The Inroads (and Outroads?) of the 2022 WTA Season

The 2022 WTA season had everything: a 37-match win streak, the retirements of the current #1 (abrupt) and the GOAT (expected), a Wimbledon with no ranking points, and a major drug suspension. Iga Swiatek’s dominance didn’t leave much room for her competitors, but other highlights included Ons Jabeur’s steady rise to world #2 and two Slam runner-up finishes, Caroline Garcia’s singles renaissance and WTA Finals title, and utter doubles dominance from Krejcikova/Siniakova. We’ve also got some juicy listener-generated “things you loved/hated” content and the kind of typically bizarre moments that keep us coming back every year.    Plus, we’ve just launched our GoFundMe - please read a bit about we do and donate if you can!      0:30 Announcing our GoFundMe 2022 and reiterating our mission 6:05 Three key moments: Ash’s Australian win + retirement, Iga’s win streak, and Serena’s evolution 11:00 The other major stories: the instability at the top for everyone but Iga, Simona Halep’s remarkably odd year, and the total breakdown of COVID protocols 18:40 Starting the year with Barty as the undisputed #1 25:20 Ash’s retirement coincides with the start of Iga’s 37-match win streak  34:45 Grass season: Serena dominates the conversation from Eastbourne to the US Open; Rybakina wins the points-less Wimbledon  42:00 Summer hardcourt stretch: our own return to live tennis; Halep & Garcia grab titles but Swiatek restores order in New York 54:55 Discussing the WTA year-end award nominees 60:45 Our own picks for 2022 breakout players - how’d we do? 63:25 Remember when? A broken necklace, a broken doubles team, and Ostapenko's ... everything 72:45 Things you loved about WTA tennis in 2022 81:50 Things you loathed in 2022: no points at Wimbledon, no more business buns 85:55 The WTA’s finances: Hologic sponsorship and a potential deal with private equity