Previewing the 2012 WTA season

The 2011 WTA season turned out to be a very interesting one with four different nationalities winning the major titles. Serena Williams did not win a major title for the first time since 2006 whilst Petra Kvitova announced herself as the most exciting young talent to emerge for many years, perhaps since Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters 10 years previously. An exciting transition at the top is certainly taking place. With the season about to commence in Australasia, it’s a good time to assess the contenders for the major prizes in 2012.

Caroline Wozniacki

Currently the world number 1 for the past 18 months, Caroline Wozniacki has come in for quite a bit of criticism. There are a number of reasons for this, Wozniacki didn’t win any major titles or make any major finals. Traditionally, tennis fans or media do not like to see a number 1 player with no major titles. Wozniacki’s style of play is a contributing factor to her lack of major success; a counterpuncher by nature, winning majors is all about being brave on the day and taking the game to your opponent before they take it away from you.

As for 2012, Wozniacki is still only 21 years old and has time on her side to win a major title, that could happen in 2012 as she will be top seed for the Australian Open and still holds the edge on many of her opponents. Wozniacki had a good 2011 winning 6 titles including Dubai and Indian Wells. To go one better and win a first major title, Wozniacki would need to work on her serve and making her forehand a bigger weapon, plus improve her play in the forecourt, volleys in particular.

This sounds a tall order, and it’s surprising a number 1 player has so many technical deficiencies. Therefore we will see whether Wozniacki has improved or allowed the pressure to get to her. If Wozniacki has worked to improve during the off season, she has every chance of winning a major.

Petra Kvitova

This is the player which has made the new season such an exciting proposition; I would imagine this is the most anticipated new season for a number of years. Kvitova had a great breakout season, winning 7 titles including Wimbledon, Madrid, WTA championships and the Federation cup with Czech Republic defeating mighty Russia in the final. Kvitova won titles on all surfaces and finished the season 115 points off Caroline Wozniacki’s number 1 position. Kvitova also won a host of awards including WTA player of the year and breakout player of the year, and fans favourite player of the year.

The question for 2012 will be whether Kvitova can build on the momentum she’s established. There will probably be some downs along the way but Kvitova has the game not only to become number 1 but to dominate the game for the foreseeable future. That’s due to the fact that Kvitova has more shots, weapons and skill than probably all of her rivals and has recently shown she has mental fortitude under pressure, often coming from behind in the score to win.

Kivitova has yet to master outdoor hardcourts, I think she can make her serve more of a weapon on that surface and add more topspin to her forehand for control to account for varying conditions. It’s entirely possible Kvitova will defend her Wimbledon trophy and is capable of winning the French Open as well, 2012 should be another great year for Petra Kvitova.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is certainly at a crossroads, she’s been the top player since 2008 with the demise of Justine Henin during that period, winning a hatful of major titles. However, a life threatening illness meant that Serena couldn’t start her season until June at Eastbourne, which didn’t give her time to get enough matches for a proper Wimbledon challenge.

Serena did go on to claim the Canadian Open title (Rogers Cup) and reach the US Open final before succumbing to an inspired Sam Stosur. That has turned out to be Serena Williams’ last match of 2011. The simple questions are, is Serena motivated to enter enough tournaments to keep her match sharp for the major tournaments. Also, will the rise of Petra Kvitova motivate Serena to get back to the top to challenge the younger players? Serena has the best serve and return of serve in the womens game, but Kvitova is looking to challenge that position. Serena has the edge on athleticism but has a litany of injuries to contend with.

If Serena can challenge for the major titles, it could be a vintage 2012 for the WTA.

Victoria Azarenka

Azarenka had a great purple patch in the spring winning Miami for a 2nd time and Marbella on clay. Azarenka also won Luxembourg in the autumn and made the final of Madrid, the semi final at Wimbledon and the final of the year end WTA championships, each time losing to Petra Kvitova. Azarenka has a great solid groundstroke game and has the ability to come to net from time to time to finish off points. That type of game usually means hard courts will be her best surface but the French Open is also a realistic possibility in 2012.

