A rivalry worth the wait

Serena Williams has become the oldest No 1 but Victoria Azarenka has the class to challenge her

As Victoria Azarenka beat Serena Williams, it looked from afar as if Azarenka’s shots down the stretch were more accurate than her celebration. After finishing off Williams in three sets in the final in Doha, Qatar, last Sunday, Azarenka thumped her chest and pointed in the direction of her box and then wagged a single finger.

But Azarenka, impressive victory or not, is no longer No 1. That honour – and despite all the rotation at the top in recent seasons, it remains quite an honour – belongs to Williams instead. It is a tribute to Williams’s talent, her power, her speed and her greater consistency and presence over the past 12 months. It is a tribute to her resilience, to her newfound desire to reach outside her inner circle for advice, to her ornery streak and to her still healthy appetite for titles, particularly of the Grand Slam variety.

Though there were once understandable doubts about her staying power, she is now, at 31, the oldest No 1 since the Women’s Tennis Association rankings began in November 1975. The enduring past champions Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were 30 when they last held the top spot. Williams’ long-time rival Lindsay Davenport was 29 in her last stretch at the top, and Steffi Graf was 27.

In the years before the official WTA rankings, when rankings were a more informal affair, there were some consensus No 1s who were older: American Helen Wills Moody, who was 33 in 1938; American Margaret Osborne duPont, who was 32 in 1950. But however you analyse it, Williams’ achievement should rank high on a list of career highlights that includes 15 Grand Slam singles titles.

“I would certainly put it up there extremely high,” Davenport said. “She’s obviously had to overcome quite a few obstacles to get back to the top. Really her reaction on court in Doha tells the story. Not too often have we seen Serena so overwhelmed.”

Williams has a theatrical side, which can make her difficult to read at times, but this did indeed appear to carry great weight because it represented her full-circle return to the top after her major health scares in 2010 and 2011.

Tracy Austin, another former No. 1, struck a more minor key.  “At the end of their career, most players are measured by how many Grand Slams they have and then if they have been ranked No. 1,” Austin said. “If Serena had to choose between becoming No 1 again or winning another Grand Slam title, it would be the Grand Slam title. The first time you become No 1 is the most special by miles. That being said, this is emotional because of everything she’s gone through.”

Williams and Azarenka could have met again in Dubai this week but injuries forced them to pull out, leaving the top ranking in the American’s hands.

Williams has won 11 of her 13 matches against Azarenka. But after their last two meetings, it certainly looks as if this has a chance to be the rivalry that the women’s game has desperately needed for several years.

When Williams beat Azarenka on grass in the semifinals of the Olympic tournament last year, Azarenka and her coach, Sam Sumyk, were scratching their heads over the riddle posed by Williams’s superior power. But Azarenka, whose aggressive returns and elastic ground strokes remain the foundation of her game, nearly beat Williams in the US Open final and has now beaten her in earnest, even if Williams was not hitting the high notes as consistently as she did in the second half of 2012.

“Facing a champion like Serena makes Vika better,” Sumyk said in a recent interview. “There’s no question about it, and that’s a compliment about Serena. So my wish is that we can play Serena as many times as possible. That’s priceless for Vika.”

What the intense, sometimes prickly Azarenka brings to the equation is rare: a competitive drive that is similar to Williams’. “I’m going to aim for them all,” she said of the four Grand Slam tournaments after winning her second Australian Open last month.

And though it seems clear that she will never have Williams’ ability to dominate a match with her serve, she has dominated many with her ground strokes and has upgraded her game significantly, focusing on her forehand, her movement and her variety.

“This absolutely could be the rivalry,” Austin said. “And the fact that Vika seems to be getting better, doesn’t seem intimidated by Serena and that there is no love lost is good.”