Martina Navratilova was talking about the variety of Daria Kasatkina’s game when a thought occurred to her. It only took a split second for the 18-time major singles champion to turn to a larger subject.
“What we get with all of them is such a contrast,” Navratilova said of the diversity of the WTA Finals field. “There really are no two players alike. It’s great these days. It used to be more of the same old, same old – and now there’s a lot more variety, in every way.
WTA Finals: Monday order of play
3:00 p.m.: Krejcikova/Siniakova against Krawczyk/Schuurs
Not before 5 p.m.: Pegula against Sakkari
Not before 7 p.m.: Jabeur against Sabalenka
Followed by: Gauff/Pegula vs. Xu/Yang
“Different countries, personalities, styles – it will be good for people to support a particular player. And I think (the support) is going to be widespread, which will make it a fun event for everyone.
Once again, Navratilova will be one of the ambassadorsalongside Chris Evert, at this year-end event, which will be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth starting Monday.
Learn more about the WTA Finals
Unsurprisingly, Navratilova has some thoughts. Here are eight questions we ask the eight players heading to Fort Worth:
1. Iga Swiatek: She has won eight titles: Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, Roland Garros, the US Open and San Diego. Will she be able to complete one of the great seasons in WTA history?
Navratilova: She has won two of the four majors, and the rest is simply mind-blowing. When I had a good year, during the end-of-year championships, you relaxed. It’s “I had a great year, I have nothing to prove.” She had a few weeks off. There is absolutely no pressure on her, so she could play probably the freest tennis there is.
2. Ons Jabeur: After reaching two consecutive major finals, what do you expect from the No. 2 seed?
Navratilova: She will be hungry. Losing these two finals sucks to lose in the final of a major tournament. You have to stay on the field for another 15 minutes, when you just want to go to the locker room and have a beer. She may be the hungriest of them all. It’s a great event and could be a stepping stone for next year. She may be the one with the most to prove. It’s funny, No. 1 and No. 2: one has nothing to prove and the other is perhaps the hungriest.
3. Jessica Pegula: How do you see her chances after winning the title in Guadalajara?
Navratilova: She played well last week, obviously. She has grown so much. (Coach) David (Witt) worked with her and everything got better. She was a passive player and now she’s not your baseline at all. She’s a fan of the net – I think the double helped her. And she’s totally a student of the game. You can see her brain working. She is mentally stable; she doesn’t get too upset one way or another. She was consistent in every way. And she added firepower when the opportunity presented itself.
4. Coco Gauff: What advantage will the 18-year-old have?
Navratilova: Yeah, she does it step by step. Overall, she would be happy with where she is. He still has a few technical things to work out, but it’s getting better – everything is getting better all the time. And the court coverage – she and Swiatek are the fastest players. They make people hit more balls than anyone else. I think she constructs points better, hits the right shots more often and understands the geometry of the court. It was fun to see her progress. You can see she wants it so much. She is open to learning and evolving.
5. Maria Sakkari: She has been up and down all year and was last to qualify a week ago. How much does his run to the Guadalajara 1000 final help him?
Navratilova: She came out under pressure, she had to win these matches to go directly to the tournament. So bravo for that. She had some opportunities in years past and didn’t play her best under pressure. And she did it last week, when it was all or nothing. She should be pretty happy to have succeeded. She will be happy to be there, ready to go. With her game, the lower the bounce, the better for her. I love the way she carries herself on the pitch: she’s so fiery. I just need to relax a little more.
6. Caroline Garcia: She won three titles: Bad Homburg, Warsaw and Cincinnati 1000. What was the difference this year?
Navratilova: She now plays with more conviction in her shots, and that makes all the difference. She went up (in the rankings) and then she went back down and it’s good that she bounced back. She is one of the best athletes in the world. She should be fine, flying really high.
7. Aryna Sabalenka: She has only one victory since reaching the semifinals of the US Open. Are we neglecting its chances?
Navratilova: On big occasions, she did not have this breakthrough. Which is funny because you would think it was the other way around – that she would have won (a major tournament) and then maybe had worse results. She has nothing to lose, maybe the surface would be favorable if she bounced a little higher, so she could hit him. We will see. She’s a bit of a wild card.
8. Daria Kasatkina: She who won 40 matches this year, two titles and is ranked 8th in her career. How dangerous is a float?
Navratilova: She has also fluctuated with her play. One would expect more consistency in her results given the way she plays. She seems happy in her private life. Maybe that’s part of why she plays better, because it frees you up. She has a good feel for the game. It’s an unknown factor, she kind of weaves through you, rather than knocking you down like some other players.
Bonus: who wins everything?
Navratilova: You have to go with Swiatek. How can you go against her? She would probably adapt best to the speed of the field. She has fairly compact shots, even if she puts a lot of lift on this forehand. It’s not a massive swing, so it can take on the fastest pitch. And having grown up in Poland, she probably would have practiced a lot on faster courts to be able to adapt to that. If it’s slow, so much the better, the lift will pay off for her. I can’t oppose her because she will never fight.
