The new golden generation in U.S. women's tennis

The United States has long been a power in women’s tennis, with each generation serving to inspire the next throughout the years. With seven Americans seeded at the 2020 Australian Open, that self-sustaining trend looks set to continue into the new decade.

Behind the 38-year-old Serena Williams, who enters Melbourne as the No. 1 American, the average age of the other six American seeds is 24; five are 26 or younger. 

Among them are a Grand Slam champion in Sloane Stephens (26), a major finalist and three-time semifinalist in Madison Keys (24), and a pair of recent first-time Slam semifinalists in Amanda Anisimova (17) and Danielle Collins (26). Sofia Kenin (21), who finished her 2019 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year campaign by qualifying for the WTA Elite trophy, and Alison Riske (29), whose 2019 Wimbledon quarterfinal run highlighted a career year, round out the list.  

But that is far from the whole picture. Widen the lens to the WTA’s Top 200, and 30 Americans come into focus. That tally includes the four youngest women in the WTA’s Top 140: Coco Gauff (15), Caty McNally (18), Whitney Osuigwe (18) and Anisimova.

“All the young Americans, in general, we all kind of talk to each other and hang out,” Gauff, who cites the Williams sisters as inspiration, said at the 2019 US Open. “Whether it's 15 and 18 years old or 14 and 17, the age doesn't matter. I think we just click a little bit.”

And it’s not just the teens who get along and make each other better. Ahead of their quarterfinal showdown at last week’s Brisbane International, eventual finalist Keys had this to say about Collins: “She’s hilarious and just very full of energy and a big personality, but she's also like the most caring, nice person that you'll ever meet. When she gets on a tennis court, she just wants to destroy everyone who is in her way." 

While Gauff and McNally dazzled in their US Open debuts in 2019, another set of close friends—Stephens and Keys—took center stage in 2017. Their US Open women's singles final (trophy ceremony pictured above), which was born out of an all-American semifinal slate, was an early indicator of the healthy U.S. women’s tennis outlook in the face of an eventual post-Williams-sisters WTA Tour. 

Prior to Stephens’ triumph in 2017, the last American not named Williams to lift a Grand Slam title was Jennifer Capriati at the 2002 Australian Open. 

Then 24, Stephens became the 12th American woman to win a major in the Open era. Billie Jean King dominated the early years, followed by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who owned the 1980s and each won 18 career Slam singles titles. The early 2000s saw more American dominance, with Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and the Williams sisters picking up the mantle as major champions. 

“We’ve been blessed in this country to have some great champions,” said U.S. Fed Cup captain Kathy Rinaldi, fittingly speaking after Team USA won the junior Fed Cup in September. “I think what we’re seeing right now is that we're having a great group come up. They’re inspiring each other; it’s a healthy competition.

“When the young ones see some of the older ones do well, it really inspires them. And then the youngsters, they’re pushing each other to a higher level.” 

As the No. 8 seed in Melbourne, Serena remains fully committed to chasing down Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. 

But when she decides to step away from the game, she could be making way for the greatest collective generation of American women's tennis players yet.

“From one generation to the next, you’ve got to have that. One generation inspires another," Rinaldi said. "I can’t say that one generation is better than the other because they all have served a purpose and have really paved the way for these youngsters coming up. And this group will then pave the way for the next generation.”