The women’s side of the tour is exciting and has been gaining traction over the past few years. Now more than ever, you see a unique clash between the familiar names of the last 2 decades and fresh, young, up and coming teenagers.
Just looking at a rankings list can be misleading, especially on the women’s tour because the winners are so unpredictable. There are so many women’s players that have the potential to break through and win a grand slam in the next couple of years, so we do our best to break it down with who we think has the best chance of doing that.
In this article we will cover the top players on the tour now. Additionally, we will provide you with some names to watch so that you can follow the future of the game a little bit closer. Let’s jump right in.
Best Current Female Tennis Players
Serena Williams
It’s hard to argue Serena’s greatness over the last 2 decades. In her career, she holds an astonishing 23 Grand Slam titles and has spent a total of 319 week at #1 in the world. She is widely regarded as the greatest female tennis player of all time. Though she does not hold the most Grand Slam titles of all time (Margaret Court, 24) most argue that Serena has played in an astronomically more competitive era, therefore her career is far more impressive than Court’s.
As far as today goes, Serena is still a force to be reckoned with. Even with the volatility of the women’s tour so prevalent, Serena is still considered a favorite to win any tournament. Watch out for Serena to have some serious results in the final years of her career.
Naomi Osaka
At only the age of 22, Naomi Osaka has made a firm stance as one of the best female tennis players in the world. It didn’t take long for her to make a name for herself, as she already holds 2 Grand Slam titles and has been #1 in the world. Off the court, she is one of the most marketable athletes, male or female, in the world. In 2019, she raked in a record-breaking $37.4M through endorsements and prize money.
After winning the Australian Open in 2019, the rest of her year did not meet her expectations. We definitely expect her to have a breakout 2021 season (especially because MyTennisHQ’s Karue Sell has joined her team as a hitting partner). Naomi has all the tools to chase Serena’s dominance over the rest of her young career, and you can be sure to see her succeed right when the tour picks up again.
Simona Halep
This Romanian has really come into her own in the last 4 years. In 2017, she became world #1 for the first time and has since spent a total of 64 weeks at the top spot since. She holds 2 Grand Slam titles, one French Open and one Wimbledon.
When #1 in the world, Simona had expectation to win Grand Slams and it weighed heavily on her shoulders. She missed a few opportunities because of this, but now that she has her first and second Grand Slams in the bag, there is no doubt that she has the potential to run with it. She is currently ranked #2 in the world rankings and she has proved to be one of the most consistent players on tour during the past several years.
Bianca Andreescu
Andreescu has proven herself incredibly quickly on the tour. In the year 2018, she did not compete in one match at the WTA level. In 2019, she won her first WTA Premier title at Indian Wells. She was not ranked high enough to qualify for the main draw, so she needed a wildcard for entry. This shot her up the rankings and though she battled injury for a good portion of the rest of the year, she was able to finish #5 in the world.
Going into 2020, she was unable to compete as she was still battling a knee injury. The coronavirus pandemic has suspended the tour, so hopefully Bianca is able to come back and compete when everyone else can. Based on the big time matches and tournament she has won in her limited career, it is safe to say that Bianca Andreescu is going to be hard to stop for years to come if she can stay healthy.
Karolina Pliskova
This Czech player really broke through on the tour in 2014, when she leaped up the rankings from #67 to #24. Since then, she has consistently improved each year. She gradually accomplished the following: top-10 ranking, US Open Runner-up, top-5 ranking, world #1. Though she is still seeking her first Grand Slam title, it is clear that her level is consistently there on a year to year basis. Watch out for Karolina Pliskova to have multiple chances at a Grand Slam before her career is finished.
Ashleigh Barty
One of the most likable players on tour, Ash Barty sits at #1 in the world as of the March 2, 2020 list. Her path to #1 is unconventional. Ash was a good junior player, as she made the finals of Junior Australian Open doubles when 16 years old. However, she decided to take a break from tennis is 2014 and picked up professional cricket. She was signed to an Australian pro team even though she had no formal training inn the sport. In 2016, she picked up tennis again and was world #17 by the end of 2017.
In 2019, Ash won the French Open to claim her first Grand Slam title. In her time on tour she has won 8 singles titles, but it is safe to say there are many more to come. It is clear that Ash Barty is one of the greatest raw athletes we have seen on tour. At just 24 years of age, we can expect that this is just the beginning for her.
Petra Kvitova
This heavy-hitting Czech veteran has become a force over the last 10 years of her career. She currently holds 2 Grand Slam titles, both at Wimbledon, and has been ranked as high as #2 in the world.
In 2016, Kvitova was tragically attacked in her own home in the Czech Republic. The robber got away after slashing her hand with a knife, leaving her with lacerations to her tendons and nerves in her playing hand. After surgery and uncertainty of whether or not she would be able to return to tennis, she came back to the sport at the French Open in late May.
This story has made her a fan favorite anywhere she goes. She has stayed consistent in her results throughout the years since, but has battled some injuries along the way. Though she is 30 years of age, she definitely has a few more years of high level tennis left in her.
Final Thoughts
The WTA tour is exciting because of how unpredictable it is. Going into any given Grand Slam, there are legitimately 20+ contenders for the title. Just take the 2020 Australian Open for example. Sofia Kenin, the eventual champion, wasn’t even on many experts’ radar to win the event. The real experts have come to the conclusion that it is nearly impossible to make predictions on the women’s side of the tour.
The names listed above have all seen their fair share of success while on tour. You can see that there is great diversity in the age, nationality, and game style each of them. Next time you tune in to a women’s pro event, watch for these names to make deep runs in the draw.