Women’s Tennis Is More Unpredictable — And Fun — Than Ever Going Into US Open
The retirement of Serena Williams has cleared the way for a new generation of players.
Poland's Iga Swiatek serves to Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova during their women's singles final match of the Roland-Garros Open in June.
Photographer: Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images
The retirement of the greatest women’s tennis player is giving a new generation of competitors the chance for sporting glory — and financial riches — in the most lucrative game for female athletes.
As the US Open tournament heads to its opening matches, the women’s division has never been so unpredictable following Serena Williams’s decision to give up the sport last year. Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina — hailing from Poland, Belarus and Kazakhstan — stand out as among the most dominant players, but the biggest tournaments have recently demonstrated just how wide open the women’s game has become.