By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 27, 2023

 

Eight players will contest bragging rights at this year's WTA Finals in Cancun. Here's one burning question for each.

Photo Source: Getty

It’s time to ramp it up for a grand finale in Cancun, where the elite eight qualifiers will battle for the right to call themselves a WTA Finals champion.

Who will be left standing when all is said and done? Too tough to call perhaps, but we do have one question for each player in this year’s field – let’s get straight to them.



1. Can Aryna Sabalenka Lock it Down?

It’s been a banner year by all accounts for Aryna Sabalenka. She crashed through fear and doubt and won her maiden major title, then rose to the No.1 ranking after the US Open, despite a heartbreaking loss in the final to Coco Gauff. But there are still questions about the psyche of Sabalenka and her ability to deliver tennis that is commensurate with her elite talents on the biggest stages in the biggest moments.

That’s why this year’s WTA Finals will be so important for her. She’s still a work in progress on some levels, and the test of protecting her No.1 ranking and continuing her evolution from a shaky closer to a bulletproof alpha is front and center here in Cancun.

How will she perform as the hunted, and does she have the nerve to create a dominant aura on tour?

2. Does Iga Want to be No.1 Again?

Iga Swiatek has come down to earth a bit in 2023. Sure, she maintained her otherworldly domination on her beloved clay, winning her fourth major title at Roland-Garros, but cracks in her armor did emerge on the faster surfaces. Grass continues to be a challenge and on the hard courts the 22-year-old Pole was regularly beaten by Elena Rybakina and others – see Ostapenko at the US Open – as she eventually lost her hold on the No.1 ranking at the conclusion of the Flushing fortnight.

Next week we get to see a different Iga. One who is on the prowl, looking to climb. In the past, when in this element, she’s been freer and more productive. Perhaps a dip in the ranking can provide her with a new lease on life. We know she’ll be back at No.1 at some point. The question is, does that push start now, or will she need time to build back her status as indomitable conqueror?

3. How does Coco Back up NY Triumph?

Though she pulled off the magical run of the year in New York, Coco Gauff has always been adamant about the fact that she has a lot of work to do before she becomes the player she wants to be. Amazing, when you consider the fact that the 19-year-old is 49-14 on the season with her maiden major title in tow.

Many believe that backing up a Slam title will be easier for Gauff given the fact that she has been under the spotlight since she emerged on tour as a shapeshifting 15-year-old, reaching the second week of Wimbledon in 2019. It’s likely true. Since raising the trophy in Flushing life probably hasn’t changed too much for Gauff – she’s always been heavily endorsed by big brands, she’s always had immense expectations placed on her. The only thing that has changed is that now she knows for sure she is the real deal.

It will be interesting to watch Coco in Cancun. Last year she was a deer in the headlights and didn’t win a single match at WTA Finals Fort Worth. This year she’ll want to send a message to the rest of the field that the new Coco is as real-deal as it gets.

4. Where’s the Rybakina that Won Indian Wells and Rome?

Though the 2022 Wimbledon title run was a highlight, there is the feeling that we have not seen the best of Elena Rybakina yet. In fact, in the first half of 2023, we saw glimpses of what the future of the Kazakh could look like. She came within a whisker of winning her second major at the Australian Open, then trampled through draws at Indian Wells (title), Miami (final) and Rome (title) while showing a rare ability to handle Iga Swiatek (three straight wins).

Things fizzled for Rybakina at the end of 2023. She struggled with injuries and lost the plot. Here lies her chance to get it back and to set the tone for another step in 2024. If she’s fit, watch out.

5. Is this the Step Pegula Needs to Take?

At this year’s US Open, Jessica Pegula said it best when she was asked what she needed to do finally break through and reach a major semifinal: “I need to win a quarterfinal,” she said with a smile.

Indeed she does. The talented American enters this year’s WTA Finals shadowed by the same question. She’s an elite talent, and incredibly consistent, but does she have that extra je ne sais quoi to push through the barrier and become a bona fide threat to win the biggest titles in women’s tennis?

She'll turn 30 in February - the clock is ticking for JPeg.

6. Does Marketa Belong?

Since her stunning breakout performance at Wimbledon, where Marketa Vondrousova won her maiden major title, the Czech has gone 9-4 with quarterfinals at Cincinnati and the US Open. Not bad at all when you consider that the 24-year-old, a self-declared introvert, went through a life-changing experience in London and is now a household name to tennis fans, and everybody in the Czech Republic.

Will that experience make Vondrousova shy away from taking the next step, or will the soft-spoken southpaw tap the brakes and be content with drifting back outside of the Top-10 where the spotlight is less glaring? The talent is there for her to push into the Top-5 and contend for more Slam hardware, but is the mindset in place?

7. Does Ons Have More in the Tank?

2022 and 2023 have been banner years for Ons Jabeur. She has made history for herself, for Tunisia, for Arab tennis and for women in general. She has been a true inspiration, and a winning - and entertainment - machine. And yet, that beautiful narrative has been tempered by heartbreak – and more heartbreak – as Jabeur has lost all three of the Grand Slam finals she played.

This year at Wimbledon, when the Tunisian absolutely froze in the final against Marketa Vondrousova, was the toughest pill to swallow. With two Slam finals under her belt, the general consensus was that Jabeur would be ready to handle the mental challenge and dial up her best tennis.

Now we wonder if it is a case of three strikes and you're out for Jabeur, or does this amazing, charismatic human have more tricks up her sleeve? She could go a long way to rebuilding her self-belief with a positive performance this week in Cancun…

8. Can Sakkari Play Spoiler?

Here’s a great opportunity for a player that has needed time – and then some – to learn how to handle the biggest stages in tennis. Sakkari’s breakthrough last month in Guadalajara was a magical moment, no doubt about it, but did it really cut deep enough as to change the psyche of the Greek?

Sakkari is an elite talent, but she has lacked the punch and the confidence to to finish what she starts. As a longtime Top-10 talent it has always been clear that she has the potential to win majors and other big titles, which is why it has been perplexing to watch her struggle to win titles of any kind (she owns just two).

Maybe Guadalajara has proven to be the nourishment Sakkari's sometimes frail psyche needed. Another impressive run in Mexico could be the tonic that sets her up for a 2024 season that finally sees her outpace her talents.

As an alternate, in the draw only because Karolina Muchova pulled out, Sakkari should relish her position and see how good she can be when she plays with a relaxed, positive mindset.