Holger Rune, WTA Finals Discussion
Some interesting developments happened this week in both the ATP and the WTA. Let’s talk about the two big ones.
Holger Rune
Holger Rune just won his first 1000 in Paris, winning a 3-set final against Djokovic (!!!) after clearing a path through a pretty stacked roster. Rune has always been a player with a frustrating personality (use of homophobic slurs on-court, that thing with Casper Ruud at the French Open, etc.), so it would be interesting to see what happens if he decides to grow up one day. In my opinion, he is a better tactical player than Alcaraz – but his stamina is leagues worse. There’s a reason he has not been super successful in any best-of-five events yet, and that reason is the truth that his fitness is not on par with the rest of his game. I predict in 2023 he will do well in non-Slam events, but in order for him to succeed in majors, he will need to revamp his approach to his personal fitness. His match against Djokovic was a really good example of this idea. By the end, Rune looked exhausted. Imagine what would happen if he played a five-set match of that intensity! To be fair, Rune is only 19. He is not an adult, so it isn’t fair to expect a complete player out of a teenager (Alcaraz has spoiled tennis fans.) Rune will need to mature in plenty of aspects of his game, but he has shown a promising start.
WTA Finals
I honestly have no idea how to respond to the WTA Finals. I cannot say I was super surprised to see Sabalenka beat Swiatek, even though it contradicted my predictions; Swiatek was definitely fatigued from everything leading up to the event. Sabalenka was also playing super well – out of her mind in the literal sense. What is more interesting to me is that Caroline Garcia won the whole thing. Did anyone see that coming? Another question: how will these results lead into 2023? I think the Swiatek loss is not a big deal. She’s still by far the player to beat and is probably better than Sabalenka when they are both at their respective bests. Gauff will probably shrug this off her fair sum of losses. Garcia will be entering 2023 with some huge momentum. Unless some bizarre circumstance presents itself (which is not uncommon in the WTA), I think it is a real possibility that Garcia moves even further up the rankings. Playing so successfully with such a high-risk playstyle like hers for basically half of a season is indicative of huge talent, and it seems like she is finally capitalizing on it. It will not be difficult for her to get points at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon (if they unban the Russian/Belarusian players). She could be #2 or possibly even #1 if Swiatek has a patchier season next year. Despite being 29, Garcia has a very bright future. On another note, I think Ons Jabeur has had a heartbreaking year, results-wise, but I also think that she will win a major next year. My biggest prediction for 2023 is a lack of consistency. Swiatek cannot maintain her level for an entire season, and her chances to take a title on grass still do not look stellar – in my opinion, she would have gone farther at Wimbledon if she had played at Eastbourne first this year. Swiatek will probably win Roland Garros again, but I think the other three slams are wide open.
This could also all just be pointless and incorrect speculation because we saw what happened with Muguruza this year.