Whilst most countries wuold be envious of the depth of French talent (try us poor Aussies!!) , I must say the strength of women's tennis this year has dropped a bit this year. Sad for me as I have loved and still love many of there players.
Amelie had a roaring Paris Indoor win but had injury & motivation issues and seems likely to retire.
The delightful and former Top 20 Natalie Dechy became prgnant and announced her retirment
The last member of Project 1979, the crafty former top 30 player Emilie Loit had a great final fling at the Paris Indoors and then retired. (the other members being the long retired Sidot and Cochteux)
Tatiana Golovin & Mary Pierce remained injured.
Although they have has flashes of good form, Sev Beltrame, Steph Foretz, Cammy Pin, Parmentier & Mathilde Johansson have all fallen from the Top 100.
Steph Cohen hasn't been able to force her way into the Top 100 again.
Olivia Sanchez-who as a late bloomer cracked the top 100 has sadly plumented out of the top 300
Two 'hopes' Pavlovic and Fedossova have never evolved.
Alice Cornet had a a let down (maybe due the the 'melt down' against Safina in Oz?)
The good news stories came from two players estranged form the system- Bartoli- who still seems aloof and Rezai- an outsider who seems to have more support from the FTF and who has had a warming of relations with other french players- mainly Razzano. Razzano it seems is the only player to have a relationship with Bartoli.
Razzano herself has finally had a mostly injury free year and has been able to grow into the massive shoes her steller junior career gave her. Weather she can climb into the top 15 seems to be a big question France will be asking of her.
Finally, the late blooming Coin also pleased with a solid- not spectacular folow up year to her coming out party (def ana @ US Open)
Mladenovic made strides fomr the juniors posting indiffernet results over alll.
So still 2 players in the top 20- which is great. 4 in top 50. 5 in top 100.
So the Austraian Open will see probably see 5 Direct entries (unless Sev Beltrame, Steph Foretz, Cammy Pin, Parmentier, Cohen & Mathilde Johansson ) have remarkable Novembers in the chellengers) and a WC- which is a drop from previous years.
I really hope those who have fallen form the Top 100 can come back and ideally, Tatiana can overcome her ongoing injurues- form what I read here- unlikely.
Are there other juniors who show promise and can get France back to the levels we have seen from say 2000-2008 with awesome talents like Amelie, Pierce, Tatiana, Julie H, Sandrine, Nasty Natalie, Nat Dechy, Em Loit, Sidot, Razzano& bartoli?
For thoise that know the system, has anything chnaged in the jnuior prgrams (prob not, looking at the phenon talent the men have at the moment)?
Was the women's program affctted at all by the Demongeot/Reggie incident? Given her wasn't FTF I assume not? BTW, what is the status of that?
Anyway- anyone else notice this slump?
Thoughts?
Amelie had a roaring Paris Indoor win but had injury & motivation issues and seems likely to retire.
The delightful and former Top 20 Natalie Dechy became prgnant and announced her retirment
The last member of Project 1979, the crafty former top 30 player Emilie Loit had a great final fling at the Paris Indoors and then retired. (the other members being the long retired Sidot and Cochteux)
Tatiana Golovin & Mary Pierce remained injured.
Although they have has flashes of good form, Sev Beltrame, Steph Foretz, Cammy Pin, Parmentier & Mathilde Johansson have all fallen from the Top 100.
Steph Cohen hasn't been able to force her way into the Top 100 again.
Olivia Sanchez-who as a late bloomer cracked the top 100 has sadly plumented out of the top 300
Two 'hopes' Pavlovic and Fedossova have never evolved.
Alice Cornet had a a let down (maybe due the the 'melt down' against Safina in Oz?)
The good news stories came from two players estranged form the system- Bartoli- who still seems aloof and Rezai- an outsider who seems to have more support from the FTF and who has had a warming of relations with other french players- mainly Razzano. Razzano it seems is the only player to have a relationship with Bartoli.
Razzano herself has finally had a mostly injury free year and has been able to grow into the massive shoes her steller junior career gave her. Weather she can climb into the top 15 seems to be a big question France will be asking of her.
Finally, the late blooming Coin also pleased with a solid- not spectacular folow up year to her coming out party (def ana @ US Open)
Mladenovic made strides fomr the juniors posting indiffernet results over alll.
So still 2 players in the top 20- which is great. 4 in top 50. 5 in top 100.
So the Austraian Open will see probably see 5 Direct entries (unless Sev Beltrame, Steph Foretz, Cammy Pin, Parmentier, Cohen & Mathilde Johansson ) have remarkable Novembers in the chellengers) and a WC- which is a drop from previous years.
I really hope those who have fallen form the Top 100 can come back and ideally, Tatiana can overcome her ongoing injurues- form what I read here- unlikely.
Are there other juniors who show promise and can get France back to the levels we have seen from say 2000-2008 with awesome talents like Amelie, Pierce, Tatiana, Julie H, Sandrine, Nasty Natalie, Nat Dechy, Em Loit, Sidot, Razzano& bartoli?
For thoise that know the system, has anything chnaged in the jnuior prgrams (prob not, looking at the phenon talent the men have at the moment)?
Was the women's program affctted at all by the Demongeot/Reggie incident? Given her wasn't FTF I assume not? BTW, what is the status of that?
Anyway- anyone else notice this slump?
Thoughts?