Nearly missed the start of the match coming in from my golf round. Good thing Hradecka and Paszek took their time.
As usual Mandy were quick out of the gate, albeit with a little help from Barthel she played fairly decent in the first set which she could have won just as easily. Shortly in to the second set I and everybody else in the room knowing Mandy saw the writing on the wall. She fell absolutely flat.
After a match like this I have a few things to let of my chest:
Court coverage:
She plays really far from the baseline, I mean, she couldn’t get any further away if she drove. She does show a clean pair of heels but that is a lot of ground to cover back there. I don’t know if it is her full western and the big swing that makes her think she needs the extra time or it is just too much clay court time.
The serve:
Every time she served Barthel in the forehand she went for it and hit a lot of winners, and yet Mandy kept serving there. I simply don’t know why she did that. And btw., did them 3 foot faults play in her mind for a bit?
Coaching:
I heard afterwards that her coach told her to stop creating angles and play safe down the middle or back cross court. What a spanner ! If you got a game based on a really good forehand like Mandy what is the point of playing no-risk down the middle. You have got to be Wozniacki to play a retriever game like that. If she wants to control her weapons she has to trust she can set them up creating the point using angles.
There is no doubt the girl can play tennis, we have all seen it on her best days. But I don’t think she has got the right coaching, in fact I and the people sat around me thinks he is no good tactically. She desperately needs a new one, and if no one else will, I think I could persuade someone to scrape a few quid together for the cause, ehhh… including myself of course. Luxembourgers love it when foreigners appreciate and support their locals. It gives a lot of credit.
Biography
Coached by Tim Sommer ... Mother is Anna, father is Mario ... Started playing tennis at age 5 ... Speaks Luxembourgish, German, French, Italian and English ... Enjoys listening to music and seeing friends.
I suspect she has a fairly basic sponsor deal with Wilson. Not a lot more than bespoke racquets + free clothing and a (too) small check.
Wilson doesn't do much in clothing compared to the giants. I guess the focus in on the ball striking equipment. So they probably dont care if she wear the older stuff.
Personally I think she could be playing in a bin liner and still look the part.