‘No one wants to see the U.S. Open final without Serena’ – this was the phrase used two days ago by New York news agency Bloomberg.com. The choice of the headline once again reignited the debate about how the women’s game could survive without one of their biggest ambassadors. It is a debate that seems to flare up annually when the 34-year-old fails to reach the final in New York, but Saturday’s encounter between Angelique Kerber and Karolina Pliskova has silenced critics.
There was no doubt about the calibre of the two players in Saturday’s final. Kerber recently became the new world No.1 and was playing in her third major final of the year. Meanwhile, Pliskova was on a 11-match winning streak, defeating no fewer than five top-10 players. It was a matchup that tennis fans were salivating over and the two successfully live up to the hype in a two-hour epic, easily overshadowing Novak Djokovic’s roller coaster win over Gael Monfils the day before. An accomplishment that not many people would have predicted at the start of the tournament.
“I was trying to stay in the moment, be aggressive, I was just trying to enjoy the final. It’s an amazing stadium.” Kerber said after winning her second major title of the year.
“It means a lot to me. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to be the number one player in the world and to win Grand Slams, and today’s the day.”
The final had everything, marathon points, heavy hitting, shouts of encouragement and the crowd going wild. The only thing missing for the American crowd was Williams. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter as the majority accepted that the injury-stricken 34-year-old was no longer the star attraction in the draw and appreciated the players they were witnessing. For many years a lot has been asked of one person, but now it is time to accept that Williams’ dominance is being matched by the exciting surge in her rivals performances.
“I think I did a great job. It was my first final.” Runner-up Pliskova said.
“I’m so proud of myself. If someone would tell me I’m going to play finals in this tournament two weeks before I would take it. There is no sadness.”
Kerber’s triumph comes in a year where Williams has won only one grand slam title compared to three in 2015. Now at the top of the rankings, becoming the first European No.1 on the WTA Tour since Victoria Azarenka in February 2013, the 28-year-old has calmly stated that she is ready to play under her new title.
“I think I’m ready to have this pressure [of being No. 1] on my shoulders,” Kerber said. “I think I get used to all of this, especially after my first Grand Slam in Australia. I had so much pressure after the title. Being No. 1, of course, now everybody will try to beat me and have nothing to lose.”
“I will try to take this challenge.”
There is no denying of Serena Williams’ reputation as WTA royalty, after all she has earned it with her record 22 grand slam titles. In June this year Forbes ranked her as the highest paid female athlete in the world, earning $28.9 million over the past 12 months. Her achievements in generating publicity for the women’s tour are ones that will never be forgotten, but as she closes in on the end of her glorious career, it is time to accept that the WTA tour consist of so much more than the legendary American player.
Women’s tennis has a bright future and it is time to start appreciating it.
