"If you go into the street and say Graf and Seles, they would be more known": Bartoli gives scathing review of current WTA Top Ten

Former Wimbledon champion, Marion Bartoli who will work for Sky Sports during the US Open gave her views on the current state of the women's game and in particular the WTA Top Ten with a scathing review.

Currently led by World No.1, Iga Swiatek. She dominated for a long while before Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and now the likes of Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff have now joined the party.

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But Bartoli believes the issue lies with players reaching the top then dropping off with the US Open in particular with Sloane Stephens, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu only in recent years winning Grand Slams then struggling. She said that WTA players need to shun that image and also raise their profiles further to add to the high quality action already on show.

“I almost feel if you go into the street and say the names Steffi Graf and Monica Seles, they would be more known than some of the top ten current players,” Bartoli said to Tennis365. “It’s due to the fact that those past champions were there all the time and people could recognise the name going deep in every Grand Slam and you get familiar with the names.

“The WTA is suffering with new names coming in, which is great for stories like Emma Raducanu coming in from qualifying and winning the US Open. But then they disappear and another one is coming and you might not be able to follow that all the time. “It’s going to be interesting to see if the girls who are now in the top ten are able to really establish themselves and to come out every single year and perform with consistency.

“That said, if Naomi Osaka is coming back, that name is really famous and she can get a lot of fans coming in and watching, as well as Angelique Kerber and [Caroline] Wozniacki. “For the new generation, it is about building your profile by having consistent results. That’s what gives you the platform from the publicists and the press, but you need to have your results and that is the main criteria for someone to be famous.”

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