The last volume has passed 5000 posts, time to start a new one. It's not the most positive of times with Caro just losing the #1 ranking and firing her coach, but while there isn't much we can do about that we can at least try to keep a civil tone here, even if we're somewhat frustrated about the way Caro's career is going right now. Ok?
Hope you are right..but all the time Piotr wasn´t able to improve her horrible FH why should he do it now? And don´t forget : all the stars are tired at end of the season, easy Draw in Moscow for a Premier....
Considering that you are saying that her biggest win this year is a result of easy draw and tired opponents I find it hard to believe you ´love her so much´.
Stosur is the only player out of the current top players who was able to defeat Serena in the slam final, just to remind you, she did earn her place in top 10 and also titles she won. But still you put her down to put Caro down... Trolling much? GM would be proud ...
I was as surprised and critical as anyone. But now its been over a year, so I accept that this is a long term problem.
But she showed better after USO. First thing she has to do is have a big AO. She only won 2 matches combined in the last 3 majors. If she goes out early again, then come a clay & grass major, where she's never done well.
So the AO is important. The best players almost never go this many majors without getting out of week 1
After the AO, we'll see how she handles the hardcourt spring. She wasnt that bad this year (SF Miami & Dubai), so it will take excellent results to move up in ranking
Yes..but don´t forget..she was in QF Sydney and AUS OPEN last year..lot of points to defend..and last year she come #1..now she is #10..more hard Draw...I wish her all the best, and at the end she show a really good game..is it good enough? We will see..I hope from bottom of my heart.
I hope so too.
The whole WTA tour is better if Caro & Petra play well, along with Serena, Maria, Vika, Aga, Kerber.
But its hard to do. Only the great players have long runs at the top.
So we'll see. Its not easy, and its been a struggle for Caro for a long while now
Caro is once again one of the three nominees for Denmark's "Tennis player of the year" award. The other nominees are Frederik L. Nielsen and the Davis Cup Team. Caro has won the award five years in a row, but I guess Frederik Nielsen will be hard to beat this year: A Wimbledon doubles title and at least a semifinal at the ATP finals in London (plus Davis Cup participations)!
WTA #10 plus two WTA titles is of course very good by most standards, but it still seems a little underwhelming compared to Caro's previous years.
Looking relaxed and enjoying life in a year that has already garnered a second major, a Ryder Cup triumph and top spot in the U.S. PGA Tour order of merit, McIlroy is also delighted to have Danish world number 10 Wozniacki cheering him on this week.
"Yes, it's great, this is her off season," he added.
"This is a chance to take a break but getting up at 5 a.m. to watch me play golf isn't exactly my idea of a holiday so hopefully after tomorrow or whenever we're done, we can get a couple of days off before going to Hong Kong.
"It's good to have her here and she'll be with me in Hong Kong, Dubai also and it's nice to get to spend some time with her."
that's not good i had to say, that means caro is not going to train before 25/11, and if i remember correctly, she is going to play an exhibition at mid-december with federer &co.
she won't have to time to try some new things.
i don't know, maybe she just need a good, long holiday, maybe?:shrug:
I think this is mostly about expectations. Woz was expected to stay in top 3/5 this year, but underperformed badly. Nielsen, on the other hand, massively overperformed at Wimbledon, compared to the rest of his career (and so far, at the WTF). The odds must have been astronomical at the start of Wimbledon.
I will honestly be very surprised, if he doesn't get this award.
Talking most improved ( or over performed Vs previous year(s) ) Nielsen is obviously the 'winner'. But I don't think it's a 'most improved' award, but a Player of the year award.
Comparing Caro and Frederik is effectively like comparing the team finishing 10th in the Premier League with the team which won the Blue Square League.
Yeah, by all accounts, she should get it. But I still think the Wimby win by itself will clinch it for him. And the ongoing one isn't exactly hurting his chances, either.
Edit: And I can't believe he's still going to focus on singles! That's just not very smart.
The WTA 2013 calender was officially changed November 9th, as the Copenhagen event was cancelled from the 2013 WTA Tour and changed with a new tournament held in Katowice, Poland, so Caroline will probably play there instead. I think that it's actually better for her as the hype around her this year has been a little harsh in Denmark - well at least among certain newspapers and journalists.
Team Wozniacki have moved the danish tournament to Poland, can be a reason Caro will play... but it also said A.Radwanska will play, but only 1 from Top 10 can play in MM's.
If thats correct, then its her team's tournament but she's not playing. Aga is.
Yeah, this year wasnt catastrophic. But it was similar to other players who got to #1 then dropped back. And some never got back to the top again.
Some get back to the top after adversity, some dont. So we'll find out. She has plenty of years ahead
But Aga is also scheduled to play in Auckland, NZL and they in Top 10 can also only play 1 Int. Series' before Wimbledon. So we'll see who plays in Poland...
This is a reason I hate with a passion the WTA rules. The book of rules is 500 odd pages which is ridiculous. And incidentally - the WTA break their own rules themselves sometimes. There's so many of them that it's pretty easy to do. For example when it comes to the rankings before the YEC at best the rules contradict themselves but really the WTA just don't do what they say. But there you go. With 500 pages - what do you expect.
