2008 Aussie champion pines to win the Slam again and has looking very good since October. She has thrown much more variety in the past and is very self-assured in her mental game. She will smoke Panova in straight sets.

2-Roger Federer v Simon Bolelli
The Italian Bolelli can mix it up and who move around fairly quickly, but he cannot penetrate Federer’s forehand or crack his own forehand unless the Swiss is way off. Federer will struggle eventually in Australia, but he won’t be challenged in the second round. Fed will win in straight sets.

3-Rafa Nadal v Tim Smyczek
The American qualified for the Aussie and won his first matches, which is pretty good overall. He hustles and fights hard, but if Nadal is clicking away, he is too good overall. However, Nadal is still rusty, so Smyczek will take a set; the Spaniard will win in four.

3-Simona Halep v Jarmila Gajdosova
This should be an interesting match, given that Halep believes that she can win a Grand Slam but the Aussie Gajdosova thinks she is playing well enough to shocker her at home. Gajdosova is very powerful and will try to out hit her, but Halep is more consistent and stable. Halep will win in three sets.

Margaret Court Arena

6-Andy Murray v Marinko Matosevic
The Aussie Matosevic knows his buddy Murray very well. He also knows that he has to jump on the Brit very quickly and play lights out. But, even if Matosevic does, he doesn’t have enough oomph against Murray, who is smarter and better overall. Figure on Murray winning in straight sets.

7-Eugenie Bouchard v Kiki Bertens
While Genie isn’t ready to shine this week, she might be in better shape in the second week, if she catches fire again. Even if the Canadian doesn’t play incredibly well, she is simply better overall against Bertens and will win in straight sets.

Tomic USO 13 TR MALT6955

Tomic looks to have the edge over Kohlschreiber.
Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Bernard Tomic v Philip Kohlschreiber
These two matched up last week in Sydney and Tomic got through. But, Tomic says they are neck and neck right now. However, to me, I like how Tomic is finally settled in and perhaps he will crack the top 20 – or better – this year. The Aussie will win in five tough sets over Kohlschreiber.

Hisense Arena

21-Peng Shuai v Magdalena Rybarikova
Peng finally looked like she was comfortable playing singles, moving well and she was in much better condition over all. She can strike inside the baseline and will do it again, easily pushing past Rybarikova in straight sets.

Sam Groth v Thanasi Kokkinakis
The Aussies will be extremely excited with this matchup and will pack the grounds. The 18-year-old Kokkinakis pulled off a terrific win over Gulbis in five sets, but he is very young and could be tired. Groth has been more composed over the past two weeks, is crushing his first serves and taking over the nets. Groth will push him around and win it in four sets.