Both Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova have withdrawn from Wimbledon--Williams because of her back, and Kuznetsova because of an abdominal strain.
Both Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber went out in the second round in Eastbourne today. Yanina Wickmayer beat Kvitova (who was leading in the third set), and Ekaterina Makarova beat Kerber. Sam Stosur lost to Lucie Safarova, and Li Na advanced when Marion Bartoli gave her a walkover.
British players Laura Robson, Heather Watson and Elena Baltacha all lost in the second round in Eastbourne today. Robson lost to Caroline Wozniacki, who also beat the British number 1 at the French Open.
Meanwhile, in the second round of the Topshelf Open in the Netherlands, the increasingly dangerous Simona Halep upset top seed Roberta Vinci 6-0, 6-1. Really, 6-0, 6-1.
Here's a look at the Addidas by Stella McCartney Barricade line for Wimbledon.
Serena Williams made a fashionable appearance at the Burberry Men's Show in London.
20 comments:
Are the girls all head cases, or is the competition so tough that it's hard for anyone but Maria and Serena consistently to arrive at the final?
I think a lot of it--perhaps most of it--is mental. I can't prove this, of course, but my guess is that coaches try to handle the mental part when they really don't know how to (not all coaches--Sam Sumyk comes to mind). Or perhaps their players need extra psychological help and don't get it.
Of course, I have professional bias :) All the same, I have a suspicion that "head" technology isn't as well known as racket technology.
Well at the risk of being unpopular---many of these women had a good run and won a major. That is not the same thing as consistency in winning other places and then winning a major. Stosur choked (yes Schiavone may have won anyway) at RG and then won the US Open but has only two other small titles she closed on. Kvitova, one major, one good year and....Kerber-two titles and a lot of match wins but nothing spectacular like a major or mandatory/premier 5 win. Yes some may need to get their heads together especially in closing out "regular" titles (non-majors) before continuing in majors. They hang in the top 10 riding on points they got months ago from a run at a major. I guess I still believe that over time, too much is given to a major. Especially when the non-seeded players at IW and Miami have to play 7 rds, the same as a major and the seeded have to play one less-6. Players, either from coaches or sports psychologists need to try to learn how to close out regular titles or just close out matches. It is difficult to estimate these days how many major runs are due to a person having a good "run" or having talent consistently. I don't think that the Tours recognize consistency as much as they publish what a person does at a major event. I know what I say goes against common convention at this time. Majors were not as quite a big thing back in the day. Many players skipped the Aussie Open and even these players say that it wasn't as big as a deal as it is today. So much pressure is put on players to do well at majors, not other tournaments which all are treated as warm-ups for majors. Players need to be skilled in closing out each game, each set, each match. That is how confidence for majors and everything else is accomplished.
Sunny, nice analysis. Thanks. The ranking system is not good as presently constituted. There was a time when bonus points were given based on the ranking of the player who was beaten. So, if a 104 ranked player beat someone, say, the 18th ranked player, extra points were awarded. That should be brought back. The whole ranking system should be amended.
I agree that the emphasis on winning majors has gotten out of hand (Chris Evert skipped three French Opens because she was playing World Team Tennis). That just puts additional pressure on players who have trouble handling pressure.
I don't think Stosur choked the French Open final, though. She played well, but the match wasn't exactly ever on her racket. She had a bomb dropped on her by a real clay player. I don't consider Stosur a choker, in fact. She has two gears: She comes out either on fire or totally flat, and you know very soon which it is.
Ironically, Schiavone had quite a history of choking for a long time. Choking can be overcome--ask Justine Henin.
Kvitova, of course, has taken choking to a new level. She's oddly motivated by high pressure (kind of like Safina was), but that's just too risky a strategy.
Of course, I'm seeing all of this not only as a fan but also as a professional. I see all of these problems as solvable with the right help.
Kvitova is rarely beaten by her opponent. 90% of her matches, at least, are on her terms. She beats herself. Frankly, with her ability, she should only lose when she's sick or her opponent has a career day. It's sad. Could it possibly have to do with her love life? She's away from her boyfriend most of the time.
Rumour has it that she is now with Mr. Lips himself, Radek Stepanek. He and Vaidisova are officially divorcing. I just want to see Nicole back on a tennis court competing again
That's some rumor! In the past year or so, Stepanek has been rumored to be with various WTA players. Talk about someone whose game I love!--Stepanek's, that is. I always really liked watching him play.
Anon, being away from your partner is just part of the pro sports scene. Not a good part--but players generally learn to cope in some way or other. I suspect more is going on with Kvitova.
Petra plays her matches somewhat indifferently. She wakes up a few times here and there.
Yup confirmation that Radek and Nicole are divorcing. Petra has issued a statement saying that she refuses to talk about her private life. The plot thickens
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Tennis-Breaking-News---Petra-Kvitova-is-dating-Radek-Stepanek-articolo10743.html
The "news" of the upcoming divorce is a couple of years old, so here we go again with the media passing on anything that sounds scandalous without doing a fact check.
Serena on a top player (perhaps Kvitova?):
Serena exits the car and the conversation moves on to a top-five player who is now in love. "She begins every interview with 'I'm so happy. I'm so lucky' – it's so boring," says Serena in a loud voice. "She's still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it." -Rolling Stone
MIght that be Stepanek?
Hmm. Hingis engaged to Radek, tennis goes to pieces again. Vaidisova QUITS tennis to marry Radek. Kvitova dates him and has played absolutely indifferently since.
Might he be trouble? Stay tuned.
Vaidisova didn't quit tennis to marry Radek, though. There was no apparent causality.
I wish I could remember the other WTA players to whom he has reportedly been linked. It seemed like--for a while-- every few months, there was a "Vaidisova and Stepanek to divorce" article.
Causality? http://www.womenstennisblog.com/2010/03/16/nicole-vaidisova-quits-tennis-to-marry-radek-stepanek-in-july/
There was never a statement from Vaidisova that she quit tennis to get married; the assumption was simply made and the words were used together in the same sentence all over the Internet.
The article to which you refer doesn't indicate causality, either, by the way.
I suspect marriage came along and maybe made it easier for her to quit (though it wasn't like she was going to be going home to a husband).Vaidisova suffered from the Andrea Jaeger syndrome, from everything I've heard (and observed).
I just want Nicole back on a tennis court. She was a player that I absolutely loved to watch and I still watch her 2007 AO match against Serena. That young woman was hitting the ball with pace and depth. I also loved seeing her play on clay.
For all the talk that people talk about Woz being distracted because of Rory, how about we talk about how Radek has ruined so many WTA players' careers. The man is the black widow of tennis dating
Amen to that, Karen. He's the Alien of tennis dating too. Subversive is a word that fits.
Who has a list of his 'conquests'?
Sorry, but Stepanek doesn't have that kind of power unless someone chooses to give it to him. (ATP fans used to say the same thing about Hingis.)
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