Constructing the Perfect Female Player Part Two: A surprise appearance by Anna Kournikova

Wonderful World of Tennis / Guy McCrea / 23 February 2010 / Leave a Comment

Anna Kournikova never won a WTA title but her earnings off the court were unprecedented for a female tennis player

"I put my money though on the original Russian blonde bombshell: Anna Kournikova. Yes, Sharapova has made more off-court. But she has also won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached world number one. Kournikova was the trailblazer for women’s tennis in terms of marketability."

In part two of his study into the perfect female tennis player, Guy McCrea looks at who was the very best when it came to such qualities as power and mind and why the original Russian blonde bombshell tennis player Anna Kournikova features in the list.

* Power

Historically, this wouldn't have been an essential attribute. But now - due to the Williams sisters - it certainly is. Both have overwhelmed opponents over the last ten years with sheer power. Everything since their initial period of domination around the turn of the century is a response to the challenge laid down by them.

Venus (around [4.0 ]on Betfair to win Wimbledon 2010) uses her taller, more statuesque frame to generate tremendous power not only on her serve but also off her forehand. Serena ([2.62] favourite to retain her Wimbledon crown) is even more powerful and has the most imposing physique in the women's game. The 12 time Grand Slam singles champion uses every ounce of muscle to bash opponents into submission. Has any woman ever hit the ball harder than Serena? I don't think so - she gets my vote.

* Movement

Steffi Graf covered the court as well as anyone. The 22 time Grand Slam singles titlist was a tremendous athlete who kept herself in superb shape throughout her 12 years at the top. Graf's great footwork created valuable extra time for her to run around her backhand side and unleash the 'fraulein forehand' time and time again onto helpless opponents.

Martina Hingis was a graceful bundle of athleticism and energy. The fact she tried so hard probably explains why the Swiss Miss was effectively done as a Grand Slam winning force when she retired for the first time at 22 years old in 2002. But Hingis' elegant movement helped her win five Grand Slam singles titles and spend an impressive 209 weeks as world number one. Hingis' flow from the backcourt to the forecourt and if necessary, back again were a joy to watch.

Justine Henin ([7.4] to win Wimbledon) is the best mover on the women's tour at the moment and comes in a close second to Hingis. The Belgian's defensive skills and the delightful small adjustment steps she makes around the ball are top-notch.

* Mind

Women's tennis has been blessed with great competitors - but many come from the past rather than the present. Both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert had terrific mental toughness and will to win. It is why their fifteen year rivalry (which Navratilova won by 43 matches to 37) was the greatest the women's game has ever seen.

Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario possessed a tenacity that got her through many matches where her modest technical skills would have failed to do the job alone and won her four Grand Slam singles titles. She often frustrated her opponents into error with her never-give-in approach - most memorably in her 1989 French Open victory over Graf.

But I will opt for Maria Sharapova ([11.5] to win Wimbledon) here. Almost a year on from returning to the WTA Tour from serious shoulder surgery, the Russian may well never quite rekindle the success she enjoyed in the past. But mentally, she is as strong as they come in the current women's game. Sharapova is an unbelievable fighter on court. Just remember her run to the quarter finals of last year's French Open. Only recently back from injury, an exhausted Sharapova battled through four consecutive three-set slugfests on her unfavoured clay to win over the Parisian crowd - if not the only Grand Slam title that still eludes her.

* Marketability

The first female player to start to make serious money from off-court endorsements was Gabriela Sabatini. The 1990 U.S. Open champion made roughly $9 million in career prize money - but her off-court earnings raked in more than double that, through her fragrance company and other lucrative endorsement deals.

But the Argentine's x-factor is overpowered by Maria Sharapova once again. No female player has made as much from the power of their brand as the Russian - who currently earns about 23 million dollars a year in prize money and endorsements according to Forbes. Most recently, Sharapova put pen to paper on an eight year, 70 million dollar renewal deal with Nike.

I put my money though on the original Russian blonde bombshell: Anna Kournikova. Yes, Sharapova has made more off-court. But she has also won three Grand Slam singles titles and reached world number one. Kournikova was the trailblazer for women's tennis in terms of marketability. She illustrated just how much money can be made from sponsorship and endorsements.

Kournikova was talented - a top 20 player who won two Grand Slam doubles titles. Yet she never won a Tour singles title or reached a Grand Slam singles final. The Russian's tennis career was above average at best. For me, this makes her marketing strength all the more remarkable.

Kournikova's looks netted her tens of millions of dollars in lucrative endorsement deals. In addition, she enjoys a successful swimsuit and modeling career and still appears at dozens of red-carpet events every year - despite having played her final WTA Tour match back in 2003.

So this is the second and final set of attributes of my ultimate female player:

Power - Serena Williams
Movement - Martina Hingis
Mind - Maria Sharapova
Marketability - Anna Kournikova