The Grass Was Greener on Their Side: Part 1

 The Top 10 WTA Players on Grass in the 2010s.

The U.S. Open last week announced it intends to begin on its originally scheduled date Thus, the ATP and WTA tour calendars are shaping out to resume competition in early August. In a normal calendar year though, the tours would now be a week away from Wimbledon. However, Wimbledon and the entire grass-court swing have unfortunately been cancelled for this year. So with competitive professional tennis still on hold, it’s a good time to look back on the last decade of grass-court tennis and the 10 players who made their marks, starting with the WTA.

• This list was ordered in terms of grass-court singles win percentages in WTA Tour-level main draw matches, and includes the 2012 London Olympics.

 Serena Williams

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 5 (Wimbledon’s: 4)

Grass-Court Singles Record: 55-6 (90%)

It’s hard to argue against Serena Williams topping the list of the Top 10 WTA Players on Grass in the 2010s. 

Serena took home the Ladies’ Singles title at Wimbledon four times last decade, in 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016. Her 2016 title was her seventh Wimbledon singles title and 22nd Grand Slam singles title.

In doubles, Serena won two more majors at Wimbledon with sister Venus Williams, in 2012 and 2016. Their 2016 win was the 14th Grand Slam doubles title they’ve won as a pair.

Perhaps most impressively though, Serena won her first Olympic gold medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics. She lost a total of just 17 games in 6 matches, finishing with a 6-0, 6-1 defeat of Russia’s Maria Sharapova in the final. At that same tournament, Serena would pair with sister Venus and win their third Olympic gold medal in doubles. 

 Marion Bartoli

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 2 (Wimbledon’s: 1)

Grass-Court Singles Record: 27-5 (84%)

Marion Bartoli’s best grand slam in her career, in terms of winning percentage, was Wimbledon (74%).

Bartoli, a finalist in 2007, snuck through the draw in 2013 to claim her only Grand Slam singles title. She defeated Sabine Lisicki in the final, 6-1, 6-4. 

Bartoli would retire soon after, in Cincinnati. Before she did though, she had grass-court wins over fellow Wimbledon champions Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova, both in 2011. 

Petra Kvitová

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 4 (Wimbledon’s: 2)

Grass-Court Singles Record: 57-15 (79%)

Petra Kvitová was the only other player on the WTA tour with multiple Wimbledon singles trophies last decade, besides Serena. And so the case could be made that she was the second best grass-court player during this time. 

Kvitová won her first Grand Slam Singles title at Wimbledon in 2011. In the final, she defeated 2004 champion Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 6-4. Three years later, she took home her second Wimbledon title. That Wimbledon (2014), Petra defeated thirteenth seed Eugenie Bouchard in the final, 6-3, 6-0.

A contender whenever she steps on to the grass, Kvitová won two other grass-court titles, both in Birmingham.  

 Angelique Kerber

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 2 (Wimbledon’s: 1)

Grass-Court Singles Record: 63-21 (75%)

In terms of winning percentage (74%), Wimbledon has also been Angelique Kerber’s best major in her career. The German continued to display her grass-court ability with deep runs at tournaments on the surface last decade.

Kerber reached at least the quarterfinals at Wimbledon four times last decade. She made it all the way to the final at the event for the first time in 2016. There she would lose to Serena.

The German turned the tables two years later though, defeating Serena 6-3, 6-3 in the 2018 final. The win secured Kerber her first Wimbledon title and her third Grand Slam singles title.

Maria Sharapova

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 0

Grass-Court Singles Record: 31-11 (74%)

Maria Sharapova burst onto the scene when she won Wimbledon as a teenager back in 2004. That was the only Wimbledon title she won in her career. But, the former World No. 1 made a couple deep runs at her breakthrough tournament last decade. 

Sharapova didn’t lose a set in her run to the Wimbledon final in 2011, where she was upset by eighth seeded Petra Kvitová. Four years later, Sharapova would return to the final four. There, she was beaten by number 1 seed Serena 6-2, 6-4. 

The Russian also took home the silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics. She beat Kim Clijsters and Maria Kirilenko, before losing to Serena in the gold medal match.

Victoria Azarenka

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 0

Grass-Court Singles Record: 38-14 (73%)

Victoria Azarenka has never won a Wimbledon title, but she has had great success in both singles and mixed doubles on the grass.

Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2012. She lost both times at this stage to the eventual champion, Kvitová and Serena, respectively. She also reached the final in Mixed Doubles with Great Britain’s Jamie Murray at Wimbledon in 2018.

Azarenka did win a big grass-court title last decade though. She teamed with Max Mirnyi to win the gold medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2012 London Olympics. In the final, they defeated Andy Murray and Laura Robson of Great Britain. Azarenka also took home the bronze medal in singles at those Olympic games. 

 Venus Williams

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 0

Grass-Court Singles Record: 31-12 (72%)

Venus Williams turned 40 this month, but age didn’t stop her from continued success at her best major last decade.

A five-time singles champion at Wimbledon, Venus made her first singles final there since 2009 in 2017. Venus defeated Naomi Osaka, Jelena Ostapenko, and Johanna Konta on her way to the final. There she to Garbiñe Muguruza, despite having multiple set points in the first set of that final.

Venus continued her success with Serena on the doubles court too. The sisters won two more Ladies’ Doubles titles at Wimbledon, in 2012 and 2016. Venus also won her third Olympic gold medal in doubles with Serena at the 2012 London Olympics. 

Simona Halep

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 2 (Wimbledon’s: 1)

Grass-Court Singles Record: 37-15 (71%)

Simona Halep came into Wimbledon last year having advanced to the second week three times before. She had only won one grass-court singles title though, at the Topshelf Open in 2013.

As the seventh seed, Halep flew somewhat under the radar and took home her second Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon last year. She defeated Azarenka, Coco Gauff, and Elina Svitolina on her way to the final. There, she defeated seven-time champion Serena, 6-2, 6-2.

The former World No. 1 will be defending Wimbledon champion for at least another year.

 Agnieszka Radwańska 

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 0

Grass-Court Singles Record: 44-21 (68%)

Agnieszka Radwańska never did win a Grand Slam singles title. But she did experience some career highlights at Wimbledon. Her biggest highlight is her only trip to a Grand Slam final, at Wimbledon in 2012. In that final she lost to Serena, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

Radwańska made the second week of Wimbledon six times in a row from 2012-2017. This included two more semifinal appearances in 2013 and 2015.

With a 30-9 record in singles at Wimbledon last decade, Radwańska was a consistent contender there. 

 Garbiñe Muguruza

Grass-Court Singles Titles: 1 (Wimbledon’s: 1)

Grass-Court Singles Record: 26-15 (63%)

Garbiñe Muguruza rounds out the list of the Top 10 WTA Players on the Grass in the 2010s. Muguruza only has one grass-court singles title, but it’s a big one. 

The Spaniard made her first Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon in 2015. She defeated future Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the final. The former World No. 1 lost to Serena in that final.

Two years later, Muguruza came into Wimbledon a Grand Slam champion and seeded 14th. That year, she would capture her second Grand Slam singles title. And she did so losing just one set the entire tournament.

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