The last volume has passed 5000 posts, time to start a new one.
She's doomed then :lol: , it's not that she's not capable, we all know she's not that bad on clay, in fact I'd say pretty decent when's she playing well in general. A couple of years ago she was giving Maria a tough time in the SF of Rome, it's just that her head isn't there which obviously affects her whole game, she has no raw power to rely on.Ideally she needs about 1000 points from this clay and grass court season.
Because ultimately that want, that desire for success has to come from you. Someone telling you to get your ass in gear will only go so far. You look at Serena and Sharapova, both very rich, both suffered injuries that could have ended their careers, but both are very driven and determined to reach the top. That reaction to adversity has to come from you.There was no Stacy Allaster or b.s. propaganda team to coddle Manning or Gonzalez after those disappointing defeats...and,despite their great skill and intense effort and work ethics,they haven't been treated as equals with the players who HAVE won multiple titles....I can't imagine how different the NFL might be if talented underachievers were pampered and treated as if they legends...as with the WTA where a joke and fraud is treated as if she were Steffi Graf's equal by virtue of their both being former #1s.If you're lauded as a queen and a mega-star of the sport even when you refuse to get a fitness coach....and get winded after the 1st set...and almost never do jack squat at Slams...then why should ANYone work hard?:shrug:...especially if her face is pretty enough to be popular for promo use?
It's not particularly the WTA encouraging half-assing. They are just using the girls they think are best for promo's which tends to be based on looks, whether this is correct is debateable. But it's not like being a promo girl is the doom. Everytime I go on the WTA website for months I am greeted by a Maria Sharapova 40-love campaign. Sharapova is heavily involved in their promo stuff, yet she is still driven. The drive has to come from the player ultimately (I know my posts may sound like I am a Sharapova fan but I am not lol). Ultimately it's down to the player, do you want to be the best possible player you can be, or are you happy to cash in on your looks and fame. I don't actually agree with a lot of WTA's promotional work either, but I'm not sure how much of a factor it is in players downfalls either. If a player is half-assing that is their fault, not the WTA's.Yes,I agree with you on a fundamental level,but let's broaden our perspective here.You're correct if you're implying that the elite players are the most important,yet there are HUNDREDs of gals who compete in WTA and ITF events,at various skill levels,and it's no good if ONLY the elite act like they give a shit.Just take a look at Vinci,for example,and what a hard-working gal she seems to be.She'll probably never get the ultimate payoff with a singles Slam title...and she'll never get the endorsement deals that prettier gals get...but DAMN she fights to get the most out of her limited God-given talent,even withOUT the promise of a big reward.
And THAT's my point;even if someone lacks the killer instinct of a Ree or Sharapova,she can still be a professional as Vinci and so many other gals are...but I'm seeing a WTA that ENCOURAGES the half-assing that you get from Lisicki and Ana...and I'm quite sure that someone like Bouchard--and maybe other young beauties--has noticed how much the WTA will offer their B.S. propaganda to PRETEND that a shallow ditz is a profound,magnificent human being.You're right that the WTA can't instill that champions' drive that exists only in a rare few,but they can at least make it known that they won't pamper,or even PROMOTE,someone who doesn't give a rat's ass about the quality of the product.I'm biased,of course,though I'd like to think that Caroline doesn't yet belong to the Worst Offenders list...and hopefully she never will
Yup,totally agree with this. China is a big market for WTA right now. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a grand slam event in China in a few years time.The WTA wants as many stars as possible. Having a top 10 player from 10 different countries is what they want.
But they really want another star from China, a young player coming up. Thats the big financial prize, if it happens.