Christina Mchale: "The Five Toughest Players I’ve Ever Faced"
I came a cross this article which was contributed by Mchale on the playerstribune.com, She gives an interesting first hand experience on what it is like playing against some players.
It is better to read the full article she wrote to get the details.but here is a little summary of it. The 5 toughest opponents she faced in no particular order.
1: Agnieszka Radwańska: The Magician
"No other player anticipates every play as well as Radwańska does.
She doesn’t have formidable power, but she doesn’t need it because she seems to read each play to perfection. You might think you’re in control of a point, but she’s already one step ahead of you and knows exactly where you’re going to hit the ball.
Some of the angles she uses are baffling, which makes her lobs even more effective.
She’s a magician".
2: Kim Clijsters: The Athlete
"The court seemed so small when I played against Kim Clijsters.
What made her so great was her unrivaled athleticism. She was consistent across every kind of court, too, which is rare.
You’d see her do the splits just to reach a ball, and then get right back up to prepare for its return. She was one of the best players of all time at turning defense to offense"
3: Maria Sharapova: The Warrior
"When you play against Maria Sharapova, you can never tell what the score is. Whether it’s the first point in the match or 5–5 in the third set, she maintains the same exact facial expression.
I’ve played against her quite a few times. No lead is ever safe, and she’s never going to give up.
Trust me — I know from experience."
4:Venus Williams: The Powerhouse
"My sister (who also plays tennis) and I grew up idolizing the Williams sisters.
We’d watch their matches and would try to emulate their power and ferocity in our own matches.
Venus is constantly looking to put you on the defensive. She’s not afraid to come to the net. She loves it, actually. Her physicality and wide wingspan makes it incredibly hard to pass her.
Anything short and she’s hitting it right back at you.
Venus makes you feel like you have no time to decide what to do. And you don’t. The only thing you can do to counter her game is try to outwork her from an athletic and/or physical standpoint.
Good luck with that".
5:Serena Williams: The G.O.A.T.
"I really hope I don’t get killed".
"There’s probably a better mentality to deploy for a match against the greatest female tennis player of all time, but that’s what I was thinking.
She was my idol. She is my idol. I’ve only played her twice, but each time has felt like I was facing an icon.
Everything you’ve heard about her unrivaled talent is accurate. If there were ever a perfectly constructed tennis player, Serena Williams is that player.
She’s powerful but precise. Intense but smooth. Competing against someone who has no weaknesses is overwhelming.
You don’t truly appreciate her greatness until you’ve played against her. She certainly looks phenomenal from the stands or on television, but it’s different when you’re on the court in a break point, and you’re fully aware that she’s saved her best serve for this exact moment.
For Serena, being clutch is like breathing — it just happens instinctively.
I don’t know if there has ever been a player who seems to come through every single time in the most pressure-packed situations. We all have the intention of hitting the shots she does in crunch time, but no one executes like her.
All I wanted when I played the G.O.A.T was to hang in through a third set. She never gave me that opportunity.
But I did get the opportunity to go up against greatness"
Full article: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/christina-mchale-tennis-five-toughest-opponents/
I came a cross this article which was contributed by Mchale on the playerstribune.com, She gives an interesting first hand experience on what it is like playing against some players.
It is better to read the full article she wrote to get the details.but here is a little summary of it. The 5 toughest opponents she faced in no particular order.
1: Agnieszka Radwańska: The Magician
"No other player anticipates every play as well as Radwańska does.
She doesn’t have formidable power, but she doesn’t need it because she seems to read each play to perfection. You might think you’re in control of a point, but she’s already one step ahead of you and knows exactly where you’re going to hit the ball.
Some of the angles she uses are baffling, which makes her lobs even more effective.
She’s a magician".
2: Kim Clijsters: The Athlete
"The court seemed so small when I played against Kim Clijsters.
What made her so great was her unrivaled athleticism. She was consistent across every kind of court, too, which is rare.
You’d see her do the splits just to reach a ball, and then get right back up to prepare for its return. She was one of the best players of all time at turning defense to offense"
3: Maria Sharapova: The Warrior
"When you play against Maria Sharapova, you can never tell what the score is. Whether it’s the first point in the match or 5–5 in the third set, she maintains the same exact facial expression.
I’ve played against her quite a few times. No lead is ever safe, and she’s never going to give up.
Trust me — I know from experience."
4:Venus Williams: The Powerhouse
"My sister (who also plays tennis) and I grew up idolizing the Williams sisters.
We’d watch their matches and would try to emulate their power and ferocity in our own matches.
Venus is constantly looking to put you on the defensive. She’s not afraid to come to the net. She loves it, actually. Her physicality and wide wingspan makes it incredibly hard to pass her.
Anything short and she’s hitting it right back at you.
Venus makes you feel like you have no time to decide what to do. And you don’t. The only thing you can do to counter her game is try to outwork her from an athletic and/or physical standpoint.
Good luck with that".
5:Serena Williams: The G.O.A.T.
"I really hope I don’t get killed".
"There’s probably a better mentality to deploy for a match against the greatest female tennis player of all time, but that’s what I was thinking.
She was my idol. She is my idol. I’ve only played her twice, but each time has felt like I was facing an icon.
Everything you’ve heard about her unrivaled talent is accurate. If there were ever a perfectly constructed tennis player, Serena Williams is that player.
She’s powerful but precise. Intense but smooth. Competing against someone who has no weaknesses is overwhelming.
You don’t truly appreciate her greatness until you’ve played against her. She certainly looks phenomenal from the stands or on television, but it’s different when you’re on the court in a break point, and you’re fully aware that she’s saved her best serve for this exact moment.
For Serena, being clutch is like breathing — it just happens instinctively.
I don’t know if there has ever been a player who seems to come through every single time in the most pressure-packed situations. We all have the intention of hitting the shots she does in crunch time, but no one executes like her.
All I wanted when I played the G.O.A.T was to hang in through a third set. She never gave me that opportunity.
But I did get the opportunity to go up against greatness"
Full article: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/christina-mchale-tennis-five-toughest-opponents/