Could you all please stop talking . Stop reminding us the number of titles that Maria failed to win . She will win at least 5 titles this year. Stuttgart, Rome, RG, USO, Tokyo .
Again, I shall reaffirm my optimism among y'all drama queens
I think a title is not entirely out of the question. I love Petra but the only constant with her is her inconsistency so I highly doubt she'll build anything on this Middle East run. The final should really be Vika vs Maria and anything else would be surprising to me.
Again, I shall reaffirm my optimism among y'all drama queens
I think a title is not entirely out of the question. I love Petra but the only constant with her is her inconsistency so I highly doubt she'll build anything on this Middle East run. The final should really be Vika vs Maria and anything else would be surprising to me.
Have you seen Petra's last three matches , her forehand is just insane and she has been consistent with that shot the whole week. She took Rena to a third set and was close to winning .
Maria can't cope with that kind of power and precision when she's playing her pusherlike tennis. She just can't.
But you're right! Two tournaments and two SFs is fine. I must confess that, if Serena had won Doha, I probably wouldn't be freaking out as much as I am now :lol:
As for Petra, the three titles she won in the last 2 years (Montreal, New Haven and Dubai) she hasn't beaten any of the Top 3 and was abysmal after that :shrug:
I mean remember USO when everyone was like omgusofavorite and she ate a bagel to Bartoli of all people :spit:
However, I am jealous that she is able to win titles because she participate in normal tour events unlike Masha who only plays the biggest events
It wouldn't hurt Masha to add 2 smaller tournaments like Paris and Birmingham/Eastbourne to her schedule
As for Petra, the three titles she won in the last 2 years (Montreal, New Haven and Dubai) she hasn't beaten any of the Top 3 and was abysmal after that :shrug:
I mean remember USO when everyone was like omgusofavorite and she ate a bagel to Bartoli of all people :spit:
However, I am jealous that she is able to win titles because she participate in normal tour events unlike Masha who only plays the biggest events
It wouldn't hurt Masha to add 2 smaller tournaments like Paris and Birmingham/Eastbourne to her schedule
Thanks Fighterpova. Should be a fun tournament then. Either way she should be looking to impose her game now and gather good momentum to set up another clay court run.
Thanks Fighterpova. Should be a fun tournament then. Either way she should be looking to impose her game now and gather good momentum to set up another clay court run.
I'd be interested to see whether Vika would be able to come back from a shoulder injury like Masha's (something I still don't think she gets enough credit for).
I'd be interested to see whether Vika would be able to come back from a shoulder injury like Masha's (something I still don't think she gets enough credit for).
This is a question for Maria fans, because you guys have obviously watched Maria play more over the years. Serena believes when she plays well she'll win. That she's the best there is and if she loses it's because she didn't play at her best level (and most of the time that is the case). I feel Azarenka believes this too. That if she plays her best she'll win (except against maybe Serena), but she clearly considers herself head and shoulders above the field (again, except maybe Serena).
Do you think Maria has this same belief? That she is the best player on tour. That if she plays her best she'll beat everyone. I feel like she's felt this at times in her career, but never after the injury. She seems cautious and is maybe lacking that ultimate belief that is crucial for a champion?
This is a question for Maria fans, because you guys have obviously watched Maria play more over the years. Serena believes when she plays well she'll win. That she's the best there is and if she loses it's because she didn't play at her best level (and most of the time that is the case). I feel Azarenka believes this too. That if she plays her best she'll win (except against maybe Serena), but she clearly considers herself head and shoulders above the field (again, except maybe Serena).
Do you think Maria has this same belief? That she is the best player on tour. That if she plays her best she'll beat everyone. I feel like she's felt this at times in her career, but never after the injury. She seems cautious and is maybe lacking that ultimate belief that is crucial for a champion?
Azarenka doesn't hit people off the court. She relies on a very very consistent game. She barely does a thing wrong. What separates her from other counterpunchers is that she has the ability to create angles and pace. However, she will always be prone to potentially losing to the likes of Sarina, Maria, Petra - these players that can hit her off the court when having a good day. Her game is too consistent, and too good for the vast majority of the tour. However, there are certain match-ups where the match is not on her racquet. I am unsure as to how she can have a mentality that she simply cant lose when a large part of her own game relies on her opponents missing (forced + unforced errors). She doesn't have the Sarina ability to hit people off the court and raise her game through multiple gears. The comparison between her and Sarina simply boggles me.
I try to avoid the "What if" question in regards to Maria's shoulder. For example, you can wonder how Serena would cope with having her biggest weapon, her serve, turn into her biggest liability, which is pretty much what happened to Maria. How would Serena deal with 15 DFs a match and getting broken routinely? Would she have the fortitude to fight through it and rely on other aspects? Maria certainly has done a commendable job to get where she is these past 4 years.
But Maria is hardly the first player to face adversity. So many others can play the "What if" card and it opens up too many hypotheticals that it makes your head spin trying to calculate how many more titles so and so would have won . What if Serena never stepped on that glass? What if she didn't need knee surgery early in her career? What if Venus never got that disease? What if Seles was never stabbed? What if Hingis didn't develop foot problems? What if Kim didn't want to start a family until her 30s? What if Henin stayed healthy and didn't retire young? And on and on.
Yeah, Vika has had it easy health wise so far, but who's to say how she will cope with a serious injury until it happens. Maria's done a great job. Serena's done a great job. Seles really did a remarkable job. And I should be more openly appreciative of where Maria has gotten to in her career after surgery because she's worked so hard. We'll never know the physical and mental toll it's taken on her. It's just hard to think about things in that perspective when Maria is still in the thick of things competing at a top 5 level. She gets close to winning, but you keep seeing those same mistakes and those same losses to those same players and your emotions take over.
So Oudin gets the MDWC for IW. I really hope Maria can meet her for at least one time in the future. I can never forget that match I want that revenge soooo bad
So Oudin gets the MDWC for IW. I really hope Maria can meet her for at least one time in the future. I can never forget that match I want that revenge soooo bad
oh my God yes please . I'll never forget watching Oudin beat Dementieva in person at USO 2009 and being so happy for her, and then wishing death upon her 2 days later .
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