2006 Dumpers & Slumpers

For every yin there is a yang. For every player who rises, there's another who must fall. The other side of the coin doesn't have to be ugly, mind you (remember, Serena won a slam in '05 but saw her year-end ranking fall from the previous season)... it just might not glow with quite the same pristine shine it did a short time ago. But things can change quickly on the WTA tour (remember when Hantuchova was "the next great champion?"), so everything is subject to amendment on or off-court. But in keeping with the holiday cheer (or maybe not), here are a few who might find a few lumps of coal in their stockings in 2006:

**TOP 20**
#4 Maria Sharapova...for most everyone else, the "transition year" that Sharapova could experience in '06 would be a "career year." But the Supernova's expectations are always exquisitely high, and injuries are starting to cut her down to size (well, at least a little).
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#12 Nathalie Dechy...quietly, she's the French #3 and almost a Top 10 player, but when has she ever won a truly BIG match? Her only title was at Tier III Gold Coast in 2003.
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#13 Francesca Schiavone...she's still looking for a title at age 25. There has to be an unkind reason for that locked somewhere inside the Italian, right?
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**EUROPE**
Vera Zvonareva...she's been passed by most of her Russian contemporaries, and might have a hard time keeping a step ahead of her Hordette juniors, too.
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Tatiana Golovin...will the real Frussian Pastry please stand up. It's either the promising star of '04, or the Sophomore slumper of '05.
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Conchita Martinez...everyone has to slow down at some point. Age 34 might finally be the end of the line for the '94 Wimbledon champ.
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**ASIA/PACIFIC**
Na Li...consistently underachieves, and is often beaten by other "inferior" Cookies (Zheng, Yan) in big matches Li is "supposed" to win.
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Alicia Molik...damned illness! At least the Steamer has a good attitude about it all, not to mention an eye toward 2007.
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**NORTH/SOUTH AMERICA**
Chanda Rubin...her body never allowed her to live up to her talent, but her sharp mind and good heart more than compensated. Take a little side trip to her WTA bio's "Personal" and "Awards" sections, and read it in awe.
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Jill Craybas...I don't think she'll ever beat Serena at Wimbledon again, or anywhere else, for that matter.
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Fabiola Zuluaga...okay, I know she's retired. But I needed someone from South America.
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**EX-SLAM CHAMPIONS**
Monica Seles...sometimes, there are no "soft landings" to be found. No matter, Seles has built up such a reserve of appreciation and goodwill that no one will hold most of the last decade against her.
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Svetlana Kuznetsova...well, not really. I think I'm just trying to reverse the curse.
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**AND FINALLY...**
Sesil Karatantcheva...well, you know, unless she's NOT cut down to size by the now-annual early season drug test rumor (from "Kuznetsova Curse" to "Karatantcheva Curse?").

Oh, brother.

(weird, that one sounds vaguely familiar)


All for now.

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NEXT: Of Czechs and Russians (revolutions, that is)