Why the ongoing absence of Serena Williams is beneficial to women's tennis

In every sport, in every generation, there exists a player who exerts utter dominance over the game. In women’s tennis, Serena Williams is a prime example of this kind of supremacy over her counterparts. Over the past few years, Williams has proved that she is the undisputed queen of tennis and perhaps the greatest player of her generation, if not the greatest of all time. As far as the reasons for Serena’s success is concerned, they can be seen as ranging from the fact that she has tasted success on all three surfaces and also that she has redefined the way women’s tennis has been played, with her power hitting style and unerring service game.

In other words, in all the major tournaments Williams has participated in over the last two years, not only has she been a favourite to reach the business end of the events, her performances have actually vindicated that tag. Further, this was the also the case at this year’s Australian Open, when she was billed as the favourite and she did complete justice to that tag as she bagged her 23rd Grand Slam at Melbourne Park, without dropping a set, after thrashing her older sister Venus Williams in the final.

More importantly, as far as the game of tennis itself is concerned, the American’s absence creates a level-playing field between the rest of the competitors until her return. Moreover, this is a point that has been seconded by some of her counterparts themselves. For instance, 2016 French Open Champion, Garbine Muguruza, when asked about the consequences of Williams’ absence from this year’s tournament said, “I think it makes a difference, because if you look at the paper, Serena is always in the final. So, for sure, it makes a difference to not have her (here) for a good reason,” reported USA Today.

Further, speaking of who could win the French Open in Serena’s absence the Spaniard added, “I feel like there is 10, 15 girls that can win the trophy. So that's not normal. Before is not like that. There was always like few favourites. It's kind of weird to have a lot more. But this year is very open. I feel like a lot of people can win.”

While this is an obvious testament to the talent that the likes of Ostapenko possess, it also has a lot to do with Williams’ absence from the tournament. Had the American participated in the year’s second Grand Slam, in all probability, she would have walked away with the title, or at least made it to the latter stages of the tournament, given the kind of form she was in. However, now, riding on the back of her French Open win, Ostapenko heads into the ongoing Wimbledon full of confidence that she can make it two major’s in a row.

While we’ll have to wait and see whether or not Ostapenko manages to bag the Wimbledon title, the fact that Williams’ absence has made women’s singles tennis a lot more competitive can’t be denied. Never before in the recent past has the women’s singles draw been so open and competitive. As Muguruza had stated earlier, a whole host of players are capable of winning a major title, and that had never been the case when Williams was playing. Further, we are now also witnessing the beginning of the post ‘Serena Williams-era’, wherein there are no foregone conclusions in the game and nothing can be taken for granted. Finally, while may be ushering in a new era of tennis, let's also not forget the legacy of Serena Williams. For we may never again witness the kind of dominance that she has displayed on the court.