Celt said that Aga won't play Zhuhai even if she qualifies. They want to focus on regeneration and very solid preparation for Australian Open. It would the best decision, she has made in a long time.
She would be crazy not to play Zhuhai if she does qualify. It would be another 0 on her ranking alongside Rome & Madrid plus she won't be getting a 17th result on her ranking with no Singapore.
She is #30 in the Race to Singapore. I fear if she flops during this Asian Swing like in 2014 she won't even be seeded at the Australian Open. She needs to play as many tournaments as she can in Asia to cushion the fall in points over the next few weeks. Thats just my take on it but of course her team aren't exactly known for making wise decisions.
Honestly I don't care so much about her ranking right now it's all about getting back to good form. She needs a proper off-season, Aga missed so many practice sessions during this year.
Last year Wozniacki skipped Zhuhai and now she is having her most consistent year since 2011. I wouldn't mind if she skips Zhuhai, for me it's a pointless tournament :shrug:
Judging by the highlights she was really struggling with the heat. Happy about the win of course, but this wasn't a good performance by Aga.
Next Goerges. Get your revenge Aga
These days her fitness seems to be down, partly as a consequence of viruses which are stopping her from playing at 100%, she is playing good stuff at times but still her level is nowhere near her best. I really hope this year is just transitional and she gets back inform.
So many streaks ending for Aga this year:
She is out of Top 15 for the first time since 2008.
Her streak of winning at least a P470 or above since 2011 is over.
Longest active consecutive apperances at YEC(6)
She didnt make a single GS/PM/P5 QF in 2017, for the first time since 2007.
For the first time since 2011, She has not won a title in a season (unless she wins HK).
These days her fitness seems to be down, partly as a consequence of viruses which are stopping her from playing at 100%, she is playing good stuff at times but still her level is nowhere near her best. I really hope this year is just transitional and she gets back inform.
So many streaks ending for Aga this year:
She is out of Top 15 for the first time since 2008.
Her streak of winning at least a P470 or above since 2011 is over.
Longest active consecutive apperances at YEC(6)
She didnt make a single GS/PM/P5 QF in 2017, for the first time since 2007.
For the first time since 2011, She has not won a title in a season (unless she wins HK).
- She said she's going to play for a few more years (but surely not as long as Williams sisters as her body is quite worn out even at this point).
- Tennis has always been priority, it was the viruses/injuries that ruined her 2017 season.
- Asked whether she's going to be mom and housewife anytime soon (replied that it's obviously a plan, just not yet).
"Situation on tour gives me hope, there is no one big leader, tennis is open for everyone. It could be only better for me in 2018."
Now she is in Warsaw. Preparing for the next season...
Her team focused on her physical conditioning. They also worked on her strength and endurance at the beach – something Aga admits was a new addition to her training regimen.
I thought these quotes from Tomasz were interesting:
“It’s not like we’re looking into the future from different perspectives than what we’ve been doing so far. We can’t change too much.
“We can maybe adjust some things. She has to be prepared to compete with those girls. I’m looking more into the physical preparation at the moment than technical stuff on court.
“Tennis has to stay almost the same. Of course we expect maybe some more big shots, different tactical solutions on court, but we can’t change her tennis. But what we can do, and where she has some reserve to use is for sure her physical preparation.”
Endurance training is definitely a good idea. Aga probably has to work even harder now to maintain a physical edge versus the younger players.
I always talked in the past about her working on tweaking her serve in the off season but I guess they really are never going to change anything technically now. Hopefully her new racquet gives more help in terms of power and she just needs to stamina to keep lasting in those long battles.