[TennisFan66]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

Actually, it's Serena Williams doing a Caro impersonation with her Caro lookalike mask and wig.

RACISM!!!!!!! Not all white women are blond. Stereotypical racism towards white women. I shall immediately alert the world news media.

[Chrissie-fan]

Originally Posted by TennisFan66

RACISM!!!!!!! Not all white women are blond. Stereotypical racism towards white women. I shall immediately alert the world news media.

[Protoss]

Challenging draw for Caro. Based on the draw she should make it to the quarters.

It's strange that Caro's 2013 season is technically beginning in 2012 but it is a bit exciting that she's playing again.

Good luck in Brisbane and in 2013 Caro!!!

[jasminefu623]

don't even know what to say, able to watch the tie break, from what i saw at the tie break, same old caro, same old story, nothing change.

the entire off season was wasted, she didn't improve her serve, she didn't improve her forehand, she didn't try to cut down her UEs.

caro can play some good point from time to time in a match, but that's not enough, she is not gonna win a SINGLE match if she keep on play like this.

i know i shouldn't say this, but what is the point of pulling the match to a tie break but you can only win a point in tie break when facing someone outside the top 100?

credit to pervak, she play some great tennis, but as a top 10 player, caro should be able to handle players like her. pervak kinda remind me of goerges, their hitting motion are similar, if caro hit the ball earlier, she can avoid pervak bossing her around.

don't know what else i can say, this is the last day of 2012, hopefully caro can do better starting from tomorrow.

[bruce goose]

Yeah folks,just ignore my optimism whenever I feel good about Caro's chances again....doesn't mean that she'll never inspire me to make the same mistake

[Mitten Kitten]

wow that's called an unexpected and bad waking up such a bad loss to start the year

[Protoss]

Originally Posted by jasminefu623

don't even know what to say, able to watch the tie break, from what i saw at the tie break, same old caro, same old story, nothing change.

the entire off season was wasted, she didn't improve her serve, she didn't improve her forehand, she didn't try to cut down her UEs.

caro can play some good point from time to time in a match, but that's not enough, she is not gonna win a SINGLE match if she keep on play like this.

i know i shouldn't say this, but what is the point of pulling the match to a tie break but you can only win a point in tie break when facing someone outside the top 100?

credit to pervak, she play some great tennis, but as a top 10 player, caro should be able to handle players like her. pervak kinda remind me of goerges, their hitting motion are similar, if caro hit the ball earlier, she can avoid pervak bossing her around.

don't know what else i can say, this is the last day of 2012, hopefully caro can do better starting from tomorrow.

I find the randomness of Caro's play kind of baffling. Is it a focus thing? A confidence thing? Or what?

I don't think Goerges and Pervak are at all alike. Goerges is an agggressive player with big weapons in her 1st serve and forehand. Pervak is more a defender with modest/limited power.

It's one thing if Caro is getting bossed around by players like Goerges or Kvitova but another if it's by a relative lightweight like Pervak. It shouldn't be happening and it's a bad sign.

[DownInAHole]

Huh. Pervak had sixty-one unforced errors and still won? Maybe Petkovic had more in Miami in 2011 but it is very hard to believe that Caroline lost when her opponent had that many unforced errors.

Not a great start to the season but it is still extremely early. She definitely needs to play much better in Sydney. If not she could have an early exit in Melbourne and she is defending quarter-final points there. An early loss could send her back out of the top ten.

[TennisFan66]

Originally Posted by jasminefu623

the entire off season was wasted

She had a holiday and a break in Brasil and another holiday and relaxing time in Florida.

We hear from Rory and also from Thomas J. how hard Caro is working. But to start 2013, we get a loss to a player outside #100 ..

[Protoss]

Originally Posted by TennisFan66

She had a holiday and a break in Brasil and another holiday and relaxing time in Florida.

We hear from Rory and also from Thomas J. how hard Caro is working. But to start 2013, we get a loss to a player outside #100 ..

I wonder if Caro's good results after the US Open maybe gave her a false or misleading overly positive impression of the state of her game. I've seen that happen with some teams who do poorly the majority of the season but then have a good finish to the season.

Given Caro's level of play/results for the majority of the year, I would have thought that she'd have a lot longer and more intense training period after the season. But her training period didn't seem that long or intense to me.

I think Caro may have thought that her game didn't need that much work afterall.

[DownInAHole]

Originally Posted by Protoss

I wonder if Caro's good results after the US Open maybe gave her a false or misleading overly positive impression of the state of her game. I've seen that happen with some teams who do poorly the majority of the season but then have a good finish to the season.

Given Caro's level of play/results for the majority of the year, I would have thought that she'd have a lot longer and more intense training period after the season. But her training period didn't seem that long or intense to me.

I think Caro may have thought that her game didn't need that much work afterall.

If what you hypothesise is true then maybe this kind of a loss is a good thing? She may believe that her game is sound and that things are fine but a few more losses like this may wake her up and make her realise that her good results last fall haven't turned her game around. It would probably be better for her to realise that now rather than for her to continue having decent results at the smaller events and mediocre results at the bigger events. Maybe a bad start will make her work much harder and by the middle of the year she may start getting back to where she was at her best?

[Mitten Kitten]

I haven't seen the match so i can't really comment, but from what I am reading she's been over powered by Ksenia, which is honestly a very worrying sign...
I was watching some highlights of her win in Las Vegas many years ago already and the comments on her tennis (as she was unseeded there so kind of a surprise) were: "how amazing is to see a girl with great physical shape, good movements and such a big power". She was hitting very strong with BH and the FH was good, sometimes flat and most of the time top spin, but very deep. She hit even a couple of FH inside-out winners there...I wonder where that all has gone? surely one can't forget how to play, can one?
I still believe that the racket change was a terrible decision...

[goldenlox]

I didnt see the match, but I'm not surprised.
This sport is mental, and whatever happened in the months after the loss at Wimbledon to Cibulkova ( could be a technique change, burnout, meeting Rory, etc..) whatever happened, she doesnt play a smart, steady game anymore. She doesnt play well at key moments, doesnt hold her serve.
Unless she can mentally step up, this will be her tennis, just like Jankovic, Ivanovic.
So get used to it. It could be she is trying as hard as she can, but the mentally tough aspect of her game is gone.
Pervak is a very typical 1st round opponent, a noncontender for a big title. Thats what Caro is also.

[Saraya00000]

So sad, but not a surprise..she did nothing for tennis in the off season only cheering Rory..that is not enough.

[TennisFan66]

Originally Posted by goldenlox

I didnt see the match, but I'm not surprised.
This sport is mental

I am surprised, but the joke's on me.

Yes, mental.

From a very early age, Piotr drilled into her 'It's only a tennis match', when she lost in her junior days. It has given her a grounded, good perspective on life and what's important.

But one cannot help but wonder, if it's also made her complacent and not affected enough by losses? .. There's always next week, next tournament.

Her sunny disposition appears more of a hindrance than a strength for her tennis career - at least at this moment.