A smorgasbord of talent and other stories: Checking in at the midpoint of the WTA season

WATCH: Iga Swiatek claimed her fourth Grand Slam title with a win over Karolina Muchova in Saturday's Roland Garros final.

With two Grand Slam events completed and the 2023 tennis year at its mid-point, several intriguing storylines have emerged. Joel Drucker now offers a look at five themes that comprise the WTA narrative.

1. Celebrate the steak, savor the smorgasbord

A proverb goes that generals too often fight the last war instead of taking a fresh look at the new one. This applies to what I think about a campaign of sorts that seeks to bring into existence a WTA version of the Big 3. Must the longstanding success of three men become the template for defining the sport’s ongoing marquee? In the wake of the Beatles, did music promoters have to create another Fab Four?

Don’t get me wrong: I recognize and appreciate the excellent brand of tennis played by Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, the three power baseliners who’ve won the last four Grand Slams and are now ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 in the world. Perhaps, in the next 18-24 months, each in this trio will capture her share of successive majors and more titles, pull away from others, and indeed own resumes worthy of status as a new Big Three. But as Karolina Muchova’s run to the final and strong effort in Saturday’s Roland Garros match demonstrated, the contemporary WTA is very much a smorgasbord.

Consider the tour’s many stylists. They range from the deft transitional skills shown by Muchova, the delightful disruptions of Ons Jabeur, the laser-sharp drives of Jessica Pegula, the left-handed power and precision of Beatriz Haddad Maia and Petra Kvitova, the early ball-striking of Caroline Garcia, the all-court game of Coco Gauff, the spins and speeds employed by Daria Kasatkina, Barbora Krejcikova and Bianca Andreescu. These are just a few WTA players that add considerable spice every time they walk on the court. It’s an appetizing buffet.

And then there’s Swiatek, the WTA restaurant’s version of a hearty steak dinner. Having held the No. 1 ranking for more than a year and now earned four Grand Slam singles titles—compared to one apiece for Sabalenka and Rybakina—Swiatek occupies rare territory (as we await the return of another four-time Slam champion and one-time No. 1, Naomi Osaka.) Her gritty win in the Roland Garros final was arguably the finest effort of what’s already a Hall of Fame-career.

Nor is Swiatek particularly concerned about notions of another Big 3. Addressing that idea following Saturday’s final, Swiatek said: “I don't really analyze that, because I know that this is something that kind of you guys created, and I understand that fans love that. You too. So I'm trying to just be focused on my work. And for me, there is no reason to do that.”

In three weeks, we shall see if Swiatek can at last play her brand of excellent tennis at Wimbledon. In three prior main draw appearances there, her best effort was a fourth round appearance in 2021. Last year at the All England Club, Swiatek lost in the third round to the tricky Alizé Cornet.

“On [a] grass court, everything happens so quickly,” Swiatek said following that match. “I can't just use my topspin and put back these balls and just run the point and hope being solid, sometimes pushing the ball, is going to give the right effect.”

Given how exceptionally studious Swiatek is, it’s guaranteed that this year she’ll have a much better understanding of how to play effectively at Wimbledon.

2. Coco Gauff enjoys the process

She’s healthy. She’s not burned out. She’s dedicated, a rare Top 10 player in both singles and doubles. And though still a teenager, Coco Gauff has now been a pro for half a decade. Roland Garros this year once again validated her place among the elite, a quarterfinal run in the singles that included overcoming a situation Gauff is certain to encounter more and more: a younger opponent, 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva. For some, that kind of challenge can trigger a meltdown. Not Gauff. After dropping the first set of their third round match in a tiebreak, Gauff handily won the next two, 6-1, 6-1.

Gauff’s quest to improve is relentless and impressive. The matter of her forehand is most central, a topic likely to be addressed once Gauff hires a new coach. Rick Macci, coach of such greats as Jennifer Capriati and the Williams sisters, has expressed his desire to work with Gauff. Patrick Mouratoglou was present with her during Roland Garros. Will he continue? Who else is being considered? How will the new coach interact with Gauff’s current team? The answers figure to define one of the more intriguing plotlines of the year.

3. Global politics will continue to be part of the storyline

Because there are a greater number of players from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine on the WTA than ATP, matters related to global politics will likely be far more visible on the women’s tour. Such occurrences as post-match handshakes, crowd reactions, press conferences, flag-waving, public protests, and other factors might well compel the WTA to determine and articulate various policies and procedures for addressing these tricky situations.

Down the geopolitical road is the WTA’s decision to return to China this fall. We await how players, officials, sponsors, media and fans regard all these matters that echo far beyond the lines of the court.

4. There remains room for precocious prodigies

In recent years, two premises appeared to have jettisoned a third. One was that tennis has gotten far more physical. The second: careers last longer. Therefore, it’s less likely for teenagers to burst out from the pack. But as Jim Courier once told me, if a player has genius, then genius will surface regardless of age. Four years ago, Gauff proved this when she made a big splash at Wimbledon at the age of 15. And now, throughout the spring clay-court season, we’ve witnessed the arrival of the court-savvy Andreeva, already a winner this year over such skilled and varied players as Haddad Maia, Leylah Fernandez, Magda Linette and Alison Riske-Amritraj.

Though it would be foolish to proclaim Andreeva a soon-to-be top tenner, her early displays of ball-striking and point construction are promising.

5. Doubles can play a useful role

A year ago at Roland Garros, Garcia kicked off a career turnaround when she reunited with Kristina Mladenovic and won the doubles title in Paris. Gauff and Pegula have credited doubles with helping them both broaden their range of skills and further enjoy competing.

This year at Roland Garros, the surprise duo was Taylor Townsend and Leylah Fernandez, who beat five teams, including the second-seeded Gauff and Pegula tandem, before losing in the final. Townsend’s volley skills make her a doubles natural and will surely aid her quest to get back up the rankings in singles. Fernandez, hindered by injuries and less productive in singles over the last 12 months, has also found this all-lefty partnership quite enjoyable, her laser-like groundstrokes cracking open many a rally. One hopes more players at all stages of development see doubles as valuable.