The field is wide open

Published : May 23, 2009 00:00 IST

There is little logic to women’s tennis, especially when compared with the levels men’s tennis has reached in the last few years.

Dinara Safina is the No. 1 player, but she’s known to choke in the Slams. Serena Williams can never be written off, and there are a host of others who’ve been producing results.

Serena has been inconsistent, losing in Rome and pulling out of Madrid, but there’s nothing to suggest she will not make an impression at Roland Garros.

Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic are also in the fray, but have been plagued by injuries and inconsistencies. And then, there’s Agnieszka Radwanska and Victoria Azarenka.

“My knee has been bothering me since the Fed Cup a couple of weeks ago. It’s become more painful with each match so I decided to go and see a specialist in Munich,” said the defending champion Ivanovic. She pulled out of Madrid but said she would defend her title in Paris.

The women’s game has been more in the news for what’s been said than the tennis itself. “We all know who the real number one is,” Williams told a news conference after Dinara Safina became the No. 1. “Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”

The comment opened up yet another debate on the women’s game, the Williamses approach to the WTA Tour and the French Open.

The women’s field is more open now than ever before.

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