For the ninth year in a row, my friend John Bolan is predicting the season-ending Top 10 WTA ranking for the coming year and he is again asking you to join him in his predictions. Write your 2019 season-ending WTA Top 10 in the comments below this article and the best predictor will win an autographed picture of one of your favorite women’s tennis players next December. Now I’m giving the word to John.
Who do you think the Top 10 players will be when the 2019 season is over? The answer isn’t easy. Emman Damian, our best predictor in 2018, only had 7 out of 10 correct picks.
Making my selection, I looked at the most recent head-to-head stats, the number of tournaments played, the injury reports, possible comebacks, coaching and personal situations. Having babies, as well as the wear and tear from playing 15 years or more always have a big effect on the outcome of the Top 10. This year will be the second year of great young players taking over the top ranks of the WTA. My picks include only one player over the age of 30.
It may be of interest to know the players I did not choose. This time in my Top 10 picks you won’t find long-time favorites such as Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Dominika Cibulkova, Venus Williams, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka. Tennis is a tough sport and bodies only hold up so long. It is increasingly difficult to play at the top year after year, since players accumulate injuries and must play through pain.
For the second year in a row, Elina Svitolina is my pick for the No.1 player. Her dominance in the WTA Finals convinced me to pick her again at the top spot. Eight of my picks were included in the Top 10 in 2018 and will continue their excellent play during 2019. The best two young players who should move into Top 10 are 20-year-old Aryna Sabalenka and 22-year-old Ashleigh Barty. Both just missed the Top 10 in 2018, finishing 13th and 15th, respectively.
My Top 10 choices for the end of 2019
1. Elina Svitolina
2. Naomi Osaka
3. Sloane Stephens
4. Angelique Kerber
5. Karolina Pliskova
6. Aryna Sabalenka
7. Daria Kasatkina
8. Kiki Bertens
9. Caroline Wozniacki
10. Ashleigh Barty
Once again, I realize many of you think differently about who will be Top 10 players in 2019. This is your chance to make your opinion known. Please use the comment section to make your own picks. If yours are the most accurate compared to the actual final rankings in December 2019, you will receive an autographed picture of one of your favorite players. Please note you must make your choices and enter the contest before January 1, 2019. Good luck – you will need it!
it is super hard for me to predict :)dont even try!
i am suprised there is no halep in your top 10
(1)Aryna Sabalenka ????????
(2)Elina Svitolina ????????
(3)Angelique Kerber ????????
(4)Petra kvitova ????????
(5)Kiki Bertens ????????
(6)Naomi osaka ????????
(7)Simona Halep ????????
(8)Caroline Wozniacki ????????
(9)Anett Kontaveit ????????
(10)Camila Giorgi ????????
Cmooooooooooooooon????????????????
1) Elina Svitolina
2) Simona Halep
2) Serena Williams
3) Aryna Sabalenka
5) Sloane Stephens
6) Naomi Osaka
7) Petra Kvitova
8) Daria Kasatkina
9) Caroline Wozniacki
10) Kiki Bertens
TurkishMommy, good question. John, do you have some insider info that Halep will join the mom’s club next season? 🙂 Or because of her injury?
Jan Lilley, Camila Giorgi? Will she be consistent enough? Although she currently is at her career-high ranking of No.26.
1) Simona Halep
2) Sloane Stephens
3) Naomi Osaka
4) Serena Williams
5) Aryna Sabalenka
6) Elina Svitolina
7) Caroline Wozniacki
8) Jelena Ostapenko
9) Qiang Wang
10) Petra Kvitova
Tough choices for this year. I’ll try my luck on my picks again:
1. Serena Williams
2. Karolina Pliskova
3. Petra Kvitova
4. Caroline Garcia
5. Elina Svitolina
6. Jelena Ostapenko
7. Caroline Wozniacki
8. Angelique Kerber
9. Simona Halep
10. Madison Keys
My TOP 10 2019 WTA Year-end Ranking,,,,
1, SVITOLINA E
2, HALEP S
3, PLISKOVA K
4, STEPHENS S
5, OSAKA N
6, SABALENKA A
7, WANG Q
8. KASATKINA D
9. KONTAVEIT A
10.ZHENG S
1- Halep
2- Osaka
3- Wozniacki
4- Sabalenka
5- S.Williams
6- Keys
7- Q.Wang
8- Kontaveit
9- Svitolina
10- Kerber
I did not choose Halep because of her back injury. Remember Safina? Her back injury ended her career. Let’s all hope for a better outcome for Simona.
