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 When Williams opted to skip this week's WTA Finals in Singapore,
citing fatigue after a season that saw the 34-year-old increase her
grand slam tally to 21, the event not only lost its most dominant
player but also its finest server.
Talking to the media in an ambassadorial role for the elite
eight-woman event on Thursday, fellow American Evert, herself an
18-times major winner, said the stability at the top of the ATP
rankings was due to the leading men's ability to hold serve.
"To me, a lot of that fluctuation in the women's rankings has to do
with the serve. There is a lot more predictability that men will
hold their serve and matches will go to plan," the 60-year-old told
reporters.
"Women can be broken at any minute and their serve isn't as
dominant. It evens the playing field a little bit. There is that
fluctuation in the women's game right now and I think it's all about
the serve.
"You're always going to have it. You're always going to have that
fluctuation... but not with Serena because she has the ability to
hold serve."
As if to prove Evert's point, world number two Simona Halep became
the first woman to crash out of the WTA Finals a few hours later
when the Romanian dropped her serve four times in a straight sets
defeat to Agnieszka Radwanska.
FUTURE PROSPECTS
Pinpointing Spanish world number three Garbine Muguruza as "the real
deal" in terms of the next player most likely to threaten Williams'
reign at the top, Evert was also quick to highlight that a balance
was necessary to maintain consistency.
"I don't want to say potential because she's there, arrived already,
looking more and more like somebody who has tremendous ability to
not only play great tennis, but to have that personality and that
leadership that we need," Evert said of the 22-year-old who has won
both her matches so far in Singapore.
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"But, you know, it's interesting, kind of a double‑edged sword,
because you get these players that all of sudden have a great
uprise, and then you want to introduce them to the world.
"You want them to transcend the sport and get on covers of magazines
but at the same time, it's great for the sport to get their names
out there and their personalities out there, but it seems to hurt
them.
"It can maybe kind of dilute the hunger a little bit in the process.
So you have to find that right balance of getting that player's name
out there but not letting it affect their tennis also."
Halep is another player Evert expects to maintain a spot near the
top of the rankings for some years to come, a position that would be
enhanced with a maiden grand slam triumph.
"I think Simona can develop something there. I think her game can
develop. She's got a cute little personality, very positive and
friendly. She's going to be one of the more consistent players in
the future," Evert said.
(Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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