10 Things To Know: 2016
We could be on the verge of an absolute blockbuster season – the World No.1 going for more history, the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a whole host of challengers looking to make their breakthrough. Get ready for all of the action right here on wtatennis.com with 10 Things To Know about 2016!
1) Serena’s going for more history.
As if 2015 weren’t historic enough, there’s even more history on the line for Serena Williams in 2016, the biggest one being the Grand Slam record – if she wins all four majors she’ll get to 25, which will pass both Steffi Graf (22) and Margaret Court (24) to set the new all-time record, male or female.
2) It’s an Olympic year.
The Olympic Tennis Event takes place in Rio de Janeiro from August 6 to 14, sandwiched in between the summer hardcourt events. Who will win gold this year, and can anyone match Graf’s Golden Grand Slam from 1988? The Olympic teams will be announced after the French Open – watch this space.
3) Sharapova likes these even years.
It seems odd, but all five of Sharapova’s Grand Slam titles have come in even years – Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2012 and 2014. She’s actually 5-1 in Grand Slam finals in even years (and 0-4 in odd years). Foreshadowing for 2016?
4) Can Venus win another Grand Slam?
In 2015, Venus Williams won three titles – two of them being her biggest in more than five years – to move back into the Top 10. Can the resurgent former World No.1 add to her seven Grand Slam titles in 2016? We asked you last week, and more than 60% of you said yes – see the voting results here.
5) The young guns are coming…
Serena’s sitting pretty at No.1 on the WTA Rankings, but Simona Halep, No.2, and Garbiñe Muguruza, No.3, are in the hunt. They’re the youngest players in the Top 10, they’ve both been to Grand Slam finals before and they’ve both beaten Serena before – can they win their first majors this year?
6) Is Radwanska on the verge of her first major?
The last time a player who didn’t have a Grand Slam won the WTA Finals, Amélie Mauresmo in 2005, she won two of the next three, the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. Agnieszka Radwanska is in that position right now – will the World No.5 build on her sensational run in Singapore in 2016?
7) Hingis is looking to join Mirza at No.1.
In 2015, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza won nine doubles titles together and finished with the same ranking points from their best 11 results – Mirza was No.1, though, because she had more overall ranking points earned. By mid-January, it should all even out and Hingis can join Mirza as co-No.1.
8) Speaking of No.1s…
There are a lot of former No.1s hoping to return to the Top 10 in 2016 – Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki, who are at No.16 and No.17, and Jelena Jankovic and Victoria Azarenka, No.21 and No.22. They’ve all done very well in Australia before – can one of them rebound Down Under this year?
9) Genie’s back!
Eugenie Bouchard, who was sidelined for almost the entire fall season due to a concussion, will play a full Australian Open lead-up season at Shenzhen and Hobart. The Happy Slam is where she first burst into prominence in 2014 – can she do it again in 2016? Where are the other Top 20 players playing?
10) And finally, the WTA stars are going to some new cities…
There are a slew of new stops on the WTA calendar in 2016, most notably St. Petersburg, Russia, which will host a new Premier event, and Kaohsiung (Chinese Taipei), Mallorca (Spain), Nanchang (China) and Louisville (USA), which will all host International events. Check out the full calendar here.