Dominika Cibulkova on the State of Women's Tennis

In recent years there has been a great deal of debate over the state of women’s tennis. Many have argued that the rising stars are more interested in publicity than they are in chasing titles. The likes of Maria Sharapova and Anna Ivanovic are an advertisers dream even though recently they have had little success on the tennis court.

At the same time Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin have returned and enjoyed immediate success. Clijsters won the US Open after more than two years away from the game and Henin made the final of the Australian Open.

The fact that the two Belgium stars have returned with such immediate success has led to some suggesting that the current crop of young stars are simply not good enough. One young tennis star that disagrees with this statement is Dominika Cibulkova.

The 21-year-old Slovakian reached the last eight at Flushing Meadows in 2008 and last year made the semi finals of the French Open. Having reached a career high ranking of 12, Cibulkova has since struggled with injuries but makes the case that her fellow young players have plenty of time to make an impact.

“The Williams sisters are coming to the end of their long and successful careers so I think that it is time for the younger generation to take over,” explains Cibulkova. “There is a lot of talent coming through and I think that within the next few years we will see a number of the young players winning the slams.”

Cibulkova also argues that Clijsters and Henin are the only two players capable of making such a dramatic return. ”They are both fantastic players and it is only one in a thousand that could come back and actually win a Grand Slam. It was a real shock for everybody, but both were great players before their break from the game.�

“When they returned they had no pressure on them and you could see that they played with freedom and a relaxed style. They had both previously won slams and they certainly know what it takes to win a major final.”

With two Grand Slams having already taken place this year, it has yet again been the senior players making the headlines. Serena Williams won the Australian Open while 29-year-old Francesca Schiavone shocked the tennis world by winning the title at Roland Garros.

Wimbledon offers another chance for a young star to hit the headlines, much as Maria Sharapova did in 2004 when she claimed the title aged just 17. Cibulkova certainly thinks there is enough talent but admits that her own chances are slim.

“There are some really talented players in my age group so it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see one of them win Wimbledon. For me, grass is probably my worst surface and I have a tough draw in the first round. I will fight my hardest and see what happens.”

Cibulkova also suggests that the young stars getting the media attention can only help promote the game. Back home in Slovakia, she is seen as a star and often sees children dressing up like her or trying to imitate her style.

“It is really nice when I get to go home and see all the kids trying to look like me or use the same racket. It is great to be seen as a role model and I hope that I can inspire as many young children as possible to take up the game.”

Having beaten the 25th seed, Lucie Safarova it seems that if Cibulkova can steer clear of injuries then she is certainly one of the young stars that can challenge for the Wimbldedon title and take over the mantle of the Williams sisters.

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Dominika Cibulkova is a brand ambassador for Dunlop. For more information please go to www.facebook.com/dunlopssport