Within the whole of the tennis season, there are distinctive stretches that offer a little something for everyone.   Be it the Australian summer, springtime on the clay, the excitement on the lawns, or the climactic summer dash through New York, there is plenty on offer to capture the interest of tennis fans everywhere.  But contrary to how it may feel, the season does not end after the last ball is struck at the US Open.  Instead, there is that stretch in autumn where one never quite knows what to expect, and it is also that stretch that highlights the pros and cons of the tennis tour.

A few years ago, one author referred to this time of the season as the “doldrums” of tennis, and it was no wonder why.  With the increasing level of importance assigned to the majors, it was only natural that many would immediately begin looking forward to Melbourne once play came to a close in New York. With the exception of the year-end championships, it seemed that virtually everything else that happened in the months between those two tournaments was of little consequence. 

To the sport's credit, it has made progress towards correcting this perception.  The WTA has shortened its calendar and invested more in the Asian events, which have drawn some exceptionally high-quality fields as a result.  Unfortunately, while better fields generate greater interest, there is no guaranteeing that the tournaments will live up to their billing.  Top players, who have already logged significant amounts of tennis over the course of the season, are prone to poor performances, withdrawals, and potentially calling a premature end to their year.  It is this reality that simultaneously makes the autumn beneficial to some while exhibiting a major pitfall of the tour.

On one hand, the struggles and outright absences of some of the top names leaves the door open for other players.  A prime example can be found at this week's event in Wuhan.  Johanna Konta came through the qualifying to bump off Andrea Petkovic, benefit from Victoria Azarenka's retirement, defeat Simona Halep, and push Venus Williams to three sets before falling in the quarterfinals.  Fellow young upstart Garbiñe Muguruza, who has had difficulty tapping into her best tennis since reaching the Wimbledon final earlier this year, also looks to be rediscovering her form in China.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, seasoned veterans like Williams and Roberta Vinci are enjoying plenty of success this week at the expense of their higher-seeded opposition as well.  But what has transpired in Wuhan is not unusual for the autumn.  Fans can expect similar results in the weeks to come as these players look to take advantage of the situation and hopefully set themselves up for bigger and better things come 2016.

Of course, for all the positives that come from seeing a new face gain valuable experience or a veteran turn back the clock, there is the sad fact that the stakes seem lower when the established elite are not regularly vying for the titles.  When Serena Williams announced her decision to end her 2015 campaign, more than a few message boards were filled with posts lamenting how 2015 had all but ended with a whimper, given that Williams would not be present in Singapore.  Likewise, the continued injury woes of Maria Sharapova and Azarenka have put a damper on what remains in the weeks ahead.  It is the headliners and their rivalries that are the backbone of the sport, and until the tour can find a way to make them as viable in late September and throughout October, this portion of the season will always feel a bit like the doldrums.

Whether or not the WTA, or the ATP for that matter, can find a way around the problems that plague the autumn is difficult to foresee.  It is always going to be at the mercy of where it falls in the calendar, sandwiched between the last major of one season and the first of the next.  The physicality of the game also all but ensures many players will be battling niggling injuries and feel less inclined to push themselves than they might otherwise earlier in the year.  So for the time being, fans must appreciate the stories that lend themselves to this time of year, such as the surprising run of Konta or her Wuhan vanquisher Williams.  And who knows?  It might just be what happens to a player now that foreshadows her greatness to come in 2016.