Samantha Stosur and her chances as World No. 1
Samantha Jane Stosur, Australian professional tennis player, has had a particularly impressive run in 2010. One of the few players to successfully compete in both singles and doubles tours, Stosur hit her career high singles title
this year at World No. 5. She has also racked up victories against some of the best players of the world, including former Number 1s Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Dinara Safina, Amelie Mauresmo, Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport, and current
queen of the WTA, Caroline Wozniacki. She is currently World No. 6.
On the doubles circuit, Stosur and her American partner Lisa Raymond achieved the World No. 1 spot on the WTA. She is currently ranked World No. 26 in doubles, having taken time off to concentrate on the singles tour.
The Australian player, who reached the finals of the 2010 French Open before being ousted by Italian Francesca Schiavone, believes that she is capable of reaching the Number 1 slot in the near future. The French Open final at Roland
Garros was Stosur’s first Major title match, and she admits to being slightly flustered. She also says that in the future if she has the opportunity to play in a Grand Slam title match again, she will maintain more composure. Stosur described Schiavone’s Roland
Garros performance as “the match of her [Francesca Schiavone] life”, saying that she “absolutely went for broke”.
Samantha Stosur feels that with a little more effort, she can produce the same results and take over the World No. 1 position on the charts as well. However, she seems to realize the difficulties of reaching the position. She said,
“I'd love to get to that [top] spot and even though six seems pretty close, there is a long way to go before you could ever contemplate being No. 1. But I guess you've got to be able to put those little steps in place and be able to kick off those short-term
goals to try to get there.”
While it may be difficult for Stosur to reach the position she desires, it’s certainly not impossible. She has shown marked improvement throughout this year, going from being a languishing doubles player to an adept pro with a
great forehand, magnificent power and exceptional stamina. While all these qualities were a part of her game from the get-go, her five years as a doubles specialist led fans to believe that she would never be able to control them.
However, 2010 was a career defining year for Stosur. She made the Top Ten on the Women’s Tennis Association for the first time in her career in March, in addition to which she also enjoyed a great season on the clay courts. Although
Schiavone’s victory over the player at Roland Garros must have soured the success a little, even Stosur realizes that this year was her year. She managed to conquer her weaknesses to reach milestones once considered impossible for her.
Stosur also keeps her dream of World No. 1 alive, saying, “I believe in myself and my tennis enough that maybe one day it is possible, but it's not going to happen without doing a lot of things correctly for a long time. I've been
in the Top 10 for nearly a year now and I think that's a good first step."
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