1. Serena Williams
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Angelique Kerber
5. Daria Kasatkina
6. Naomi Osaka
7. Simona Halep
8. Anastasia Sevastova
9. Kiki Bertens
10. Elise Mertens
WTA:
1. Simona Halep
2. Naomi Osaka
3. Garbi Muguruza
4. Serena Williams
5. Karolina Pliskova
6. Petra Kvitova
7. Angelique Kerber
8. Caroline Wozniacki
9. Madison Keys.
10. Wang Qiang
LPGA:
1. Sung Hyun Park
2. Ariya Jutanugarn
3. So Yeon Ryu
4. Sei Young Kim
5. Lexi Thompson
6. Brooke Henderson
7. Shanshan Feng
8. Moriya Jutanugarn
9. Lydia Ko
10. Jessica Korda
1. Serena Williams
2. Sloane Stephens
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Angelique Kerber
5. Simona Halep
6. Caroline Wozniacki
7. Petra Kvitova
8. Venus Williams
9. Karolina Pliskova
10. Aryna Sabalenka
1) Sloane Stephens
2) Elina Svitolina
3) Simon Halep
4) Serena Williams
5) Petra Kvitova
6) Aryna Sabalenka
7) Angelique Kerber
8) Naomi Osaka
9) Caroline Wozniacki
10) Garbine Muguruza
JohnnyB, I thought so. Wise, yet pessimistic decision.
1. Elina Svitolina
2. Naomi Osaka
3. Sloane Stephens
4. Aryna Sabalenka
5. Karolina Pliskova
6. Simona Halep
7. Caroline Wozniaci
8. Daria Kasatkina
9. Angelique Kerber
10. Elise Mertens
(True story : I only read yours after reading mine and saw I have the same Top 3…)
writing* mine
These predictions are hilarious, and are more wishful thinking than actual insightful analysis. What is the author`s reason for predicting Halep will leave the top ten? She is by far the most consistent player on the WTA on the last five years. Anyway, my top ten looks like this:
1. Simona Halep
2. Karolina Pliskova
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Angelique Kerber
5. Sloane Stephens
6. Garbine Muguruza
7. Elise Mertens
8. Naomi Osaka
9. Caroline Wozniacki
10. Daria Kasatkina
1. Simona Halep
2. Sloane Stephens
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Angelique Kerber
5. Aryna Sabalenka
6. Elina Svitolina
7. Karolina Pliskova
8. Serena Williams
9. Garbine Muguruza
10. Ash Barty
Everyone should make their own picks. Virginie and I picked the same top 3 independently of each other. Cool.
Lucian Marius thought my picks were hilarious, but chose 7 out of 10 of the same players. It will be interesting which one of us picked the correct 3 different players. I like the competition.
I didn’t mean to offend Simona’s fans or any other fans by leaving her or any player off my top 10. I really like her game. She may well have no issues with her back during 2019 as she did at year-end 2018. She made the difficult but correct decision not to play in the WTA finals. She has had back problems for years but played through the pain. I sincerely hope she can play and returns as number one again in 2019. But at the same time, there is a chance she could not finish the year or be much less of a threat on the court if she is able to play.
Angelique Kerber
Sloane Stephens
Elina Svitolina
Naomi Osaka
Qiang Wang
Karolina Pliskova
Daria Kasatkina
Simona Halep
Anastasija Sevastova
Elise Mertens
1. Naomi Osaka
2. Elina Svitolina
3. Slone Stephens
4. Serena Williams
5. Kiki Bertens
6. Caroline Wozniacki
7. Simona Halep
8. Aryna Sabalenka
9. Ashleigh Barty
10. Daria Kasatkina
Oh, wow. I chose the same top 3 (diff order) as a lot of people, this should be interesting!
1. Elina Svitolina
2. Serena Williams
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Karolina Pliskova
5. Angelique Kerber
6. Garbine Muguruza
7. Caroline Wozniacki
8. Aryna Sabalenka
9. Petra K
10. Ash Barty
Lucian Marius, below the article you can read John’s comment that the reason for omitting Halep is her career-threatening back injury.
1. Kerber
2. Svitolina
3. Wozniacki
4. Pliskova
5. Kvitová
6. Muguruza
7. Stephens
8. Mertens
9. Osaka
10. Sabalenka
1. Halep
2. Svitolina
3. Kerber
4. Osaka
5. Wozniacki
6. Stephens
7. Muguruza
8. Sabalenka
9. Pliskova
10. Kvitova
1. Halep
2. Osaka
3. Kerber
4. Stephens
5. Muguruza
6. Kvitova
7. Serena Williams
8. Wozniacki
9. Garcia
10. Bertens
@JohhnyB When is said “some of these predictions are hilarious” i was refering to the ones your readers posted, like Serena no1., Sabalenka no. 1, or S. Zheng in top ten, etc.
