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The Dream Draw: Top 5 Fantasy Matches of Women's Tennis
by Nadya Vlassoff
December, the rest period of the tennis season. For many players this is the time to regroup, relax and recharge for the upcoming season. The first big challenge is getting fit for another grueling ten months while playing in tournaments all over the world, fighting jet lag and such elements as 100 degree heat and slippery courts, fearsome forehands and vicious volleys. It is hard to say who will have a breakout or breakdown as the season progresses while more players succumb to injury, allowing lesser-known players to emerge into the women’s tennis spotlight and stake a claim on notoriety and prize money.
 The Australian Open, the first and liveliest of the slams, is on the tennis horizon. The Aussie Open has continuously been lauded as one of the players’ favorite events. Ana Ivanovic mentioned it last year when she went all the way to the final while riding a wave of support from the many Serbian fans that came out to support their fellow countrywomen, which includes Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic.
Maria Sharapova won her third slam title avenging a lopsided loss she incurred thanks to Serena Williams in 2007. Although the Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova rivalry is still exhilarating to watch, what if it was Monica Seles against Serena Williams again, or Steffi Graff against Justine Henin? Given the evolution of women’s tennis into the modern game of today, it’s fun to dream.
As the TV airwaves gear up for the upcoming Australian Open, here’s our Dream Draw of the Top 5 Women’s Tennis Matches of match-ups we would have liked to have seen over the past two decades.
Justine Henin vs. Martina Navratilova:
 In the last decade Justine Henin has become one of the best female tennis players in the world, having won seven slam titles including four consecutive titles at the French Open. Adding to her success was a gold medal in Athens in 2004 when she beat Amelie Mauresmo. Martina Navratilova is among the top three players in history with the most wins on the WTA tour having amassed over 160 singles titles and 18 singles slam titles. Known for her serve and volley tactic and intense conditioning routine, Navratilova was a force to be reckoned with on any surface.
Dream Draw Winner: Navratilova in 3 sets. Although Henin has been called “pound for pound the best female tennis player in the last decade” by the legendary Billie Jean King, and is considered by many to have the most beautiful backhand slice on the women’s tour, Navratilova has been called the “the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived”, by King as well.
Monica Seles vs. Maria Sharapova:
 This might seem like an odd pairing, but what Maria Sharapova lacks in experience she makes up for in tenacity, which is trait she shares with Seles who is arguably the most resilient player in the last 30 years. After being stabbed in the back by a crazed fan in 1993 during a qualifying match in Hamburg, Germany, it took Seles two years to recover and regain her form. But when she did she return to the court in fine form and won the singles title at the Australian Open in 1996. Sharpova, like Seles, became one of the youngest players on tour to ever win a slam when she won Wimbledon in 2004 by shocking Serena Williams in the final. While she hasn’t been the most consistent player on the tour, mostly because of shoulder injuries, Sharapova has won big matches against some of her biggest rivals including Justine Henin whom she beat in the 2006 U.S. Open singles final in straight sets.
Dream Draw Winner: Seles would take the match in straight sets although Sharapova would put up a good fight in the first set and fade in the second before recovering for a photo shoot.
Serena Williams vs. Steffi Graf:
 It’s hard to say whether any player on the current tour could even come close to the greatest tennis player of the 20th Century, Steffi Graf, and her monstrous career, but Serena Williams could provide some hefty competition. Williams burst onto the tennis scene behind the tailwind of older sister Venus and they both emerged to dominate and re-establish the power game with deep shots to the backcourt and serves that aced the record books. In the past year alone Serena, who has been criticized for her bulkier size by many people, has silenced the critics by trimming and winning four straight tournaments in a row in 2008. Technically, Serena completed in a grand slam when she won the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2002 and the Australian Open in 2003. One of the only other women to do it was Steffi Graf.
Dream Draw Winner: If Serena of 2002 played the Steffi Graf of 1988 when she won the Golden Slam, Graf would take it in 3 sets as long as Serena’s serve didn’t blow her off the court. Graf had the largest arsenal of shots to her advantage and would end up pulling out a victory. Interestingly enough, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams did square off in 1999 at the Everet Cup in the final year of Graf’s playing days. Even with eroding knees and fading skills, Graf still beat the Williams in split sets.
Lindsay Davenport vs. Martina Hingis:
 Davenport and Hingis played each other over 20 times on tour. While Davenport holds a slight 14-11 win-loss record over Hingis, there is plenty to be said about their rivalry. Davenport played with deep, clean ground strokes, loaded with power from her 6’2” frame. Hingis played a finesse game with one of the most beautiful strokes to ever grace a court. Her two-handed backhand was one of the greatest ever seen as she used it to strike deep shots down the line and throw her opponents off-balance during long rallies. This is the hardest Dream Draw to pick since Davenport and Hingis squared off against each other so many times.
Dream Draw Winner: When it comes down to the final serve, Davenport wins in 3 sets after losing the first. Hingis was an extremely talented player but with the new courts and rackets that favor power over finesse, Davenport has the advantage.
Cara Black and Liezel Huber vs. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver:
 Black and Huber are the current #1 ranked doubles team in the world with 4 Grand Slam titles under their collective belts. It’s a small number compared to the 21 slam titles that Navratilova and Shriver won together, but it would be exciting to see a new partnering play against two established veterans who weren’t infallible but were a doubles force to be reckoned with each match. After dominating the singles game for most of her career, Navratilova became a formidable doubles partner, one of the best in the world, which extended her career far beyond what anyone thought possible. What Navratilova accomplished during her career given her longevity is truly amazing. The fact that she was able to still compete well into the 2000s, is amazing. Pam Shriver’s singles peak as the #3 player in the world in the 80s gave way to gargantuan doubles success over a career that spanned over two decades. As it turns out, Pam Shriver beat Martina Navratilova in 1978 as a 16 year old before later winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics.
Dream Draw Winner: Huber and Black don’t have the experience and would get run over by the freight train of Martina and Pam in two sets. The only positive for Black and Huber is that they’d be able to walk off the court and chalk it up to the best learning experience possible.
So what if Henin hadn’t retired? What if Monica Seles had never been attacked? What if Jennifer Capriati had not gone astray to get entangled in legal issues? What if Kim Clijsters had not been forced to retire due to constant injuries? The tennis landscape of today would look a lot different but the reality is that we can’t change the past but we can dream of the best.
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