Serena Williams
Ended 2018: Did not play again following the infamous US Open final, where she lost to Naomi Osaka.
Starting 2019: At the exhibition team event, the Hopman Cup. She’ll team with Francis Tiafoe, and face Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic on the first day of the year.
Coaching Changes: None.
Prospects: In 2018, Serena made two Major finals coming off a year-long absence from the tour, and despite only playing seven tournaments on the year. The US Open incident will only make her more determined to win her 24th Major this year, which seems nearly inevitable.
Simona Halep
Ended 2018: Ended her season early after injuring her back in September.
Starting 2019: Next week in Sydney.
Coaching Changes: She is without a head coach after Darren Cahill announced his departure in the offseason.
Prospects: The absence of Cahill will loom large over Halep in the new year. He’s one of the best coaches of all-time, and was the driving force behind Simona’s ascension to the top of the sport. I would expect Halep to hire a new coach as the season progresses, but for now she’ll proceed without a defining voice in her box. I suspect her results will suffer as a result.
Angelique Kerber
Ended 2018: Going just 7-7 following her Wimbledon title.
Starting 2019: At the Hopman Cup teaming with Sascha Zverev, and will join Halep as the top two seeds in Brisbane.
Coaching Changes: She split with Wim Fisette right before the WTA Finals in October, and has hired former Australian Open Finalist Rainer Schuttler.
Prospects: Much like Halep, Kerber’s level of play will likely be heavily influenced by her coaching change. The split with Wim Fisette was puzzling considering their 2018 success, though it seems Fisette never sticks with the same player for very long. He’s already reunited with his former charge, Victoria Azarenka. I’m curious to see how the coaching relationship with Schuttler pans out, but I doubt this sudden coaching change will result in immediate success.
Caroline Wozniacki
Ended 2018: Winning the Premier Mandatory event in Beijing before being eliminated in round robin play at the WTA Finals.
Starting 2019: This week in Auckland, where she is the top seed.
Coaching Changes: None. Wozniacki is one of the only WTA players to not partake in the WTA coaching carousel, with her father continuing to serve as her long-time coach.
Prospects: Defending her sole Major title from last year’s Australian Open will be a tall task, and an early loss in Melbourne would send her ranking plummeting out of the top eight. Wozniacki has spent the majority of the past 10 years ranked inside the top 10, yet is still only 28-years-old and could easily have many strong years on tour ahead of her. Another Major title is not out of the realm of possibility if Caroline remains healthy and more offensive-minded.
Elina Svitolina
Ended 2018: Winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals.
Starting 2019: This week in Brisbane as the top seed.
Coaching Changes: Started working with Nick Saviano in September, with Andrew Bettles also remaining as a part of her team.
Prospects: Her 5-0 run at the WTA Finals should be just the boost she needs to finally get farther than the quarterfinals at a Major. Saviano was a big factor in the early success of both Sloane Stephens and Genie Bouchard. He’s already had a positive effect on Svitolina, and I see that continuing in 2019.
Naomi Osaka
Ended 2018: Followed up her US Open victory by making the final in Tokyo and the semifinals in Beijing, but went 0-3 at the WTA Finals.
Starting 2019: Scheduled to play in both Brisbane and Sydney.
Coaching Changes: None. She’ll continue to work with Sasha Bajin in the new year.
Prospects: The US Open was a life-changing event for Osaka, sky-rocketing her fame and fortune to new heights. Shockingly, it did not have an immediate impact on her results, judging by her impressive runs in Tokyo and Beijing. But a post-Open slump seems inevitable as Osaka adjusts to her new reality, and it would be completely understandable if Naomi struggles as 2019 begins.
Sloane Stephens
Ended 2018: Advancing to the final at the WTA Finals.
Starting 2019: Just like Osaka, she’s scheduled for both Brisbane and Sydney.
Coaching Changes: Kamau Murray recently told the New York Times that she and Sloane are “on a break,” and he will not be joining her in Australia.
Prospects: Stephens will likely be another player severely impacted by the absence of the coach that helped guide her to Grand Slam glory. And also like Halep, it sounds as if Sloane is going to Australian coach-less. I still expect Stephens’ future to include more Major titles, but not the immediate future.
Petra Kvitova
Ended 2018: Went just 9-10 in the second half of 2018, including 0-3 at the WTA Finals.
Starting 2019: Will be the fourth seed in Brisbane this week.
Coaching Changes: None.
Prospects: Kvitova led the WTA with five titles in 2018, but had nothing left come the last four months of the season. And Petra went just 4-4 at the Majors last year, so I’m sure her goal for 2019 will be to focus her energies on those events. Her results have always been inconsistent, but her recent record at Wimbledon has developed into a concerning pattern. The two-time Wimbledon champion made the quarterfinals or better every year between 2010 and 2014. But in the four years since, she’s 4-4 at The All England Club. Kvitova has long battled asthma, with many speculating it’s been a significant factor in her recent results at SW19. Let’s hope the easy-to-root-for champion finds a way to again compete for the Venus Rosewater Dish. Her chances at the other Grand Slam events may be slim, as she hasn’t reached a semifinal at a non-grass Major since 2012.
