WTA Top 10 Predictions For 2024

This is such a fun year-end activity: Opening up my WTA Top 10 Predictions for 2023 and drinking in what I got correct. Then I begin in earnest my WTA Top 10 Predictions for this time next year. Goodies, goodies!

Let’s begin with the best part: My general predictions for the WTA. Here’s what I wrote. You be the judge:

• Kaia Kanepi won’t retire. (Check.)
• Simona Halep’s ban will be upheld because the test results are unmovable. (Check.)
• Swiatek will win a minimum of 2 Slams. (Wrong. She only won Roland Garros.)
• Someone completely off the radar– a player we’re not even talking about– will emerge. (Check. Mirra Andreeva burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old in the spring, made runs at Slams and achieved a ranking of 49.)
• And several tennis pundits will say they knew she would all along. (Not really, to be fair.)
• And they are happy for her. (Check. Oh yes they are.)
• Mental health will still be a hot topic, and I believe Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu will continue to work through some of this, which is why I haven’t projected either of them in the WTA Top 10 for 2023. (Check.)

Not bad, if I do say so myself.
I didn’t fare as well with my WTA Top 10, but it wasn’t a total miss, either. Check it out:

WTA Top 10 Predictions for 2023:

1. Iga Swiatek (Check. Give me points for this because Iga just won the WTA Finals to swipe the crown from Aryna Sabalenka. That makes this a good prediction.)
2. Caroline Garcia (Nope. She slipped to #20.)
3. Barbora Krejikova (Good call. She reemerged this year to clock in at #10.)
4. Aryna Sabalenka (Yep, she’s #2, and I wrote “Aryna could leap the Grand Slam hurdle this year.” Good on me!)
5. Ons Jabeur (Yes. I said #5, she’s #6.)
6. Daria Kasatkina (Well no, but she had a nice year and stands at #18.)
7. Coco Gauff (I knew she’d have a good year, but I really should’ve gone higher.)
8. Maria Sakkari (Credit. I said #8, she’s #9.)
9. Belinda Bencic (No, but she had a good year, ranked #17.)
10. Linda Fruhvirtova (No. I took a flier and missed, but I still think this 18-year-old Czech shows promise.)

Players I missed: Marketa Vondrousova, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Karolina Muchova. Pegula and Rybakina are particularly bad misses. So I give myself 65% on predictions. Not horrible, but I need to improve. With that said, I unveil my…

WTA Top 10 Predictions for 2024

1. Coco Gauff. Yep I said it. Americans will finally have a number one again after receiving the gift of her 2023 US Open victory.
2. Iga Swiatek. She’s still absolutely incredible with her movement and that forehand but needs to work on her serve to maintain the rare air.
3. Aryna Sabalenka. Could just as easily finish #1. She’s smoothing out the errors.
4. Jessica Pegula. She has proven she just does. Not. Quit.
5. Elena Rybakina. A joy to watch. If she’s healthy, she wins another Wimbledon.
6. Beatriz Haddad Maia. Should win multiple titles. Her trajectory is on the up.
7. Jelena Ostapenko. Yes I said it. Older and wiser but still wicked.
8. Karolina Muchova. If she’s healthy. Love her net play.
9. Mirra Andreeva. The march upward continues for this superstar 16-year-old.
10. Ons Jabeur. The slump might linger until she can get over the Wimbledon loss in the 2023 final, but she’s still a hella good player.

Other predictions: The WTA will do a deal with Saudi Arabia because it needs the money. The tour will announce incremental new cooperative initiatives with the ATP, some of which will be a surprise. Happy news: A former Grand Slam champion will get pregnant. Ashleigh Barty will consider a return to the WTA or take a run at golf– some sort of competitive outlet. We won’t see any first-time Grand Slam Champions– everyone who wins one this year will already have a trophy in the case.

Ciao WTA fans!