WTA TOUR: Who's Number 1?

Ask yourself, who is the best player on the Sony Ericsson WTA TOUR? I'm almost positive that your answer did not pop straight into your head as it would if I asked you the same question about the ATP Tour. The obvious answer for that one would be either Rafa Nadal and a few of you might say Roger Federer. But for the WTA, 5 or 6 different answers could work. Many of you would say one of the Williams sisters, for their incredible achievements at the grand slams. Some of you might say Ana Ivanovic or Dinara Safina. And I'm guessing many of you would say Jelena Jankovic or Maria Sharapova. Vera Zvonareva could also be in the mix after her incredible run at the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships. But since Justine Henin's retirement from tennis, the WTA tour has become a much different place for tennis. The favorites on the hard courts now become Serena or Maria, and on the clay, anyone can triumph. On the grass it remains Venus Williams but many players are rising on that surface as well. 5 different women have been at the top spot so far this year, after Henin held the spot for all of 2007. 4 different players won grand slams and 6 different women reached slam finals. Many would claim that Henin's retirement made womens tennis much more exciting, but for some undiscovered reason, I disagree. The Williams' were clearly trouble by Henin, and although I am a huge Williams Sisters fan, in a way I miss Henin's class, grace, incredible movement, stunning backhand and big serve for her small frame. I guess I am a sucker for organization and order, but seeing 9 different ladies claim a top 5 spot this year gets quite annoying. So, Who's the best?

Jelena Jankovic

Good: Year End No. 1

Bad: 0 Grand Slams

Serena Williams

Good: Reached #1 and Won U.S. Open

Bad: Bland at Aussie Open, French Open, and Doha

Dinara Safina

Good: Went 44-10 from 5/5 to Doha

Bad: 0 wins in Doha as #3 seed

Elena Dementieva

Good: Olympic Gold, U.S. Open semis, Wimbledon semis

Bad: After Olympic Gold said "“The rest of my career I can just play for fun.” Grand Slams???

Ana Ivanovic

Good: French Open Champ

Bad: 11-8 after French Open

Venus Williams

Good: Doha, Zurich and Wimbledon Champ

Bad: 18-8 for all other tournies

Maria Sharapova

Good: 89 % winning percentage (32-4)

Bad: Played until July

So, Who is your top 5?

Serving up the Topics for you to Discuss,

Jake