Azarenka should be able to continue her progression to a possible major title in 2012; she’s feeling confident and has improved her movement and fitness, her chances for a great 2012 look good. The only problem I see is Azarenka facing Kvitova in a major semi final or final. In that scenario she becomes the immediate counterpuncher because of Kvitova’s aggressive attitude. A lot of people predict it to be the great rivalry for years to come; I see it developing in the same way as Agassi v Sampras, with Azarenka playing the Agassi role.

Another analogy / comparison will certainly be Janica Kostelic and Anja Paerson who had that great rivalry in skiing, Azarenka being similar to Paerson and Kvitova similar to Kostelic. Contrast in styles and personalities make for great rivalries and Azarenka has the opportunity to help create something special in 2012.

Maria Sharapova

It’s strange to think that Sharapova won the Italian Open, Cincinnati and got to the final of Wimbledon and the semi final of the French Open. And yet Sharapova is kind of the forgotten player in the top 5 despite her being such a renowned figure in the world of sport.

And to me there’s a simple reason for that, despite having such a great comeback in 2011 playing great tennis and winning big events, you never know when she’s going to hit a double fault! And you certainly don’t know when she’s going to double fault during a crucial stage of a big match. Double faults are the reason why Sharapova hasn’t reclaimed a major title.

Assuming Sharapova recovers from her foot injury sustained in Japan in October and continues to be relatively injury free with her right shoulder, Sharapova could have a great 2012 and win a major title as long as she can somehow banish the demons (i.e. nerves) within her and cut out the double faults in big matches. John McEnroe reckons Sharapova should cut the 2nd serve out of the equation and work on getting a high first serve percentage. I don’t know if that is realistic but Sharapova has to rectify the situation to get back to the top of tennis.

Sam Stosur

Sam Stosur had a great 2011, winning the US Open title in emphatic style, comprehensively outplaying Serena Williams in the final. Stosur also got to the final of the Italian Open where she lost to Maria Sharapova, and the year end championships semi final, playing a great match against Petra Kvitova before losing in 3 sets.

Stosur will always be a threat at the French Open, clay being by far her best surface. Stosur also has the experience of playing a final there, so a good opportunity to win there in 2012. Stosur will also be a sentimental favourite with the Australian fans to win the Australian Open, there will be a lot of pressure and it will be interesting to see how she handles it.

My only concern for Stosur in 2012 will be that she just doesn’t win enough smaller events. In fact, besides being a great doubles specialist before her illness and reincarnation as a top singles player, Stosur has only won 3 singles titles so far in her career. Stosur has a game to become a dominant player at the top of the womens game, with an incredible forehand and topspin (kick) serve. However, Stosur needs to win some smaller events to give her the confidence to win the big events consistently.

Other players that can make a breakthrough in 2012 include:

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – I think Pavlyuchenkova has the game to become a top five player in the next few years; she’s a natural ball striker with a good serve. Pavlyuchenkova needs to work on her fitness and mental game but has great potential.

Kim Clijsters – You never write off a naturally talented player who has a lot of experience, Clijsters is defending Australian champion after all. With Clijsters it’s about fitness, motivation and making time for her daughter, if she can stay fit, she’s a threat at the majors.

Jelena Jankovic – I keep thinking Jankovic is too talented not to breakthrough to win a major title, but for some reason Jankovic just cannot get it together mentally. It’s not too late for her so let’s see what will happen in 2012.

Na Li – Pete Sampras recently joined Na for an exhibition in China and said some kind words about her. Along the lines that it will take time for her to adjust to being a grand slam champion in the way it did for Novak Djokovic and for Sampras 20 years ago. I think the difference is that both those guys were very young where Na is almost veteran status and probably not as hungry for success. Na certainly has the talent; if she can find the motivation she can surprise everyone again in 2012.

Vera Zvonareva - Similar in game style and temperament to Jelena Jankovic, Zvonareva has the talent to be a major champion. However, like Jankovic, Zvonareva may lack the self belief to be a champion and beat all of the contenders in 7 matches. Zvonareva still has about 3 years to make something happen, let’s see if that can be in 2012.