Women’s tennis has come under unfair and unwarranted criticism over the past few decades, but now it feels like nobody can deny their appeal.
After all, it is arguably the most popular women’s sport in the world now, forging plenty of superstars who are all good value for the steady progression towards financial parity with the ATP Tour.
What makes the women’s game even more appealing at the moment is just how competitive it is.
Whilst there are some dominant forces, everybody is beatable, and each new tournament breeds new opportunities to create history.
Garbine Muguruza certainly subscribes to this notion, speaking about the standard of women’s tennis ahead of a rather surprising Madrid Open final showdown between Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostryuk.
Madrid Open tournament director discusses the level of women’s tennis
Speaking on Tennis Channel over the week, Muguruza was keen to discuss the developments made at her Madrid Open tournament this year, and what was to come.
However, when asked about the current state of the women’s sport, her enthusiasm arguably reached an all-time high.
Do you think women should play best-of-five set matches?
She began by admitting: “It’s very mixed as you said.
“It’s, you never know who’s going to win the tournament. Lately, obviously, Sabalenka has been dominating the game. Rybakina has been the one challenging her all the time.
“So it’s really open. It’s very competitive. You almost can’t have a bad day. You know, if you have a bad day, someone else is going to come and win, it’s not clear at all, which is very exciting for the fans, you know?
“You get to know different players, and you never know who’s going to win.”
The competition for the women’s French Open is huge
Whilst it feels like the men’s French Open is Jannik Sinner’s to lose, with Carlos Alcaraz having withdrawn, the women’s is far more open.
This should create an enthralling event for the neutral, with so many stars who will have a genuine belief that they can challenge for the title.
Coco Gauff may be unpredictable, but she was last year and still won the title. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka will be keen to avenge her defeat in the 2025 final.
Iga Świątek, fresh from her training sessions with Rafael Nadal, can never be discounted on clay, whilst Elena Rybakina continues to shine no matter the surface.
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Then, there are even young outsiders who should fancy their chances, with Madrid Open finalist Andreeva, Amanda Anisimova, and Iva Jovic all dangerous.
That’s without mentioning superstars like Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka.
Whilst Sinner will likely cruise to the men’s title, it feels like anyone could win the women’s.
