[Gergo]

I think it's safe to say that 2012 will go down as one of her best years.
But which year was her worst?

(based on on-court performance)

[Gergo]

IMO its 2010 for sure. In 2009 the got back to nearly top 10 form, but never delivered or inproved in 2010. If she had changed her coach earlier, she wouldnt have "wasted" a year to improve.

[denny5576]

Originally Posted by Gergo

If she had changed her coach earlier, she wouldnt have "wasted" a year to improve.

You obviously do not know or forgot what happened in 2010.
And before talking about coaches see Maria's matches:
Maria - Serena Wimbledon 2010
Maria - Serena OG 2012

[Gergo]

Originally Posted by denny5576

You obviously do not know or forgot what happened in 2010.
And before talking about coaches see Maria's matches:
Maria - Serena Wimbledon 2010
Maria - Serena OG 2012

You picked her best match of the year. While at RG she showed some promise, on wich she later delivered (), her perfonmance at AO and USO was very disappointing. She had an injury at IW, but almost played a full year, yet she didnt make the YEC, and she finished lower in ranking than in 2009.

[denny5576]

Before making such poll you should first define the criterion. Different criteria mean different answers. And give more choices. Why 2009, for example, is not in the list?

[Gergo]

If you think its not 2010, Im cool with that. Im just interested in your and forum's opinion. You made an argument against 2010, I made one for 2010. If you think its 2009 or any other year, tell us why you think so.

[denny5576]

Originally Posted by Gergo

You picked her best match of the year. While at RG she showed some promise, on wich she later delivered (), her perfonmance at AO and USO was very disappointing. She had an injury at IW, but almost played a full year, yet she didnt make the YEC, and she finished lower in ranking than in 2009.

I said:
"before talking about coaches see Maria's matches:
Maria - Serena Wimbledon 2010
Maria - Serena OG 2012"

Did you see it?
Did you see the difference?
So we better avoid talking about coaches.

When we attempt to evaluate and compare results of a player we must include and analyze everything related to the training process as well. Otherwise our conclusions could be very wrong.
Let me help you: for the not so good results in the second half of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 there are only two persons responsible - Maria and Sasha. But we must understand and appreciate the love...

[Gergo]

Ok. Then which was her worst year in your opinion and why?

[denny5576]

Originally Posted by Gergo

If you think its not 2010, Im cool with that. Im just interested in your and forum's opinion. You made an argument against 2010, I made one for 2010. If you think its 2009 or any other year, tell us why you think so.

I simply try to help you improve your poll. Did not express my opinion which year is the worst because it depends on the criterion.

[Gergo]

And no, I didnt see the 2010 match. I guess she was more agressive in that match. I wasnt trying to be too harsh on Joyce here, but I felt she needed a change after 2010 for whatever reason.

[Gergo]

Originally Posted by Gergo

(based on on-court performance)

sorry i should have been more clear on that

[MM_1257]

Originally Posted by Gergo

And no, I didnt see the 2010 match. I guess she was more agressive in that match. I wasnt trying to be too harsh on Joyce here, but I felt she needed a change after 2010 for whatever reason.

If Joyce really himself suggested her to end the coach-pupil relationship and advised her to move on and find another coach, I really really really put my hats off to him. It is a big big big action... And yes, she did need the change, she is aware of that, too.

[massive]

2010 had some very tough losses/chokes against Henin, the servebot and Clijsters. She should've won those three matches (well, at least taken 1st set off the servebot in Wimbledon) and she knows it; those losses took a huge mental toll on Maria towards the end of the year. She unfortunately ran into Peak Wozniacki at the USO but if it weren't for her record-low confidence levels she would've easily gotten through an inspired Woz. No comments on the Asian swing and the beginning of 2011.

I still love Maria and do believe she has a couple of slams in her but her game was completely retooled. It is indeed a joy to watch on grass but she parted ways with Joyce because she just can't be as aggressive as she used to be pre-surgery; it puts too much strain on her shoulder, no matter how much it has recovered.

Nevertheless, I think she's slowly and steadily drifting more and more towards her all-out aggressive mode, particularly on the forehand. It was indeed the shot which won her RG this year, but it breaks down too much on the other surfaces (even though it looked better than ever at AO until that final )

So yeah, in a way, it's a tie between 2011 and 2009 for worst years. Sorry for including 2011, but Maria was atrocious in Australia, IW, Miami, Wimbledon, Toronto, and ESPECIALLY at the USO. She was mediocre in RG and the only highlight of that year was Rome. This year has been wonderful, and she really should've bagged both the AO and Miami, but that's a whole different discussion.

[massive]

2012 is would've been the best year of her career if it weren't for Serena. She would've most likely won Madrid and the Olympic Gold, and she wouldn't have drawn Lisicki at Wimbledon; who knows what would've happened there.

[nelsondan]

Originally Posted by massive

2012 is would've been the best year of her career if it weren't for Serena. She would've most likely won Madrid and the Olympic Gold, and she wouldn't have drawn Lisicki at Wimbledon; who knows what would've happened there.

2012 is not over yet. I would like to see a rematch with Serena in the USO. Everyone takes it for granted that Serena was impossible for anyone at the Olympics....but even Maria, in the second set, had one game she lost which could have changed momentum we do not know if Serena will have a tiny loss of intensity....but a tiny loss could be a game changer for Maria, especially one that gets her to a third set. I still rule out nothing for Maria.