Caro and Aga individually don't need the tournament for themselves. They'd play in Poland because it's a home tournament. Well in Aga's case it is and nearly a home tournament for Caro (home of her parents, Piotr involved in organising it, BFF with Aga). Aga and Caro aren't really there for the ranking points but to give back something.
If the WTA is worried about players "vultruring" or "whoring" ranking points there - that can be easily remedied without the draconian forbidding players to play there. All they have to do is tinker with what can count in your rankings if they are really concerned by that.
If the WTA is worried about losing players to the big tournaments by allowing players to play the smaller tournament - just ask who are the players that skip the big tournament? Not Caro or Aga. It's the players who don't play much period. They just penalise the players who are the least self-centred and who bail them out and don't let them down on the big tournaments.
It always annoys me that the players who have the least respect for the rules - the WTA can do nothing about. They are all bad rules continually getting flouted. At the end of the day - the WTA can never make a player play a tournament whatever the rules say. But they can stop a player playing somewhere period.
I really applaud players who play at their home event and at Fed Cup. This isn't about what's good for Caro or Aga personal development as a player. I don't think anything on personal gain should come into it. While I'm at it - I hate the idea of ranking points for any Fed Cup match that has been proposed and I also hate that players at present get any ranking points for the Olympics. You should approach those for your country - not your personal betterment.
Interesting. I didn't know. Then probably it's the 'Farum' license now being used to host the new Polish tournament.
Edit : If they want both Caro and Aga to play, they'll have to make it a $500k Int. and Aga cannot play an Int. at the beginning of the year. The Farum license was 'only' for an Int. event and to host a Premier event, they'd need to be approved for and able to buy a (n exciting?) Premier license.
I am quite staggerred that you should think she wouldn't. I mean if you read her twitter and her interviews - everything - she's always full of praise and happy for others. I actually think all tennis players - if they are the only one up there for their country - would love to see another fellow country player do really well. The idea that she can only be happy with what self self self does is nothing like the Caro I see. And it's a great feeling to be genuinely happy for others.
I don't know if you thinkthat it's all fake (I'm sure many in GM do). But believe it ior not - there are genuine nice people in this world. It would be so stressful and hard to fake all these expressions of happiness for others than to be genuinely happy for them.
Can a player be nice and successful? Well you have to put aside any feelings like that when playing on the court. But I don't see why you can't be nice and happy for others off the court.
If Copenhagen can't quite handle an International,do you suppose that Caro's pals could host one of those new 125Ks that just began this year?A few guest appearances by the Sunshine Queen herself would be great promotional help
Memory serves me right, Caro played and won an ITF event i Odense in 2008 (Odense is Caroline's place of birth). So it has been done before, but I'd say it's HIGHLY unlikely, she'll play and ITF event again, even in Odense or Farum
I'm personally finding it sad, it was not possible to sustain a WTA tournament in Denmark. It was actually off to a good start. In 2010, when the tournament was televised on terrestrial tv (TV2) in prime time, it attracted viewing numbers of up to 20% of the entire population.
Unfortunately, the domestic media coverage in 2011 and 2012 were somewhat less prominent and many articles in the press moaned about, there wasn't enough 'star' names and blah blah.
2011 still went ok (as Caroline won), but as soon Caroline didn't win, then sponsors weren't interested in paying for an event for some pova or vic to win. Or so it at least appears and the tournament had to give up.
It of course boils down to that Denmark and tennis is a one woman game (no disrespect to Frederik Nielsen).
I am though looking forward to Danish media finding out, the Farum license is now being used in Poland and with the Wozniacki and Radwanska families behind the event. :lol:
I think Caroline's problems were partly too many hard grinding weeks, but also changing her style of game and meeting Rory.
She had a lot going on, and she still is trying to adjust to it all. Be interesting to see how 2013 turns out. Between majors, mandatories, and YEC, she hasnt been to a final since IW 2011. Those are the finals top players want to be in
Not expecting competence from the WTA in how they manage their website,but they still list Copenhagen,WITH scheduled starting date,on their 2013 calendar.....I suppose that any of you Danes could confirm that as an error,or is there an effort being made to somehow salvage the event with another sponsor...thus accounting for Copenhagen's continued placement on the current calendar??
In other news,Caroline apparently ranked 4th amongst ALL players in WTA webpage hits during the 2012 season...behind Vika,Masha and--probably just barely--her buddy Aga.Though it's not as desirable as ON-court accomplishments,wouldn't that be a fairly decent indicator of Caroline's popularity?....Even more remarkable,IMO,in light of her subpar,for HER,results this season
In other news,Caroline apparently ranked 4th amongst ALL players in WTA webpage hits during the 2012 season...behind Vika,Masha and--probably just barely--her buddy Aga.Though it's not as desirable as ON-court accomplishments,wouldn't that be a fairly decent indicator of Caroline's popularity?....Even more remarkable,IMO,in light of her subpar,for HER,results this season
Imo it shows that, despite all the criticism from the medias and the hate on here, she is loved out there in the real world and the warm crowds behind her during matches just confirm what that "ranking" says