Many tennis experts consider Roger Federer to be the greatest player of all time. He has collected a record 17 major titles, and at 33, is still a dominant player. His mind-blowing achievements and brilliant style of play have made him one of the most popular tennis players and athletes ever. His compatriot Stan Wawrinka is currently ranked four in the world, and has recently broken through at the majors, winning at Roland Garros this year, adding to his Australian Open victory from last year. Switzerland is one of two nations with multiple players ranked within the top 10, the other being Spain. Switzerland also won the Davis Cup last year, Federer and Wawrinka leading the small, European country to the title.
Although Swiss men’s tennis has thrived since the beginning of Federer’s reign, the women have stepped up recently. 18-year-old Belinda Bencic has become one of the WTA’s most promising rising stars, breaking through at the US Open last year by reaching the quarterfinals. She recorded two top 10 victories along the way, upsetting Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic. She ended the year ranked 33, and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.
Bencic is an aggressive baseliner, striking with great power from both wings and possesses a good serve. She is also a decent mover, able to speed around the court to retrieve balls from her opponents. Overall, she is a solid player, with no major weaknesses to hamper her game. Another huge asset she has is the backing and support from Martina Hingis, the most dominant player of the late nineties, also from Switzerland. Hingis’s mother, Melanie Molitor coaches Bencic, and Hingis mentors her on a regular basis. During her prime, Hingis was known to have a high tennis IQ, outsmarting her opponents with her crafty style of play. While watching Bencic’s matches, it is clear that Hingis has mentored her, as she mixes in slices and dropshots to throw off her opponents.
Another “Swiss Miss,” 26-year-old Timea Bacsinszky has made an impact on the tour recently. She reached the semifinals of the French Open this year, upsetting Petra Kvitova along the way. In her semifinal match, she led top-ranked Serena Williams by a set and a break, before cracking under the pressure to lose the match. Bacsinszky possesses a strong backhand, and uses it to take control of the point early. However, her main strength is her ability to counterpunch, which she used to upset Kvitova at Roland Garros. Bacsinszky has recorded four top-10 wins in 2015, defeating Kvitova twice, and Ekaterina Makarova and Agnieszka Radwanska each once.
Both Bencic and Bacsinszky entered Wimbledon this year with incredible momentum and confidence. Bencic has had a spectacular grass court season so far, reaching the final of the Topshelf Open, and grabbing her first WTA title in Eastbourne. In the past month, she has dispatched Jelena Jankovic, Madison Keys, Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska. Bacsinszky is still riding the wave of confidence she achieved from reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros. Both players are in the round of 16, like their male counterparts, Federer and Wawrinka. 30th-seeded Bencic faces 23rd-seeded Victoria Azarenka, while 15th-seeded Bacsinszky faces unseeded Monica Niculescu.
Bencic faces a much tougher challenge, and will have to battle to stay close with two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka. Bacsinszky will be the favorite against the quirky Niculescu, and must hold her nerve to overcome the pressure. Bacsinszky is in the easier half of the draw, which was made wide open with the early losses of Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova. Either way, no matter the outcome, the two “Swiss Misses” have marked their territory in the tennis world, and are likely to conquer much more in time to come.