As the tour readies for its return to hard courts next week at the Bank of the West Classic and Citi Open, it's time to look back at the women who have performed the best on hard courts over the last three years.
The WTA Insider Hard Court Power Rankings is based on an empirical formula that isolates a player's success rate on hard courts. To measure a player's recent aptitude on the surface, the Insider team applied the following formula:
100% of points earned on hard courts in 2017
100% of points earned on hard courts in 2016
75% of points earned on hard courts in 2015
50% of points earned on hard courts in 2014
The resulting sum accounts for a player's "Hard Court Index."
Not surprisingly, reigning US Open champion Angelique Kerber tops the list, buoyed by her incredible 2016 season, along with hard court stalwarts Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, and Caroline Wozniacki.
Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the top of the list is dominated by counter-punchers. In the Top 5, Karolina Pliskova is the lone representative of the pure-power set, with Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams, and Dominika Cibulkova also making the Top 10.
(Note: The Insider Hard Court Power Rankings have been applied to players who are scheduled to play upcoming hard court season. As such, Serena Williams, who would have featured on this list if she were scheduled to play, has been set aside.)
Here are the Top 10 on the WTA Insider Hard Court Power Rankings (as of the week of July 24th).
No.1 Angelique Kerber (WTA Rank: No.3)
Hard Court Index: 11414.5
Career Hard Court Win %: .648
Notable recent hard court results: 2016 US Open Champion, 2016 Australian Open Champion, 2015 Stanford Champion, 2015 Cincinnati finalist, 2015 WTA Finals finalist.
No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA Rank: No.10)
Hard Court Index: 10265.75
Career Hard Court Win %: .703
Notable recent hard court results: 2017 Sydney finalist, 2016 Beijing Champion, 2016 New Haven Champion, 2016 Shenzhen Champion, 2015 WTA Finals Champion, 2015 Tokyo Champion.
No.3 Simona Halep (WTA Rank: No.2)
Hard Court Index: 9393.25
Career Hard Court Win %: .649
Notable recent hard court results: 2016 Montreal Champion, 2015 Indian Wells Champion, 2015 Dubai Champion, 2015 Toronto finalist, 2015 Cincinnati finalist, 2015 US Open semifinalist.
No.4 Karolina Pliskova (WTA Rank: No.1)
Hard Court Index: 9020
Career Hard Court Win %: .660
Notable recent hard court results: 2017 Brisbane Champion, 2017 Doha Champion, 2016 Cincinnati Champion, 2016 US Open finalist.
No.5 Caroline Wozniacki (WTA Rank: No.6)
Hard Court Index: 7775
Career Hard Court Win %: .719
Notable recent hard court results: 2017 Miami finalist, 2017 Doha finalist, 2017 Dubai finalist, 2016 US Open semifinalist, 2016 Tokyo Champion, 2016 Hong Kong Champion.
No.6 Petra Kvitova (WTA Rank: No.14)
Hard Court Index: 6707
Career Hard Court Win %: .673
Notable recent hard court results: 2016 Wuhan Champion, 2016 Zhuhai Champion, 2015 WTA Finals runner-up, 2015 Sydney Champion, 2015 New Haven Champion.
No.7 Dominika Cibulkova (WTA Rank: No.11)
Hard Court Index: 6644.75
Career Hard Court Win %: .582
Notable recent hard court results: 2016 WTA Finals Champion, 2016 Linz Champion, 2016 Katowice Champion, 2016 Wuhan finalist, 2016 Acapulco finalist, 2014 Australian Open finalist.
No.8 Venus Williams (WTA Rank: No.9)
Hard Court Index: 6500.75
Career Hard Court Win %: .782
Notable recent hard court results: 2017 Australian Open finalist, 2016 Kaohsiung Champion, 2016 Stanford finalist, 2015 Zhuhai Champion, 2015 Wuhan Champion, 2015 Auckland Champion.
No.9 Elina Svitolina (WTA Rank: No.5)
Hard Court Index: 6245.25
Career Hard Court Win %: .630
Notable recent hard court results: 2017 Dubai Champion, 2017 Taipei City Champion, 2016 Zhuhai finalist, 2016 New Haven finalist, 2016 Kuala Lumpur Champion.
No.10 Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA Rank: No.8)
Hard Court Index: 5956.75
Career Hard Court Win %: .660
Notable recent hard court results: 2017 Indian Wells finalist, 2016 WTA Finals semifinalist, 2016 Moscow Champion, 2016 Sydney Champion, 2016 Miami finalist, 2015 Moscow Champion.