@Marija “career-threatening back injury”? I dont know if this is just misinformation, just being pessimistic, or wishful thinking of fans of another players, like the author fan of Svitolina.
Lucian Marius, I may be pessimistic, but Halep herself said that back injuries are always complex:
“I know it’s not an easy injury. The back is always difficult, but I have to accept it and to look forward.”
1. Svitolina
2. Kerber
3. Halep
4. Muguruza
5. Stephens
6. Kvitova
7. Serena
8. Wozniacki
9. Sharapova
10. Mertens
Just in time! Always enjoy entering 🙂
1. Elina Svitolina
2. Garbiñe Muguruza
3. Simona Halep
4. Aryna Sabalenka
5. Sloane Stephens
6. Karolina Pliskova
7. Ash Barty
8. Victoria Azarenka
9. Angelique Kerber
10. Daria Kasatkina
1. Elina Svitolina
2. Angelique Kerber
3. Petra Kvitova
4. Naomi Osaka
5. Aryna Sabalenka
6. Elise Mertens
7. Karolina Pliskova
8. Caroline Wozniacki
9. Daria Kasatkina
10. Quang Wang
1. Serena Williams
2. Naomi Osaka
3. Sloane Stephens
4. Angelique Kerber
5. Karolina Pliskova
6. Caroline Wozniacki
7. Daria Kasatkina
8. Kiki Bertens
9. Elina Svitolina
10. Ashleigh Barty
1. Simona Halep
2. Angelique Kerber
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Aryna Sabalenka
5. Sloane Stephens
6. Elina Svitolina
7. Karolina Pliskova
8. Serena Williams
9. Madison Keys
10. Caroline Wozniaki
sorry I didn’t get my top 10 in, but things were crazy around the holidays. I will create a top 10 and post it here just for giggles. I know it won’t be in the running at the end of the year.
P!nky, oh pity you’re late, but thank you for joining anyway!
Prediction for GS winners and for the Year-end TOP 10
(the players with a smiley face in front are my qualifiers for the WTA Finals)
🙂 1.Kvitova P. (AO Winner)
🙂 2.Osaka N.
🙂 3.Halep S. (RG Winner)
🙂 4.Pliskova K. (USO Winner)
🙂 5.Elina S. (Wimbledon Winner)
🙂 6.Stephens S
7.Kerber A.
🙂 8.Williams S.
9.Caroline Wozniaki
🙂 10.Ashleigh Barty
I know it is late but besides obvious top ten players such as halep, kerber, kvitova, pliskova, osaka, svitolina, stephens, serena etc… I am going to choose a couple of players who I can see being dark horse candidates of finishing in the top ten:
Qiang Wang: Has all of the confidence to be a top player; has a knack for beating top players.
Elise Mertens: Plays a very consistent game that rarely sees her get eliminated from a tournament early; bound to take last year’s momentum and turn it into more big results.
Anett Kontaveit: Can beat literally anyone on any given day; just has to learn to make it past the 4R at majors.
Donna Vekic: Has gained a ton of confidence over the past year; if she can get past her mental lapses, she has a true chance of finishing in the top 15, if not top 10.
Jelena Ostapenko: A player who can barely win a match nowadays and has tumbled down to no. 22 in the rankings; however, if she goes on a hot streak, the rest of the WTA should look out.
Aliaksandra Sasnovich: Rounding into a very nice, consistent player; If she can play the way she did in Brisbane and Sydney for most of the year, a top 20 finish is nearly a lock.
Belinda Bencic: Still trying to find her way after injuries; There are some matches where she shows flashes of her top 10 form, though.
Amanda Anisimova: Maturing at an extremely rapid rate, I expect Anisimova to be this year’s Naomi Osaka. While I do not believe she will win a slam this year, or even come close to it this year, she will definitely compete to win tournaments and a top 15 finish would not surprise me at all.
Sofia Kenin: Another American maturing at a rapid rate; her feisty-ness alone is enough to convince me that she is hungry to be one of the best.
Katerina Siniakova: Has all the talent, but the mental game sometimes is not there; maybe her doubles success will help launch her to the top, much like Kristina Mladenovic’s rise two years ago.
Viktoria Kuzmova: Another young player with huge talent; could surpise some people by making it to a QF or beyond of a slam sometime this year.
Su-Wei Hsieh: Going out on a limb with this one… but just imagine?
My top 10-
1. Osaka
2. Sablenka
3. Kvitova
4. Halep
5. Stephens
6. Kerber
7. Barty
8. Bertens
9. Pliskova
10. Keys