The WTA went to Southern California for nearly two whole weeks, with 96 players competing for a lot of rankings points and cash at a Premier Mandatory event, one of a handful on the calendar for every tennis season. What did we gather from the past week and a half?
Serena Williams Has A One-Match Problem, Not A Complete Problem
There is a natural inclination to be worried about Serena. She has lost two straight finals for the first time since 2004. When something happens which hadn’t previously developed in 12 years it’s easy to be alarmed. It’s true that Serena generally just doesn’t lose finals at any level of competition. She has been a fortress unto herself. When she lost the Australian Open final to Angelique Kerber, it was rightly viewed as a big upset. Kerber might have risen to No. 2 in the world with a win, but Serena was so strong in the tournament and knew how to finish matches. That she didn’t in Australia is a testament to Kerber, but it is also a reflection of Serena’s nerves and how she didn’t execute her shots on the given day. Now, after losing the final of Indian Wells to Azarenka, Serena has been saddled with two straight losses in tournament finals. This is no longer an isolated thing. This is a trend. Yet, Serena’s losing finals, not quarterfinals. It’s not as though there’s been a tremendous shift in her game. She’s just had two bad days. Expect those to diminish with time – Serena and her fans should not be all that concerned. Making finals is still pretty good.
Victoria Azarenka Is Getting Closer To Where She Needs To Be
The biggest and most impressive thing about Azarenka in her championship win over Serena this past Sunday was that she had a new and improved serve, both in terms of first and second serve. Azarenka got more pace, more depth, and more angles which did not allow Serena to feel comfortable or know where the ball was going. She served big on a number of break points. Her second serve was also not a cream puff. She was not just trying to merely get the ball over the net; she wanted to serve with pace and not give Serena a big hitting zone. As long as Serena held on in that second set, there were doubts about Azarenka’s ability to finish off matches. It’s something that had to go through her mind. Yet, Azarenka held at love at 5-4 after saving two break points.
This is the mentally strong approach of a player who has won major tournaments before and is trying to get back into the top five. If Azarenka can continue to play at this level, she’ll probably win another major tournament this year.
Sloane Stephens Is A Long Way From Being A Complete Player
The thing with Stephens is that she’ll win a smaller tournament and generate excitement about how she’s about to take off. Then she’ll move to the next tournament and will immediately stumble. Stephens has to be able to string together results and put one really good tournament on top of another one. This has been her obstacle for the past year, ever since she won her first title in Washington. She didn’t get very far in Indian Wells, so it’s back to the drawing board for her.
Karolina Pliskova Has A Chance To Be Great
The two losing semifinalists were different in Indian Wells. One was Agnieszka Radwanska, who has consistently competed at the top of women’s tennis, being a regular in the top eight for a number of years, with some ups and downs thrown into the mix. Radwanska hasn’t ever won a major tournament, but she’s constantly knocked on the door. She has a few things she wants to achieve, but she has been relatively consistent.
The other losing semifinalist has failed to regularly go deep at the Grand Slam events and the other important tournaments in women’s tennis. Karolina Pliskova would bow out early. She accumulates points by winning or going deep in lower-level events. This Indian Wells tournament could be a one-off event, something which just sticks out in the middle of nowhere, or it could be the springboard which catapults her to a much more consistent 2016 season and overall career. We’ll see.
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