WTA Season 2016 : The narrative remains the same but someone different speaks this time!

The narrative of women’s tennis has, most often than not, centred around unpredictability.

Serena Williams, arguably the best player of all time, was ensconced at the helm for 186 weeks.

From winning her first ever Grand Slam in 1999 to making stunning comebacks every time she was written off, Williams seized every opportunity on her way to stamp her authority. Although Williams embodies almost every quality that a Champion athlete possibly can, she has had to make way for a host of other players to script the narrative of the Women’s game.

This year has ushered in change from the very first Grand Slam in January at the Slam Down Under. Change is often messy but is interesting when it unravels. While Maria Sharapova’s controversy represents the messy side, Angelique Kerber & Co. represent the interesting side of change in Women’s tennis.

The conspicuous absence of Serena Williams in the WTA Finals at Singapore saw the rest of the field bloom.

The showpiece event that marks the end of season for Women’s Tennis had eight players each of whom lent a distinct characteristic to the narrative. The spectrum covered resurgence, explosiveness, grit, poise, power, finesse, consistency and dominance.

Tracing the players’ journey to the Year Ending Finale is as exciting as the dynamics that played out at Singapore over the last week and their evolving games.

The Resurgent Russian : Swetlana Kuznetsova, at 31, reached the SF of the WTA Finals for the first time in her career

Svetlana Kuznetsova, at 31, showed that it’s never too late to improve and navigate uncharted territories.

The Russian, who won the US Open in 2004 and the French Open in 2009, has had quite a spotty career history. However, she started 2016 with a win at Sydney, reached the Final at Miami and earned a spot in the WTA Finals by successfully defending her title at Kremlin.

Resurgent in every sense of the word, the Muscovite not only broke into the Top 10 but also reached the Semi Final of the Year Ending Championships for the very first time in her career.

Garbine Muguruza with her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros 2016

Garbine Muguruza had her moment in the sun when she ousted Serena Williams at Roland Garros this year. Characterized by explosive ground strokes, the swashbuckling Spaniard’s game failed to live up to the billing for the rest of the season.

It shows just how demanding the sport can be, physically and mentally, and the depth that Women’s tennis has. Her only solace post the French Open triumph was qualifying for the WTA Finals and a win over Kuznetsova in the Round Robin stage.

In the Top 5 since May 2014, Simona Halep needs to find the next gear

Simona Halep has been among the Top 5 since her famed French Open run in 2014.

Although her grit has allowed her to stay put in the Top 5 two years hence, she is yet to find the next gear to catapult to the top of the Rankings. Winning her second Premiere Mandatory title at Madrid this year, Halep returned to the Top 5 after having dropped out of it following her Quarter Final loss at Miami.

The Romanian is a great mover on court but should probably add more power to her serve and groundstrokes to reach the next level.

Runner Up at the US Open 2016 : Poise and Pliskova are two sides of the same coin

Karolina Pliskova wields poise with as much aplomb as her destructive serve. After having made the tough decision of skipping the Rio Olympics in order to ready herself for the gruelling hard court season, the ice maiden backed up her decision with remarkable results.

She not only stunned the elder Williams at the US Open 2016 but also dispatched the great Serena Williams in straight sets to reach her maiden Grand Slam Final.

As a consequence, she got a chance to rub shoulders with the Elite 8 and contest for the Year Ending Billie Jean King trophy at Singapore. Her poised demeanor, booming serve and tenacious groundstrokes off both flanks makes her formidable and a player to watch out for in the coming season.

Finding the Keys to success: Madison with her Aegon Classic title at Birmingham 2016

Madison Keys is more than capable of being the future torchbearer of American Tennis. The only American to feature in the Top 10 alongside her much accomplished compatriot Serena Williams, Keys brings sheer raw power to her game. With the Aegon Classic title at Birmingham, Keys debuted in the Top 10 for the first time in her career.

Although she failed to win any title post that, her deep run at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Beijing and Linz secured her a spot in the WTA Finals. She would, however, need to temper her game with some controlled aggression as relying solely on power, as she has till date, results in a flurry of unforced errors.

In Pole position: Agnieszka Radwanska with her 20^th WTA title

Agnieszka Radwanska comes as a whiff of fresh air in a field that is loaded with powerpuff girls. By emerging victorious in the Year Ending Championships last year, Radwanska had proved that you can win big titles with finesse, touch and court craft too.

She is blessed with an amazing set of wheels that makes her a tricky opponent to deal with. Having won three WTA titles this season - the Shenzhen Open 2016, the Connecticut Open 2016 and the China Open 2016, Radwanska might just have been one of the busiest players on the Women’s tour.

Although she failed to defend her title from last year at Singapore, she has taken a step in the right direction by adding more zip to her serve and injecting pace to her groundstrokes when required.

On Top Of The World: Angelique Kerber with the WTA No.1 trophy

Angelique Kerber banked on consistency and solid tennis from the beginning of the year till the very end. Having started the year at No.10 in the Rankings, the tenacious German made her intent very clear at the outset by doing the impossible.

Kerber beat the defending Champion and World No.1 Serena Williams at the Australian Open 2016 to win her first ever Grand Slam title. Following a glitch at Roland Garros, the German proved that she is not a one Slam wonder by winning the US Open 2016. As a consequence, she was crowned as the new World No.1 ending Williams’ streak of 186 tweeks at the top.

Kerber is indeed a worthy No.1 as she also won a Silver Medal at the Rio Olympics, reached the final at Wimbledon and the recently concluded WTA Finals at Singapore.

So, despite a lot of change how has the narrative of Women’s Tennis remained the same ?

The season ended with Dominika Cibulkova hogging the limelight with a shock win over the reigning No.1 Angelique Kerber. The diminutive Slovak was - resurgent, explosive, gritty, poised, powerful, consistent and dominant - all at the same time.

Pome’ : Dominika Cibulkova made it count when it mattered

Dominika Cibulkova put on a dominant display of tennis in the biggest match of her life. Despite losing to Kerber in the Round Robin stage, Cibulkova turned tables on her German opponent and dictated play from start to finish. While her serve down the middle ensured that Kerber had no angles to work with, her fearsome forehand kept the German scurrying from side to side three feet behind the baseline.

Cibulkova smiled through the missed opportunities on Match Points and seemed to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. She presided over their meeting like a boss by setting the agenda and seeing it through to completion, albeit with a bit of luck at the end. Fortune favored the brave and it seemed like an apt finish to a drama riddled match.

The depth of dominance was definitely nowhere close to what Serena Williams has rendered over the years but Cibulkova did a great job of keeping the narrative around unpredictability intact. And that’s what makes tennis exciting.