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Watch out for Petra Kvitova

48K views 296 replies 150 participants last post by  davidmario 
#1 ·
I've been following her results for more than a year now and saw her playing via the internet a few times.
I also watched today's match on Eurosport2 and I have to admit that she developed so much since I last saw her. I hadn't expected such a tremendous hitting from her. She hits extremely flat with davenport-like rhythm and has this odd forehand-grip. But it's soo effective. I mean Dementieva was screaming at times because the ball was really flying with such a great speed.
She also has a great attitude on court. She is very calm and doesn't get upset.

My prediction: By the end of the next year she will be Top20 if not higher:wavey:
 
#3 ·
I'm not sure. She is only 17 and I got the feeling of her having this natural hitting ability. She hits so clean and although she's not the fastest she was able to place the ball decently when running.
That reminded me a lot of Davenport.
What's her next tournament?
 
#11 ·
Left-handed Petrova.
 
#13 ·
shes as 1 dimensional as it comes, she hit 3 volleys, 2 of which she missed, also i think she hit 1 slice. she hits a good hard ball, but it will feed the big hitters and she will come undone by players with more variety. i predict like others top 30 maybe.
 
#15 ·
Petra has all of the potential in the world. She just needs to work on her fitness and get faster. She is only 17, she has plenty of time.

I strongly disagree with whoever said she had a weak serve. Her serve is very effective when it is on, and it has a lot of slice on it. She can work on her touch and volleys, look at what Vaidisova and Ivanovic have done.
 
#23 ·
I'm not talking about Kvitova here but...


People keep saying some players are ballbasher but how many ballbasher climb very quickly in the rankings in their young ages? A lot.

I'm sick to hear "She can't volley, she doesn't slice..."
Only 2 or 3 top players know how to volley or have a correct slice.

It doesn't change anything in the women's game if you want to be at the top.To be number one? Yes.To be in the top 10 or even top 5? No.
 
#28 ·
People keep saying some players are ballbasher but how many ballbasher climb very quickly in the rankings in their young ages? A lot.

I'm sick to hear "She can't volley, she doesn't slice..."
Only 2 or 3 top players know how to volley or have a correct slice.

It doesn't change anything in the women's game if you want to be at the top.To be number one? Yes.To be in the top 10 or even top 5? No.
No way a "mindless ballbasher" can reach top5. Those ones who do, have many more weapons in addition to power. The top100 is already full of "ballbashers", and their number will further increase in the future. In few years time virtually everyone out of the top 50 will be able to "bash" the ball and serve hard. Long forgotten skills will be needed again to make the difference. As it happened in men's tennis a decade ago.
 
#248 ·
No way a "mindless ballbasher" can reach top5. Those ones who do, have many more weapons in addition to power. The top100 is already full of "ballbashers", and their number will further increase in the future. In few years time virtually everyone out of the top 50 will be able to "bash" the ball and serve hard. Long forgotten skills will be needed again to make the difference. As it happened in men's tennis a decade ago.
Take a look at the current Top-10.
Henin - mindless ballbasher? NO
Ivanovic - mindless ballbasher? Not anymore
Kuznetsova - mindless ballbasher? NO
Jankovic - mindless ballbasher? NO
Sharapova - mindless ballbasher? NO
Venus - mindless ballbasher? NO
Chakvetadze - mindless ballbasher? NO
Hantuchova - mindless ballbasher? NO
Bartoli - mindless ballbasher? NO
Serena - mindless ballbasher? NO

I can't even think of any former top-tenner in the last 5 years who was a mindless ballbasher. Pierce, Davenport, Mauresmo, Clijsters, Capriati, Myskina, Seles, Dementieva, Petrova, Zvonareva... Who?
Even Vaidisova doesn't fall into this category.

As for true mindless ballbashers such as Sprem, Na Li, Rezai, Mirza, guess what? They have never reached Top-10.
95% agree. I would however add that Mirza is still young and is slowly but surely adding to her game hence her gradual move up the rankings.

And Vaidisova is certainly comes awfully close to qualifying as an MBB in my book.
what a bad forehand she has
did he mean top 10 juniors?
EPIC FAIL :nerner::haha::rolls:

If Petra won Wimbledon TF would go crazy :help:
:oh::oh::oh:
 
#30 ·
did I use the word "mindless"? No.

Even the ballbasher uses tactics with its own game.The difference between the good ballbasher in the top 10 and the others, it's that the good ballbasher has more solid bakground and can be consistent during its efforts.It means a better physic and a better mental, that's all.

I didn't say that it helps them to stay at the level, but it definitively helps to get to the top rapidly.

That was my point, and that's why you see a lot of young player, or ballbasher which increase their rankings rapidly.

You can be Top5 without having to use slice or do a correct volley.Just look at Sharapova in 2005-2006, still today she has problems with that.Just look at Ivanovic right now (playing a grand slam final at Ao and being beaten because she can't find no solution and has no game when her forehand falls down.Just look at Vaidisova when she was top 10 (and I'm a fan of her!).Just look at Bartoli...

And you don't even read me correctly because I said that the only player which was able to slice, have a good volley and can use variation was Henin, and that's why she's number one right now.
*I will not forget Jankovic and Kuznetsova also, but unfortunely, they don't have the mental for the moment.


The top100 is already full of "ballbashers", and their number will further increase in the future. In few years time virtually everyone out of the top 50 will be able to "bash" the ball and serve hard. Long forgotten skills will be needed again to make the difference. As it happened in men's tennis a decade ago.
I didn't say the contrary.I agree with that, it will change maybe in the future.But it will be all about fitness if the change happens, and we know how womens are bad about that (You can see a girl like Bartoli being top 10 with a shitty physic).I really hope.
 
#35 ·
I didn't say that it helps them to stay at the level, but it definitively helps to get to the top rapidly.
I 100% agree with you. I just doubt that this quick rise can send anyone to the top10 level. Even the most talented players run into a wall somewhere around the 15-50 places, where they need to settle down, and start working on a different level.

Anyway, I don't really like ballbashers (being mindless or not). I prefer well rounded improvisative players like Henin, Hingis, etc. Or this youngter, Alize Cornet. She looks like if she was Henin's younger sister. :) And her game is similar to Justine's game too.
 
#31 ·
Female players start competing at high level in a rather early stage of their careers when they have yet to fully develop their game. I think it's a bit unfair to call Kvitova mindless ballbasher as she's only 17. Finesse should come with age, experience and a lot of practice. But whatever, I don't give a shit about what people here say.
 
#34 · (Edited)

This girl reminds me alot of an up and coming Ivanovic.She takes the cover clean off every ball she hits and takes no prisoners on second serve's.She's got an amazing ''clean-strike'' of the tennis ball rather like all the czech's Berdych,Safarova,Vaidisova they must have coaches who really teach them agressive flat out tennis in the czech republic.I think she could do with putting alot of work into the volleys and speed area.Maybe look into getting a great fitness coach assuming that she doesnt have one already???If she can improve fitness and introduce more variaton into her game [like ana ivanovic nowadays],i can she her making top 20 by the end of next year for sure.That's just my view.
 
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