10 reasons why I love women's tennis

Many say that sipping beer and enjoying the beautiful game of football is the ultimate thrill for a sports enthusiast, others get a kick out of a T20 cricket match while others like the fast game of hockey. Well you see I am a true gentleman and therefore I would say ladies first, and there is no better joy in the world then seeing extremely talented and beautiful women slugging it out at a tennis court. The grunting, arguments and weird apparels only add to the excitement when a women’s single match is going on everything else has to stop.

Now one may ask how is women’s hockey, cricket or football less exciting to watch. To all those who doubt my judgement, my only answer is that you don’t see Maria Sharapova or Anna Kournikova in the aforementioned sports, do you? So stop brainstorming and read the 10 reasons which make me love women’s tennis :

10. Anna Kournikova:

She is the poster girl for women’s tennis and there is no doubt about that, though the Russian has surprisingly never won a Grand Slam. She rose to rank 8 in the WTA rankings and briefly occupied no. 1 rank in women’s doubles along with Martina Hingis. She won 2 Doubles Grand Slams with Hingis but is better known for the glamour and style she brought on the center court of various grand slams. Good looks and an on-off relationship with Enrique Iglesias means that she continues to hog the limelight.

9. Serena Williams:

Younger of the Williams siblings, Serena is much more successful and eye-catching than her elder sister Venus. She is the comeback queen, often rising from bad form and personal problems to score Grand Slam victories. She has in total 27 Grand Slam titles which include 13 singles, 12 doubles and 2 mixed double titles. However it is not tennis alone that has won her millions of fans, for she is successful and beautiful. Unlike Kournikova, she has achieved success both on and off tennis court. She along with her sister Venus are often criticized for wearing unconventional and revealing dresses. But hey who is complaining!

8. Elena Dementieva:

Another Russian to make the list, it is perhaps fitting that she occupies a position just above her nemesis Serena. She has often reached Grand Slam semifinals only to defeated by Serena on multiple occasions. She twice reached Grand Slam finals, however she had little luck in winning any of them. On the field her bright and colorful dresses were as eye catching as her weak and unimpressive serve. She retired in 2010 and is perhaps most successful tennis woman for her country winning an Olympic medal and leading Russian team to victory in Federation Cup single handed.

7. Sania Mirza:

When you have a dearth of female sport stars in the country, you are bound to avidly follow those who achieve glory in the international Arena. Sania came to spotlight through her Wimbeldon victory in a Girl’s singles tournament,and she continued to be in spot light for both right and wrong reasons. Her recent marriage to Shoaib Malik and the controversy surrounding it are some of the wrong reasons, however no one can take away from her that she was the first Indian woman to enter in top 30 ‘s of WTA rankings. Her short dresses, remarks on premarital sex have lead to issue of fatwas by various Islamic organisations. She remains the sole Indian hope in top tier of women tennis.

6. Ana Ivanovic:

Ana Ivanovic is one of the most beautiful athletes among the current crop of female sportsperson around the world. It remains to be seen whether she will remain a one-cup wonder or will add more Grand Slam victories to her kitty. One thing is for sure, that she will continue to rule the tennis glamour world. Just 24 years of old she has earned much more money than what other women players have achieved in their entire careers. It remains to be seen whether the Cute serb will scale new heights or will meet the same fate of Kournikova.

5. Kim Clijsters:

She represents one of the reasons why I love women’s tennis: uncertainty and ability to make a comeback at the least expected moment. Clijsters retired from tennis to concentrate on her family but returned to the tennis arena and won the 2009 and2010 US Open titles, thereby becoming the first woman to win a Grand Slam after becoming a mother since 1980 . Her drop dead gorgeous looks are well supported by her powerful and resolute game. She was also involved in a relationship with Leyton Hewitt but her marriage with the tennis hunk called of in 2004.

4. Martina Hingis:

Her partnership with Kournikova in mixed doubles resulted in critics calling them the “Spice Girls of tennis”. The Swiss kick-started her career so early that her first retirement from tennis came at an age of 22 years. She later made a comeback only to be banned by the WTA after testing positive for cocaine. If Serena Williams is the Nadal of women’s tennis as she relies more on power, aggression and determination; then Martina Hingis is the Federer, for she is more elegant, subtle and clever despite obvious lack of strength. Hell yeah, I would pay any money to watch the beautiful Hingis back in action!

3. Maria Sharapova:

The tall and beautiful Russian is the reason why several people watch women’s tennis, and surely she doesn’t disappoint her avid fans. She experiments and designs her own apparel for the Grand Slams, and on the field she is a fierce competitor. She plays a very power packed game, and her decibel levels of grunts and screams cannot be even matched by male players. She has the highest career earning among women tennis players till date. Her skinny legs, beautiful dresses and powerful game are reasons enough to love women’s tennis.

2. Martina Navratilova:

She is the true champion in every sense. She currently holds the record for the most Grand Slam victories winning 18 singles, 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles title. It is hardly astonishing that she makes this list despite not being model material. She is a very prominent public figure and has mass fan following. Watching her play mixed doubles with Leander Paes was a sight to behold. Her merit is enough to make her occupy 2 nd spot, she doesn’t even require style and glamour to score brownie points.

1. Steffi Graf:

Undoubtedly the greatest women’s player of all time, she occupies the top spot. Be it in her rivalry with Sabatini or Seles or Navratilova , she has always emerged a winner. Stunning looks and unparalleled and immense success made her role model for number of fans. She married Andre Aggasi and they now have two kids. The very first women’s match that I saw was the match between Graf and Seles in which one of her fans stabbed Seles. The incident sowed the seeds of great interest for the German in many a fan, including me. To watch her play was the pleasure of our generation, her versatility brought her success on all the surfaces as well as an Olympic gold medal.

Watch this funny video and carefully listen to the humorous reply given by Graf to fan: