[Mary Chain]

Hope it's nothing serious.

[Setsuna.]

Bad news.

[joy division]

For the non German posters -
There were some rumors in the last few weeks that Mona has some problems with her foot.
Boomerang kid@ said she twisted her ankle at Miami and it`s therefore. I also think that she has these problems since a little longer. But there are missing more detailed information about her injury. ( I can`t find them, maybe somebody else knows more about it ?)
In an article at yahoo eurosport news 2 days ago they were already talking about Mona taking a break. So her withdraw from Estoril is not too surprising.

[Setsuna.]

Originally Posted by moviemac

Exactly. It's rather unfortunate that her 5 matches against Top 10 players this season included 4 matches against Azarenka. Of course she won the other one. I want to see her play other Top 10 girls now, especially 4-10, I think she will have a good chance against all of them.

I think it's a smart decision to play Estoril next. She made 120 points this week beating Ivanovic and Bartoli and (again) almost beating Azarenka. In contrast the 4 semifinalists of Fes made more points than her this week, mostly against opponents that would have struggled getting through qualifying in Stuttgart.

Yeah, totally agree with you mate.

Originally Posted by joy division

For the non German posters -
There were some rumors in the last few weeks that Mona has some problems with her foot.
Boomerang kid@ said she twisted her ankle at Miami and it`s therefore. I also think that she has these problems since a little longer. But there are missing more detailed information about her injury. ( I can`t find them, maybe somebody else knows more about it ?)
In an article at yahoo eurosport news 2 days ago they were already talking about Mona taking a break. So her withdraw from Estoril is not too surprising.

Thanks mate. Hopefully nothing serious.

[TheItalianStyle]

Do you guys know why Mona didn't enter Rome? And do you think she may add it up, instead of Estoril?

[mk27]

Originally Posted by TheItalianStyle

Do you guys know why Mona didn't enter Rome? And do you think she may add it up, instead of Estoril?

Maybe because of the German Bundesliga. Mona will play for Bocholt this year.

[Rex59]

Originally Posted by TheItalianStyle

Do you guys know why Mona didn't enter Rome? And do you think she may add it up, instead of Estoril?

Since she's withdrawn from Estoril, is playing Madrid, foot-permitting, and Rome is immediately after Madrid, I don't see why she wouldn't play Rome. She definitely belongs with the competition slated to play the event.

[Patrick345]

My guess is she entered Estoril with the idea that Stuttgart would be a rather short week. Then she surprised herself with the two big wins on clay and the long competitive match with Azarenka. So she and her new coach probably decided to change up her schedule a bit. Honestly the draw wasn´t that good either with CSN and AMG in it early, so wise decision to skip Estoril, go straight to Madrid well rested and full of confidence.

[boomerangkid]

on her page she confirmed that the estoril withdraw results from the injury she got ag. JJ in Miami!

[joy division]

Sehr interessanter Bericht über sie in der FAZ

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/sport/meh...-11734255.html

[joy division]

Originally Posted by boomerangkid

on her page she confirmed that the estoril withdraw results from the injury she got ag. JJ in Miami!

...and in the message for English speakers she additionally mentions -
"Hopefully, I will be fit for Madrid".
_______

Some details of the FAZ article "Brave new world" -

When she was a little girl Mona Barthel was living in a different world. She permanently trailed a tennis racket, the same that Steffi Graf used to play , and was always wearing the same little tennis dress. If somebody was asking the four years old - What`s your name ? - Mona Barthel answered with utter infantile conviction "Steffi Graf".
Nowadays the 21 years young woman is living in another different fabulous world.
She has found her dream job, has already celebrated some impressing successes and is laughing about the days when she was in her infancy when she tried to imitate her idol at every turn :
With racket and a little skirt, which did not fit well, because her Mum Hannelore had bought all utensils in the original Steffi Graf size.
Mona Barthel has broken away from her earlier identity long ago. The most successful German player is still her idol, but the Schleswegian is on the way to make her own marks on the tennis tour - even when a well known German online media agency baptized her "Monika" these days.
"The players out there get to known me", tells the woman living at Neumünster.
None less than the world`s tennis number one in tennis, Victoria Azarenka, asked her for having a little practice session at the beginning of the week at Stuttgart - a sign of the big respect she is showing for her.

Her personal statements in the article

"There is no big gap to the top players. Experience is important, but most important is confidence."

I`m mentally a good player, it`s a question of the character." She does not need a mental coach
"On the court you are making your own decisions, I have my own ideas where it`s going at."

About the glamorous aspects in women`s tennis -
"It`s just tennis. I`m not the best human being of the world, just because I can put some tennis balls into the court."

From that part on the rest of it -

So much understatement seems to be extraordinary in the circle of the numberous tennis girlies, who where drilled to start a tennis career already in their early ages and hardly know anything else than her sports. Mona`s horizon is more extended.
She made her "Abitur" ( junior high school certificate ), despite her parents were "just" demanding the "Fachhochschulereife" (the next lower certificate for German pupils, it`s placed between middle school and junior high school), before she ventured on the professional tour.
"Well, I really enjoyed learning, so I asked myself at that point why I should stop it."
Only in her summer vacancies Mona Barthel could acquire her first experiences at some smaller European tournaments. She spend the nights on camping fields sharing her tent with her mother.
"You don`t forget these impressions", she says. What makes a struggle a little bit nowadays is her life as a tennis nomad.
Playing a different tournament every week, travelling to different continents several times a year and to get managed the jet lag :
All that was different before. But when I get through all that for the first time, then it will become almost routine and will bemuch easier for me."
Mona Barthel has not quite arrived yet in her "brave new world".

.

[Patrick345]

I knew it. The similarities couldn´t have been a coincidence. Weird that I like her, I always hated Graf.

Vika wanted to train with her. New BFFs I can dig that.

[joy division]

Yes, there definitely are some similarities between them.
It`s get visible in some movements and their calm attitude on court.

Steffi should give Mona a little bit of her forehand and consistency.
Mona some of her backhand and her ability to articulate to Steffi.
It would fit perfectly for both.

[Child in Time]

Originally Posted by Kanda.

Number of games won in the last 4 meetings against Vika:

Sharapova: 20 games.
Radwanska: 21 games.
Barthel: 40 games.

Mona.

I think she'll eventually beat Vika. She was very close in IW and Stuttgart, with a bit more experience and confidence I'm sure she'll do it.

[Mojobackhand]

Hey guys. Here are some pics of Mona from Stuggi!
More to come. I haven't uploaded all of it yet.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mojobac...s/monabarthel/