Dubai Duty Free Tennis: Women's game has evolved, for the better

The Jumeirah Creek Hotel was a hive of activity as a battalion of female players, shouldering bulging tennis bags, filled the lobby. The receptionists were scrambling at their desks to attend to them as quickly as they could. Which was pretty impressive.

You could tell something big was going on as the attentive hotel staff were kept busy answering queries and requests. One by one the player's accommodation was sorted out and they made a beeline to the glassed elevators to head to their respective rooms, their abode for the next seven days.

The bustle ended almost as soon as it began. Or so it seemed.

Soon it would be showtime and Dubai’s marquee tennis championships would come to life on a bright Sunday afternoon.

But little did the players, 17 of whom were ranked in the Top 20 of the world, realize what they were in for and that it would be an extremely testing week on the newly resurfaced DecoTurf courts at the historic Dubai Tennis Stadium.

By the second round, four of the Top 10 players were eliminated among them world No five Caroline Garcia, No 6. Maria Sakkari , No 7 Daria Kasatkina and No 11 Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Not surprising, because nothing can be taken for granted in today’s talent-ridden women’s tour, where on a good day, or bad day in some cases, anything could happen.

If any of them had been around to listen to newly-crowned Australian Open Champion Aryna Sabalenka sound out a warning during a pre-tournament round table with the media, they would have not been surprised.

The Belarusian, who acknowledged that she had worked extra hard to gain the rewards of a maiden Grand Slam victory, summed up the state of the talent-rich women’s game.

“The draw is really strong here,” she pointed out. “Each opponent is really tough. I think tennis has improved a lot. If the No. 1 is playing against No. 30, it doesn't say anything. Anyone can beat anyone today.

“If you look far in the draw, then you lose the first match because you're already thinking about your semifinal match or whatever.”

If you look at tennis in the 80s and 90s and how it has developed through the two decades in terms of player commitment, fitness levels, technology and modernized playing surfaces, you would have to agree with Sabalenka, who on Wednesday came from behind to end Jeļena Ostapenko’s hopes of becoming the fourth back-to-back winner here after Justine Henin, Venus Williams and Elina Svitolina.

Women’s tennis has moved on from the Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova eras.

Which is actually not a bad thing.