Maria in shape

Tennis will be encouraged by Austin's comments as a year ago Wimbledon offered a different glimpse into the future of the women's game with Serena and Venus Williams going head-to-head in the semi-finals with Belgium's Justin Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the women to garner the headlines and prove that rather than being a one trick pony, the sport is able to offer high-quality rivalries to excite the fans and the game at large.

Serena, Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters all reached the No1 ranking during 2003 - only the fifth time that had happened since 1975. Little did we know it was just a fleeting moment in time. Approaching tomorrow's women's final between Serena and Sharapova it's a fact of tennis life that the sport hasn't seen the Williams's, Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters together in a grand slam draw since last year's Wimbledon tournament.

After winning the Wimbledon title in 2003, Serena underwent knee surgery which ruled her out of the US and Australian Opens and when she did reappear at the French Championships in Paris, it was obvious the time away from court had taken its toll. Venus was looking better having been forced to take time out the game following an abdominal strain but she also came up short in Paris and here at Wimbledon.

Clijsters was in the stands watching boyfriend Lleyton Hewitt in Paris with her damaged left wrist encased in a cast that was also on show at Wimbledon while Henin-Hardenne made it into the second round at Roland Garros before accepting that she still wasn't right and that forced her withdrawal from Wimbledon.

Henin-Hardenne, unlike Clijsters, does not have a definite return date as her medical problem is akin to glandular fever, leaving her short of energy. Given that her two grand slam triumphs were built on a seemingly endless supplies of gas, it's a worrying scenario for the Belgian.

Heading towards the Athens Olympics and US Open, there is no guarantee that all four leading women will be on duty together and for Austin this is a situation that should really worry the sport.

She believes the arrival of the Williams sisters has forced the other top players to increase their training regimes with a consequent increase in the pressure their bodies are having to cope with on and off court.

"It's a fact that these are big injuries for the sport," said Austin, who is commentating for the BBC at Wimbledon. "The level of strength and fitness the players now need has been raised by the Williams's and players are over-working."

Hingis was even younger than Sharapova when she reached her first Wimbledon and now she has gone from the sport. As we reflect on the arrival of a 17-year-old Russian sensation, the overriding hope is that she is able to avoid the problems that dogged Hingis and have removed the biggest names from recent grand slam draws.