only the names have been changed

Have you seen the New York Times article on the state of women's tennis? It started off as an interesting enough article to read, but as someone who used to obsess over the game, I realized that the article could have been written at any time in the past. Of course, I should have realized it as soon as I read the headline: "How Power Has Transformed Women’s Tennis".

Because every time a single player -- or two players -- dominate the game, people make the same thesis. Every. Single. Time. From Chris Evert to Martina Navratilova, to Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. Then, of course, the Williams sisters, and momentarily with Justine Henin. The one time a single player ruled the tour and this question wasn't raised was when Martina Hingis was the leader of the pack, and we all know why (if you don't, it's because of her powderpuff serve and nothing forehand).

They’re stronger, bigger, faster, better trained and pushed above all by the example of the Williams sisters.

Well, at least they're no longer just getting attention for their love for attention (see: 1997).

But this is why I miss Lindsay Davenport. Because she was, as I once joked, like a giant, but she also had an all-court game that consistently dispatched the power game of the Williams sisters. Between her and Hingis, they were probably the only reason why Serena and Venus didn't meet in the final as consistently as they do nowadays.

Now, I love Steffi. I will never say anything bad about her. But the thing is, she created this world of women who can only play from the baseline.

Because that's how Hingis annihilated the competition all those years ago. All those baseline players, who were trained to counter a Graf attack, suddenly had to deal with a player whose serves didn't just speed by, and seemed to have a thorough sense of the tennis court that made all those players suddenly know how to come to the net, or else they wouldn't catch that drop shot.

I have no warm fuzzy feelings for either of the Williamses, but let's face it: if they were purely baseline and power players, going pound-for-pound with other powermongers shouldn't be as easy a whitewash as it has been.

Now, as for the age eligibility rule (wherein younger players have to be 16 or older to play professionally): it was not imposed because of the power game. It's called the "Jennifer Capriati rule" for a reason: after the 1994 burnout of the young Capriati, the WTA decided in 1996 that players have to be a certain age to play the professional game. They cite the psychological impact of the highs and lows of the pro tour (including aloof and bullying players) on adolescent girls for this rule. Hingis, Venus and even Anna Kournikova just narrowly missed this rule. So, no, it isn't about the power. Because Capriati was all about the power, and let's not forget who ruled women's tennis in the 1990's: Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

So. Why is the game perceived to be monotonous now?

"Skeptics on the development side of the game will tell you that the women’s tour has become more monotonous, that there’s a missing generation. Some blame parents, some blame the academies turning out robot players, some the age rule. Maybe it’s just that the Williams sisters have set the bar too high or that all the money spoils players’ appetites for getting to the very top. I don’t know. But I do know that while you have a bigger pool of good players from more countries, having many more good players doesn’t substitute for having a few more icons."

There isn't as much press about the dreaded "tennis parent" these days (see: Graf, Hingis, Mary Pierce, Jelena Dokic). Personally, I blame tennis academies because they program their players based on the current trend in pro tennis.

Or it's a matter of destiny. Players (or their parents or coaches) don't believe in their destiny to win grand slams as much as Navratilova, Graf, Hingis or either Williams sisters (and their parents or coaches) believed in it.

Roger Federer believes in it. Pete Sampras believed in it.

Women's tennis needs to find its next major believer in destiny that they would try harder, train harder, and play with all their worth and bring in the next era of tennis.