Former American WTA Wonder Recalls the Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati Era That Set the Stage for Modern-Day Women’s Tennis to Thrive

Many are of the opinion that after the retirement of a certain Serena Williams, women’s tennis hasn’t been the same in terms of star power and having the ability to pull large audiences just by virtue of the popularity of a WTA star. Although the women’s tour has seen dominant players in the form of an Ashleigh Barty, a Naomi Osaka, or maybe an Iga Swiatek in the past few years, players as larger than life as the Williams sisters or Steffi Graf have been far and few.

Former American WTA great Lindsay Davenport has claimed that the current state of women’s tennis isn’t as displeasing as is thought, nonetheless. While reminiscing a top-drawer match between American greats Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati from the past in a recent podcast, Davenport pinned high hopes from the current lot of women’s tennis players. 

Lindsay Davenport cites high-voltage Serena Williams-Jennifer Capriati match from the past to laud the current generation of WTA players

Former world number 1 Lindsay Davenport was a hugely successful player herself, bagging 3 grand slam titles in her illustrious career. In the latest podcast of Tennis Channel named Inside-In, the 47-year-old heaped praises on the present generation of WTA stars, especially admiring their athletic abilities on the tennis court.

She cited the example of a 2004 US Open match between two incredible athletes – Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati and equated their top-notch athleticism to that oF the players of today.

“But, you know, I look back, I remember watching a match about six months ago, and I think it was Capriati and Serena from the US Open.. I’m gonna get the year wrong, so call it 20 some years ago, and gosh, that seemed like, you know, those two athletes played each other… So there were pockets of kind of great tennis, you know, 20 some years ago but I think across the board and across all rounds, it’s pretty high level these days..”, she said.

According to Davenport, the average level of WTA players today has gone up compared to what it was years ago. She added that similar to the 2004 US Open match between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati, the present crop of players displays a high level of physicality and competitiveness.

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However, that Williams-Capriati match from US Open 2004 grabbed the headlines for another reason.

Serena Williams felt cheated after the 2004 US Open loss to Jennifer Capriati

Not many can claim to stand toe-to-toe against 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams at the peak of her powers. Compatriot Jennifer Capriati gave Williams tough competition every time they stepped onto the court. She came out victorious against Serena Williams in their 2004 US Open quarterfinal encounter. But the match wasn’t devoid of controversy – at a certain point in the match, a backhand shot from Williams was controversially called out by the chair umpire. Williams would later reveal in an interview that she felt robbed and cheated by the questionable decision.

Despite the controversy surrounding the match, it was undoubtedly a tennis match of the highest quality. And if Davenport’s words are to go by, then women’s tennis of the present day is certainly following in the right footsteps.

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