Best of 2017: Top moments in women’s tennis

Both on and off the court Serena Williams dominated the headlines, but the year also featured a few breakthrough performances by young players who are here to stay and a bold new American team.

She’s baaaaaack…. Maria Sharapova annoyed most, but impressed a few

Maria Sharapova came off her suspension and threw herself right back into tennis, with some mixed results. She hit the ground running by making it to the semifinal at her first tournament at Stuttgart, where she had much success in the past, and seemed to impress the critics. But the wild cards granted to her rubbed several of her peers the wrong way, and she was visibly rebuffed by the French Open when they refused her one, her welcome back was but anything welcome.

Still, she won some hard-fought matches and boosted her ranking from 258 to a current 59. Perhaps her return to competitive tennis wasn’t the kind of “Unstoppable” ‘wow’ factor she was expecting, but the fact that she ended the year with a WTA title earned her enough respect to quiet down some of the griping.

Martina Hingis retired from professional tennis… for the third time

The five-time grand slam singles champion reinvented herself as the world’s best doubles player after retiring from tennis as a singles contender twice. Hingis had many critics due to her temper and inability to watch what she said, but seeing her go out due to testing positive for cocaine the second time she retired was a real shame.

The Swiss player showed resilience by coming back years later and winning several more grand slam titles no matter who she partnered with. With her final retirement this year, the former No. 1 singles champ was able to go out on her own terms and on top, a real testament to the human spirit.

The quest for No. 1: who is it this week?

First Serena Williams deservedly won it with her record title at the beginning of the year Down Under. After announcing she was going on maternity leave, Angelique Kerber got the top ranking back by default and quickly squandered it after just a few months of poor performance, most notably going out in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Karolina Pliskova was only too eager to take it over, for a short while—performing at a high level all year long, often breaking through to the semis or quarters at any event she played, and winning the Eastbourne title. But Garbine Muguruza achieved the No. 1 ranking after her win over Venus Williams for her second grand slam title at Wimbledon.

It’s a shame she wasn’t able to hold on to the top spot, relinquishing it to Simona Halep, who had been waiting in the wings all year long as No. 2 under each of the these women. When it seemed she would be forever a bridesmaid, she emerged victorious with the world No. 1 spot by year end.

However, she still needs to prove her worth in the position by winning a major title lest she get a reputation of never being a closer like when Caroline Wozniacki held the top spot without ever winning a major. The world No. 1 is still very much up for grabs in the new year in such a tight race. We’ll see how this continues to shake out in 2018.

Caroline Wozniacki wins WTA Finals

After being dismissed for years for lack of achieving a major title while ranked No. 1, Wozniacki defied the critics this year by making several finals, getting the WTA crown at the end of the year, and rising up to No. 3 when all least expected it.

By the time November rolled around, the Dane was engaged to her boyfriend. All in all, 2017 was a terrific year for the Miami Open finalist.

Serena may have been out, but Venus shined all year long

Venus’s sister Serena may have been out preparing to give birth for most of the year, but Venus was only too happy to take over the mantle by achieving a breakthrough comeback year of her own. 2017 was the first time that the 37-year-old had been in peak physical condition, years after having suffered an autoimmune disease that kept her sidelined from the game for years.

She made two grand slam finals, losing to sister Serena in Australia, and then Muguruza at Wimbledon. She almost made her third slam final at the U.S. Open but lost to compatriot Sloane Stephens in the semi. She went out with a bang by making the WTA Finals before getting second place to Caroline Wozniacki. Considering the stellar year the world No. 5 had, it’s a good bet she’ll continue to be a contender again in 2018. She proved this year that age is just a number.

Breakthrough #1: Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open

Ostapenko had gut. She had power. She was fearless throughout the fortnight. But she was also very young, aged 20 only. Could she handle the pressure of her first grand slam? She faced Simona Halep, a top player who had been in a grand slam final before and was well versed in the pressures of the tour.

When Ostapenko lost the first set, it seemed that all the excitement that the young player brought to the major had gone out the window, but then the Latvian displayed the fearlessness she had shown all tournament long, fought back, and clinched the title against all the odds. She won another title this year as well, in Seoul, Korea, and made it as far as the quarters at Wimbledon. Jelena Ostapenko, at age 20, established herself as a major player this year and is part of an exciting new generation who will be dictating play years to come.

Breakthrough #2: Garbine Muguruza’s first Wimbledon title

With the Wimbledon win over Venus Williams at the All-England Club, the Spaniard proved she was more than a one-hit wonder. She demonstrated that she was one of the biggest draws in the game and had the mental strength to win major titles. Her status on top of the rankings was the only justified No. 1 this year besides Serena Williams. Only she and Williams were grand slam winners and world No. 1’s this year.

The current world No. 2 followed up her Wimbledon victory with another major, the Masters title in Cincinnati, proving that she’s a force to reckon with on both grass and hard court. Muguruza demonstrated a steely will to win and I’m sure she will get back to the top of the rankings soon again. She may be world No. 2 at the moment, but I consider her the “real” world No. 1.

All US-semifinals at the U.S. Open with Sloane Stephens winning her first grand slam

Venus Williams faced Sloane Stephens. CoCo Vandeweghe faced Madison Keys. Only two could make the finals, but the all-American semis gave the home crowd a lot to root for her as all four women put on two fascinating matches to salivate over.

In the end, Stephens and Keys emerged as the victorious contenders for the finals, with Stephens walking away a first-time grand slam champion, but the semifinals between Williams, Stephens, Vandeweghe, and Keys was the answer many had been hoping for in American tennis. The U.S. clearly has other major players besides someone with the last name Williams.

The return of knife-attack victim Petra Kvitova

This time last year, the Czech player had been holed up in a hospital after being attacked on her hitting hand, in a home invasion, undergoing emergency surgery. After rehab time, the brave player came back to tennis early by surprising fans with a stint at the French Open. She continue to defy expectations all year long by finishing strong in all the tournaments she entered, including getting to the quarters at the U.S. Open, and winning the title at Birmingham.

At every event she attended, the crowds welcomed her back and celebrated her resolve and beautiful spirit. She has shown no signs of slowing down and will continue to be a major player in 2018.

Serena Williams breaks Steffi Graf’s record, winning her 23rd slam while pregnant at the Australian Open

In a year where the 36 year-old spent more time off the court than on, she seemed to dominate the headlines regardless. First she faced and won against her sister in Melbourne, surpassing Steffi Graf’s Open era slam record and got the world No. 1 ranking back. But then we found out she had been six weeks pregnant.

She spent the rest of the year getting ready for baby Alexis Olympia, but also got married in fairytale fashion along the way. The newly married mother proved that she could really achieve it all. More determined than ever, she is preparing for a comeback in 2018. If we’ve learned one thing, Ms. Williams should never be counted out.

Next: Each State's Sports Mt Rushmore

It was a bit of a roller coaster ride on the women’s side of tennis, but there are some fascinating upstarts to keep watching in the new year. It will be interesting to see when Serena gets back to form, and if sister Venus will continue her resurgence. I’m predicting that we will see tennis darling Petra Kvitova back in a grand slam final, likely with the crowd 100 percent behind her. Get set for 2018, for it will probably be a bumpy ride.