Jigme Palden Pazo

For the women, 2003 was no ordinary year but for different reasons altogether. The monopoly by the American Williams sisters, Serena and Venus was given a respite for much of the year, after a virtually unchallenged reign in the last few years. Injury sidelined both sisters for the second half of the year, during which they also had to deal with family tragedy with the murder of their half sister Yetunde Price.
When the year began, there was no sign that this year would be any different with Serena claiming the first grand slam, the Australian Open. The French Open however, turned out to be a little different when the invincible younger Williams sister was upstaged in the final by Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne thanks to a shockingly hostile Paris audience booing Williams’ every move. The American was reduced to tears after her loss at the height of France-US hostility over Iraq.



At the next grand slam, the women’s numero uno proved that it wasn’t her form that was to blame for the French Open debacle in effortlessly lifting the Wimbledon trophy. However, following Wimbledon both the Williams sisters were forced out of action due to injuries.
Nobody capitalised of the absence of the Williams sisters, more than the Belgian duo of Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters. If the Williams’ dominance was sidelined, it was only to be replaced by that of the Belgians. Though it was Henin-Hardenne who took the French Open crown, it was her compatriot Clijsters who beat her to the No.1 ranking in the second half of the year. At the US Open the two Belgian rivals collided with full impact and the winner was Henin-Hardenne once again.
The latter was to seal her superiority with the year-end numero uno honour as well. The year for Clijsters came to a less than uneventful close when she raked up a storm of controversy with her withdrawal from 2004 Athens Olympics over a sponsorship dispute. However on her personal front, she couldn’t have had it better with her engagement to long-time boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt who finally popped the question.
A 2003 round-up of the women’s circuit would not be complete without a mention of a rising new breed that has all the makings of greatness. From the shadows of the last Russian woman to shine in world tennis, though for all the wrong reasons, emerged a new brigade of young talents high on promise.



Between the youngest, 16 year old Maria Sharapova being touted as the new Kournikova for her glamorous looks, to the oldest, Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva barely in their twenties, Russian women amassed a sizeable chunk of WTA titles during the year. Young, talented and full of promise, nothing stands in the way of this new brigade of future champions to take Russia places that Kournikova could never hope to.