Women's Tennis Stars with the Most to Prove in 2017
The 2016 tennis season began with world No. 1 Serena Williams chasing history. In a surprising turn of events, veteran Angelique Kerber denied Williams in Melbourne to win her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
This year was all about role reversal, with Kerber transforming into a champion and eventually overtaking Williams at the top. Though Williams added another Wimbledon crown, her own series of injuries aided Kerber's successful U.S. Open run.
Like she did in 2015, Williams ended her season after New York. When the 2017 Australian Open rolls around next month, there'll be a lot for her to prove about the state of her game following that layoff.
But Williams isn't alone when it comes to those who have questions to answer in 2017.
While expectations for Kerber grew infinitely and leave her as the hunted, the following slides will spotlight several women who'll try to contend with her. From old stars to new ones-in-the-making, these players are under the microscope.
Eugenie Bouchard
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One of the WTA's most popular players, Eugenie Bouchard's prowess on social media is more notable than her actual results the last two seasons.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2013 and making the Wimbledon final the following summer, the 22-year-old Canadian failed to replicate the form that propelled her to No. 5 in the world. Combined, she's 43-42 since the start of 2015, her ranking now a meager 46th.
The sole title of her career coming in May 2014 at the Nuremberg Cup, her drought continued this season. Losses in the finals of the Hobart International and the Malaysian Open were the closest she came to lifting another trophy. Otherwise, she failed to make an impact, especially on the Grand Slam stage where her best showing was the third round at Wimbledon.
Bouchard, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph's Matt Logue, opened up about her struggles in 2016:
"I felt I started well, I was starting to face the pressure trying to become a great player again. But it didn't come all together and now I feel I could have done a lot of things better. I made a lot of effort and dedicated a lot, but I didn't have the right team around me and I wasn't following the best diet.
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Bouchard made a few key changes to her aforementioned team this offseason. Reuniting with former coach Thomas Hogstedt, whom she worked with for several months beginning in the fall of 2015, she also added Andre Agassi's old trainer Gil Reyes to improve her conditioning.
Will those moves be enough to spark a turnaround for this once-promising star? It's too early to give up on Bouchard, but 2017 feels like a make-or-break season for her.
Garbine Muguruza
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Thanks to her stunning performance in the French Open final, Garbine Muguruza conquered heavily favored Serena Williams to become a first-time Grand Slam champion.
Similar to the situation Novak Djokovic found himself in, Muguruza's results tailed off after leaving Roland Garros. For the rest of the season, Muguruza went just 13-11, losing in the second round at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and falling in the round-robin stage at the WTA Finals.
She crashed back down to earth in the wake of scaling that emotional summit in Paris.
"It really surprises me," former player Monica Seles told USA Today's Nick McCarvel. "You would think after winning a major she would have that confidence, but maybe it will take her a little more time to get comfortable at this level. A lot gets thrown at you from every direction after a major."
In that same piece, Muguruza and her coach Sam Sumyk mentioned frequently why they aren't concerned with outside expectations about her level of consistency. They're simply trying to evolve her game. Blocking all the noise and focusing on what she can do to become better on a daily basis should help sort things out.
Muguruza stumbled in the second half of 2016, but the 23-year-old Spaniard's stock remains high.
Madison Keys
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Being hailed as a future Grand Slam champion and successor to Serena Williams, 21-year-old Madison Keys has yet to fully make good on her enormous potential.
She teased us by making the Australian Open semifinals last year, but Keys hasn't reached that stage since, only once advancing to the quarterfinals of a major during this span.
For all her power and enormous potential, there's an element missing from her game that holds Keys back. After losing to Angelique Kerber in straight sets during the WTA Finals, Keys revealed those limitations to ESPN.com's Julian Linden:
"I let nerves get the best of me, and I think that happens to everyone. Just something that I need to work on. It's not a bad thing. It happens to a lot of people. People figure it out. Obviously I'm not the best at it, at 21. But hopefully there is a couple more years to figure that out.
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The physical tools are there. But Keys understands that the only thing stopping her at this point is herself. In time and with more experience in pressure situations, she'll be better equipped to develop her mental toughness.
Entering 2017 ranked No. 8, Keys is already bordering on greatness. This upcoming season could be the one that takes her there.
Simona Halep
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After an uneven start to 2016, Simona Halep came on strong during the second half to finish as the year-end No. 4. Her goal, however, remains the same: winning a Grand Slam.
Arguably the best women's player without a major title, the fit and speedy Halep has been on the precipice for a few years now. The closest she came was at the 2014 French Open, where she made her first (and only) Grand Slam final appearance.
The crafty Halep relies heavily on her smarts and athleticism to outwit bigger, more powerful opponents. That works for the most part until she faces aggressive hitters. Finding a way to get past them and sharpen her own offensive game are areas where Halep is searching for answers.
Reviewing her season and looking ahead to 2017, Halep told Forbes' Danielle Rossingh the following:
"Next year, my goal is to improve more, to be stronger, to be more confident, to be able to play all the matches with a good level of tennis. Of course I cannot win all the matches, but just to play my game. If I lose, it’s her credit, so we have to give the opponent credit.
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With uncertainty surrounding several of her peers, Halep will look to pounce as she continues her quest for that maiden Grand Slam title.
Maria Sharapova
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Banned for two years following a positive drug test for the supplement meldonium, Maria Sharapova missed most of 2016 as her tennis future became tenuous.
Appealing her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sharapova had her suspension reduced by nine months. After wading through limbo for so long, a light at the end of the tunnel finally revealed itself.
"Tennis is my passion, and I have missed it," Sharapova said in a statement via ESPN.com's Darren Rovell. "I am counting the days until I can return to the court."
Sharapova won't be eligible to return until April, which gives her a chance to compete at the French Open. Exiled from the game for a year and now unranked, she'll turn 30 around the time of her return.
There's a lot for her to win back in 2017. Not only a higher ranking, but also the benefit of the doubt from skeptical fans and colleagues. Easing negative sentiments about her doping scandal is ultimately out of her control, and perceptions will take time to diminish. All Sharapova can do is focus on her results and try to reassert herself as a top player.
Serena Williams
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Normally, Serena Williams enterers a season with little to prove because of how dominant she was during the previous one. But that's not the situation she finds herself in this time.
Usurped by Angelique Kerber for the No. 1 ranking, Williams and her new rival split their meetings in the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals, with Williams taking the latter. That win leveled her with Steffi Graf at 22 Grand Slam titles—most in the Open Era.
She's still sitting on that number, in part due to shoulder and knee injuries that hindered her during the summer and proved her undoing in the U.S. Open semifinals. Williams missed a lot of action in 2016, including the WTA Finals and Premier tournaments like Madrid, Montreal, Cincinnati, Beijing and Wuhan.
Despite all that time off, she sits a manageable 2,030 points behind Kerber. Depending on their respective results, Williams could mathematically get back to No. 1 right after the Australian Open.
More important to her will likely be breaking that tie with Graf and winning a historic 23rd major title. Clearly, there's a lot at stake for her next year.
To achieve those goals, improved health is vital for Williams.
"I definitely want to make sure I'm healthy and playing at my best or at least 80 percent healthy or 70 percent healthy—that way I can be able to play at a higher level," Williams told CNN's Ravi Ubha and James Masters.
Now at age 35, Williams sounds like she has no intention of walking away anytime soon. A strong 2017 should only keep that motivation going.
All statistics are courtesy of WTATennis.com, unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
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