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Missing the Mark: The Difficulty in Selling Women’s Tennis
by Nadya Vlassoff
 Ever since the shocking retirement of Justine Henin in May 2008, the WTA has never fully recovered. 2009 brought on new changes in scheduling and also the incorporation of a more stringent performance clause that tried to ensure that the top players would be present at mandatory tournaments. With more rest time in between tournaments and a shorter season, with a 29% increase in prize money for 2009, the stage was set for this year to be the most successful ever. So where did it go wrong?
It is difficult to explain exactly why this season, and the second half of last year’s season, appeared to diminish as the talent pool shrank at an increasingly alarming rate. Maria Sharapova was sidelined since July; Ana Ivanovic pulled out of the Olympics with a wrist injury, later never returning to form and being bounced in the third round of the 2009 Australian Open. The biggest disappointment, however, could be from the former most consistent player on the tour, Jelena Jankovic. With most of her competition sidelined by either injury or inconsistent play, Jankovic finally took over the number 1 spot on the WTA rankings, and did so without ever having won a slam title.
In 2009 Jankovic struggled to retain her hold on the top spot and failed to stay focused, as she lost in the 4th round of the Australian Open and was most recently knocked out of the BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells. On the same day, current world number 4, Elena Dementieva, was also bounced in the second round. Looking from the outside in, both top ten players were ousted by relative unknowns. And with the Williams sisters not participating in tournament play, the rest of the field is not stepping up and trying to make an impact. Dinara Safina and Ana Ivanovic, the two most marketable stars that the WTA has left in the tournament, could potentially meet in a semi-final clash as Ivanovic looks to retain the crown she won here last year. But with her recent struggle to even make it past unseeded players, there is more doubt than hope that she can return to form.
 Just like the current housing market, with falling prices affording previous renters the opportunity to buy at lower prices, the WTA tour is allowing lesser known players to finally make a breakthrough. There is hardly a threat anywhere in the top 10, save for Safina who has finally managed to get herself out of the recent mental fog she has been in. After an incredible 2008, Safina faltered briefly and still struggled to make it to the final of the Aussie Open in January. Dinara has the most untapped potential of all the players on tour and is still relatively young enough to continue to have a successful career. However, a slam title still eludes her.
In fact, Safina, Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic, all top ten players, have failed to even win one slam title. Dementieva won the gold medal in Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics and began 2009 with the most successful run, winning two tournaments en route to a semi-final appearance in Melbourne where Serena Williams soundly defeated her. Dementieva has improved every aspect of her game but still fell short when it counted most.
The list of head-case syndrome victims is longer than those who have won tournaments in the last year if your name isn’t Venus or Serena. Marion Bartoli, Vera Zvonareva, Alize Cornet, Caroline Wozniacki and Daniela Hantuchova all have the potential to make an impact but have failed to do so in the important matches falling apart at critical moments where mental toughness is as equally important as a solid all-around game.
 While this might be harsh criticism, the majority of the field plays scared. No one is ready to make the leap from unknown to superstar, as the top 10 constantly switch ranking spots not based on an improved game but because of an embarrassing loss in the early stages of a tournament. Although Venus and Serena are much older than the majority of their competition, the Williams sisters only seem to improve. With Serena getting fitter and faster, and Venus focusing on dismantling both her opponent’s mindset and momentum on the court, there seems to be little chance they will even face a stiff challenge in 2009.
Maria Sharapova returned to competitive play last week but lost in the first round of the doubles tournament and has not stated when she will return to singles play. The outlook is grim for sponsors who are depending on their big name stars to sell seats and promote tournaments especially with these pressing economic times.
Now that the first half of the American hard court season is underway, the upcoming clay court season looms on the horizon. This is a chance for Spain to promote its new arsenal of improved players. On the women’s side, there is hope for up-and-comers Carla Suarez-Navarro, who had a breakthrough at the Australian Open, and Anabel Medina Garrigues who was seeded 18th at the BNP Paribas Open, but failed to make it past the 3rd round. Justine Henin is no longer playing, so the title for French Open champion is open to a new contender. The question is whether anyone really wants it bad enough.
 Ana Ivanovic is the defending champion, having beaten Dinara Safina at Roland Garros last June but this year the tables have turned, as Safina looks to serve her competition off the court. If Dinara can manage to stay away from the head-case syndrome then she has a very good shot at winning. The only problem? The much improved Serena Williams.
Will anyone step up to the challenge and bring their game? Now is the best time since the rest of the field is shirking away from a challenge that anyone who wants it bad enough should be able to go far. These are definitely not the ideal circumstances that tournaments and their sponsors would like for marketing and advertising purposes. But like Jelena Dokic proved at the Australian Open in 2009, sometimes the dark horse can light the way. Let’s just hope that light is not snuffed out too early.
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