Sports – FiveThirtyEight — Women's Tennis RSS



Serena Williams Will Need To Serve Better To Tie Margaret Court

With one more win at Wimbledon, Serena Williams would tie Margaret Court, the only player in history with 24 Grand Slam singles titles. In Saturday’s final, the 37-year-old Williams will battle Simona Halep, who won the French Open last year but has never won a Wimbledon title. Williams appears to have shaken off the rust […]

Continue reading



Coco Gauff Is 15 Years Old. Could She Be The Next Steffi Graf?

Women’s tennis has a new child prodigy. Fifteen-year-old Cori “Coco” Gauff won her first two Grand Slam wins at Wimbledon this week, with a bold serve and a poise that belies her age. Gauff beat Magdaléna Rybáriková on Wednesday in the second round after a Monday debut that saw her thump Venus Williams, a 39-year-old […]

Continue reading



Women’s Tennis Is Finally Getting Young Again

In the French Open final, 19-year-old Markéta Vondroušová, who dazzles with drop shots, will face off with Ashleigh Barty, 23, who is crafty and quick with a ton of energy. Amanda Anisimova, 17, reached the semis by hitting smooth strokes and bullets all day long. And world No. 1 Naomi Osaka lost early in Paris […]

Continue reading



Petra Kvitova Is The Most Unpredictable Player In Women’s Tennis

Petra Kvitova, the tennis star from the Czech Republic, is 6-feet tall, left-handed and can crush her forehand and serve. She has won Wimbledon twice in her career, the only currently active woman to accomplish that feat besides Venus and Serena Williams, who each won their first two from 2000 to 2003. At the moment, […]

Continue reading



The Serve-And-Volley Works, But Women’s Tennis Players Aren’t Using It

Women at this year’s U.S. Open have displayed incredible athleticism and shrewd strategy. We’ve seen blistering serves and masterful groundstrokes in the nearly two weeks of play. But we’ve been missing a powerful, ancient weapon: the serve-and-volley. The tactic is all but extinct from women’s tennis, despite still being incredibly effective. Through the quarterfinals in […]

Continue reading