Ranking the Top 10 Women's Players After Wimbledon 2015
Serena Williams established herself as the most dominant player on the WTA Tour years ago. She entered the greatest of all time conversation about five Grand Slam titles ago. Now she's being talked about as the greatest American and female athlete of all time.
No need for a drum roll. She's the No. 1 player in the power ranking.
John McEnroe, a three-time Wimbledon champion, told BBC Sport that Williams can dominate the sport for as long as she wants to: "Serena Williams will get to 25 Grand Slams and some annoying person somewhere will come up with another achievement that she hasn't done and she will figure out another way to motivate herself to keep going. ... If she is able to handle nerves etc, she will be able to go as long as she wants to."
Williams defeated Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-4, to win her sixth Wimbledon title and 21st Grand Slam. She's on course to win a calendar Slam.
Her opponent, Muguruza, will break into the WTA's Top 10 at No. 9 on Monday. She also makes her first appearance in the power ranking's Top 10. But where?
Being ranked in the WTA's Top 10 doesn't earn a player a spot on this list. In fact, some of the regulars, such as Ekaterina Makarova, failed to make it.
Eugenie Bouchard, last year's Wimbledon finalist and breakout star, will fall to No. 26 in the WTA. So she's nowhere near the power rankings.
The criteria for the post-Wimbledon power rankings include, play this year, performance at All England Club and potential during the upcoming hard-court season.
We already know who's No. 1. The following includes the rest of the Top 10 women post-Wimbledon.
Honorable Mentions
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Victoria Azarenka and Timea Bacsinszky earn honorable mentions based on steady performances at Grand Slams.
Azarenka, a two-time Slam winner, will move back into the Top 20 for the first time since she fell in the rankings due to injuries she suffered last year. In matches against Serena Williams at the French Open and Wimbledon, Azarenka proved she belongs among the games' best. She will arrive there, back in the Top 10, probably before the year is out.
Bacsinszky has put together a solid season. She took out 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki at All England Club but was ousted by Muguruza. However, Bacsinszky can take pride in making it to the semifinals at the French Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
10. Ana Ivanovic
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Ana Ivanovic is ranked No. 7 and will move up to No. 6 in the WTA rankings on Monday.
However, she falls to No. 10 in the post-Wimbledon power rankings because of her inability to put together consistent runs at Grand Slams.
A semifinalist at the French Open, Ivanovic has no business losing to Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the second round, no matter how well Mattek-Sands was playing—she does not have the type of game that should take out a Grand Slam winner at such an early stage in a major tournament.
This has become a pattern for Ivanovic, who does enough to remain in the Top 10 and pulls off the occasional upset. However, she's long past being taken seriously as a contender at Slams.
9. Simona Halep
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Simona Halep will hold onto the No. 3 spot in the rankings, and she remains No. 2 in the Road to Singapore points race for this year. However, she comes in at No. 9 in the power rankings because of upheaval in her camp.
Halep began the season strong, picking up where she left off in 2014. She won Indian Wells, her first premier level title, but she appears to have suffered a setback.
She lost in the second round at the French Open. She dumped her coach just before Wimbledon and then lost in the first round.
Whether the issues are internal or just a by-product of growing pains, the uncertainty has crept into her game.
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8. Caroline Wozniacki
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Caroline Wozniacki holds onto her No. 5 spot in the singles and Road to Singapore ranking. She comes in at No. 8 here because, like Ivanovic, Wozniacki had a disappointing run at Wimbledon.
She continues to chase that elusive Grand Slam title.
There's no shame in losing to Muguruza. However, after battling big hitters this long, you'd think Wozniacki would come up with a way to neutralize the power. The fact that she continues to play hitting wall to power players means we can expect more of the same.
7. Madison Keys
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Madison Keys represents the biggest jump in the power rankings. While she will only be ranked No. 18 on Monday, Key has demonstrated how her game has matured by reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open and quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Still one of the youngest players in the Top 20, Keys has an all-court championship-caliber game. Her groundstrokes have been clocked at faster than Serena's or Sharapova's. What she lacks is experience and patience. Those are coming.
6. Lucie Safarova
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After reaching her first Slam final at the French Open, Lucie Safarova seemed to be suffering from fatigue. She failed to defend her points at Wimbledon, and she and doubles partner Mattek-Sands lost their bid for a calendar Slam.
Still, Safarova's game is as solid as ever. Playing late into tournaments in doubles and singles takes it's toll. That's one of the reasons Serena Williams withdrew from doubles at Wimbledon.
5. Agnieszka Radwanska
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Radwanska appears to have overcome her early-season struggles. She bounced back from coaching changes, including a highly publicized split with tennis great Martina Navratilova.
Playing with regained confidence, Radwanska has found her game again. One of the most creative shot-makers on tour, Radwanska was able to beat hard-hitting Keys and took a set off Muguruza.
In a New York Times interview about women's tennis players and body issues, Radwanska's coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, said his client didn't want to bulk up “Because, first of all she’s a woman, and she wants to be a woman.”
A few more muscles might help Radwanska. The big hitters, from Serena Williams and Sharapova to Keys and Muguruza, aren't going anywhere.
4. Garbine Muguruza
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Garbine Muguruza announced her presence on the tour last year when she upset Serena Williams at the French Open. This year, instead of making a big splash, Muguruza quietly navigated the WTA's rough waters to put herself in a position to stay anchored in the Top 10.
Her massive backhand is a thing of beauty. She's bold and aggressive, two characteristics found in most Grand Slam champions.
Muguruza always had the power, poise and the game to be at the top. Now that she has everyone's attention, she'll have to keep improving to avoid a Bouchard-like slump.
3. Petra Kvitova
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Petra, Petra, Petra. The name comes from the word Petros, meaning "rock." Petra Kvitova has been anything but.
After crashing out early at the Australian Open, Kvitova took time off, citing exhaustion. She returned in better shape. She even upset Serena Williams in Madrid.
She lost to veteran and former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, who is no slouch. However, as defending champion and considered one of the best grass-court players in the game, Kvitova's Wimbledon performance just raises more questions about her ability to sustain her highest level of play.
2. Maria Sharapova
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Maria Sharapova will once again be No. 2. in the WTA rankings. She comes in at No. 2 in our power ranking despite losing her 17th straight match to Serena Williams.
As bad as the losing streak is, it also means that Sharapova continues to put herself in a position to battle the top player. She's consistent and finds a way to reach the latter rounds at Grand Slams.
Serena Williams is by far the best player in women's tennis. Right now, Sharapova is the clear No. 2.
1. Serena Williams
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Serena Williams holds the Serena Slam and remains on course to win a calendar Slam. What has been most impressive about Williams' 2015 run is how she's managed to win when not playing her best.
She survived five three-set matches at the French Open and flu-like symptoms. She nearly lost in the third round at Wimbledon to Heather Watson. After taking a 5-1 lead in the second set at Wimbledon, Williams nearly blew the match, throwing in doubles faults and unforced errors.
But that's the sign of a true champion, finding a way to get it done no matter what.
During the post-match commentary, via the ESPN broadcast, Chris Evert said she believes Williams has three or four more Grand Slam titles in her and will catch Margaret Court (who holds the record with 24).
Williams needs just one to tie Steffi Graf.
So it's on to the hard courts where the U.S. Open and perhaps another historic win awaits Williams, the undisputed No. 1 player in the world.
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