[CJ07]

We all have our theories, we know what the rankings are as of now, but who will be the next world #1 thats not already close?

Daniela Hantuchova

Somehow I doubt it. Weight issues aside, she doesn't seem to have the all-around game of a number one player.

Amelie Mauresmo

The game is there for a number one player, the head isn't.

_____-ova, -ina, -eva, aya

While on paper its questionable, they get my vote


And just for fun, which one?

Thoughts?

Me? I have no idea, but I have a hunch they'll hail from the mother country.

 

[katrientje]

The girl on the right

I've never seen her play, but from what I'm hearing she might be the next big thing: she's tall, strong, focused and is starting to have the best results I've seen from a 16 year old lately.
I just hope the hype doesn't bring her down...

Good luck Maria!!

 

[CJ07]

Maria Sharapova?
Yeah shes one to look at
Dinara Safina as well, though she seems to have stagnated a bit

 

[darrinbaker00]

Seeing as how Serena, Kim, Justine and Venus are all in their early 20's and have yet to play their best tennis , it'll probably be someone we haven't met yet. Heck, it could be someone who isn't even BORN yet.

 

[wtn_amanda]

Samantha Stosur lol

 

[CJ07]

I doubt it

Serena wont be here come 2008 or 2009
Venus will probably hit the road come 2010 or 2011
Kimmie will probably get preggers and hit the road come 2008 or 2009
Justine same deal

so that's 5 years

SOMEBODY will creep into that top 4, and eventually to #1

 

[Martian Willow]

Well Maria will still be only 21 in five years, and only 26 in ten years, so even if nobody can challenge the sisters (I'm sure she can be better than the Belgians) she's still the most likely candidate.

 

[AntennA]

Anna-Lena Groenefeld, the new German hope after Steffi Graf!!!
She's already 18 years old and played quite a long time in the juniors circuit.
But what a blasting start she made in her first challengers.

Look @ this:

Hamilton ($25k - Canada - 26 points) - Jun 15 03
F Groenefeld(2) - Beier Ko(6) 6-3 6-3
SF Groenefeld(2) - Stephanie Dubois 6-0 6-3
QF Groenefeld(2) - Eunice David-WC 6-1 6-0
2 Groenefeld(2) - Melanie Gloria-WC 6-0 7-5
1 Groenefeld(2) - Megan Moulton-Levy-Q 6-3 6-2

Los Gatos ($50k - CA,USA - 9.50 points) - Jul 6 03
QF Alyssa Cohen-Q - Groenefeld(8) 7-6 (6) 6-2
2 Groenefeld(8) - Alexandra Podkolzina-Q 6-0 6-2
1 Groenefeld(8) - Kristen Schlukebir-Q 7-64 7-6 (5)

Vancouver ($25k - Canada - 29 points) - Jul 13 03
F Groenefeld(1) - Vilmarie Castellvi-Q 6-2 6-4
SF Groenefeld(1) - Melanie Marois(3) 6-74 6-3 6-2
QF Groenefeld(1) - Hana Sromova(5) 6-2 3-6 6-1
2 Groenefeld(1) - Beier Ko 6-3 6-0
1 Groenefeld(1) - Amber Liu 6-4 6-0

Oyster Bay ($50k - NY,USA - 45 points) - Jul 20 03
F Groenefeld - Bethanie Mattek(7) 6-3 6-0
SF Groenefeld - Kristina Brandi(6) 2-6 6-3 6-2
QF Groenefeld - Gabriela Lastra 6-1 6-2
2 Groenefeld - Christina Wheeler 6-2 3-6 6-4
1 Groenefeld - Meilen Tu(5) 2-6 6-3 6-3


... Very impressing huh! I'm very curious what she can do in Tier-tournaments. Wish her all the luck!
I think at this moment no one can reach the heights the Williams and the Belgians reach. But in the future I hope we can expect a lot from rising star Maria Sharapova and maybe, maybe also from Anna-Lena Groenefeld. We'll see...

 

[i_like_tennis]

if Amelie becomes healthy and stays that way
throughout the yr......she is my pick...
a #1 player has to be effective on all surfaces,
she shows that she can play on grass/clay,
she reached AO final once, one of her hardcourt
titles is in fact Tier I, in Montreal....
which means she is effective on all grounds,
so i pick her..

 

[Volcana]

Except for Kim, I don't see anyone 18 or older who hasn't been #1 ever becoming #1. (Too many hardcourts for Henin-Hardenne.) Sharapova and Safina are 17 and 16, so both of them should have a couple years of no Williamses to work with. Then again, niether of them are what Martina Hingis was at their age.

Most of the #1's had done something pretty noteworthy BEFORE they turned 18. Played in a GS final, won the Olympics, WON a GS title, something like that. The Tour Championships, Indian Wells, Miami and Rome would also meet my idea of 'something pretty noteworthy'.

 

[Lady]

It will be the Russian

 

[liuxuan]

Anna!! :bounce: :lol:

 

[disposablehero]

Well Maria will still be only 21 in five years, and only 26 in ten years, so even if nobody can challenge the sisters (I'm sure she can be better than the Belgians) she's still the most likely candidate.

Be sure when she reaches her 2nd Grand Slam Final. People were sure about Kournikova, then Dementieva, then Krasnoroutskaya, etc.

 

[DunkMachine]

One of those skinny russians

 

[raquel]

Maria Sharapova is over-hyped when you think about what she has achieved so far. I know she is only 16 but at Wimbledon she beat a slumping Dokic and lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova. I don't see Svetlana's name mentioned here yet, but of course she does not have blonde hair and pose in bikinis and heels, what was I thinking?!

 

[justine&coria]

As long as those 4 players are playing, I don't think someone on the tour will pass them. Maybe, it's someone yet to come on the tour. (or the new ones : SPrem, Sharapova)

 

[sartrista7]

Maria Sharapova is over-hyped when you think about what she has achieved so far. I know she is only 16 but at Wimbledon she beat a slumping Dokic and lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova. I don't see Svetlana's name mentioned here yet, but of course she does not have blonde hair and pose in bikinis and heels, what was I thinking?!

You're right; from her results, Masha doesn't deserve the hype. But I think she'll almost certainly reach No 1 one day, and I've thought that since I saw her in junior Wimbledon '02, because - results or no results - you can always tell when someone has the game to reach the top. Additionally, I think Masha's mentally up to it as well.

 

[Hendouble]

Lord knows! Whoever it may be, I wish them joy of it. To be honest, I find it hard to see anyone else in the present Top 10 breaking the Willie-Belgo stranglehold on the top of the game... if it is one of the Russians, I'll plump for Zvonareva and Kuznetsova (well all right, because I like them the best out of all the Russians). I do wonder, though, how many of those young Americans will make an impression once Capriati, Davenport, Seles, Rubin et al depart from the game. Don't get me wrong, Harkleroad played an absolute blinder against Hantuchova at RG, one of the three best matches of the year, but Sharapova rather put her in her place at Wimbledon a few weeks later...

 

[sartrista7]

Harkleroad's defensive style was never going to work well on grass though - she's a complete anomaly, an American whose best surface will be clay.

 

[Hendouble]

Hmm, good point... in which case the Russians have something of an edge, since they seem to be able to play equally well on all surfaces. Mind you, if Harkleroad can start mowing down seeds like she did during Charleston, she will definitely be a threat. It was worth noting that all the three players she upset were tall power merchants with games more suited to hardcourt - someone on here observed jokingly that she'd beaten 18 solid feet of player (Bovina, Shaughnessy, Hantuchova)!