[bruce goose]

Originally Posted by hypersonic

You're right. This is the only way that should strengthen Petra's mental aspects (akin to what Davenport said that 'there are no indoor grand slams and that she needs to tough it out'). It's one case acknowledging what for potential someone possesses but it's another case of realizing it and that's where the mental aspects are significant.

It's always nice to chat with other posters who appreciate the challenge.I'm in a small minority here as an NFL fan,yet I'll tell you that my favorite team,Baltimore,has a playoff game against a superior Denver squad this Saturday.Our chances of winning are VERY slim,and that means that,with a loss,one of our all-time great players,a future HOF'er,will have his career ended........wouldn't have it ANY other way.In a fantasy world,all the elite teams could forfeit their playoff spot due to some outbreak...and then we could march to a Super Bowl victory by defeating the lousy teams who served as 'lucky losers'....but we'd never be respected as true champions under that scenario,and we would have nothing to be proud about.To really BE the best,you must BEAT the best

In an analogous situation,we could watch Petra rack up an awesome winning% and LOTS of double bagels by playing a bunch of ITF 10 and 25k tourneys...it would quickly ring hollow,though

[TennisAddict84]

hey guys, i'm back...as I said in the past, 2013 is the year where Petra needs to prove herself...no more excuses...if she does not become an elite player this yr...i'm not sure if she'll ever get there

obviously her asthma is legit, which I believed flared up again and caused her loss at last yr's USO against Bartoli...BUT if petra got in tip top shape...i honestly believe Petra would be able to manage her conditions better despite how ever humid it is

so again...it comes down to Petra's motivation and how much she wants it, and the sacrifices she's willing to make...i personally feel she needs to be more of a boss off the court and take control of her career

only time will tell...and ultimately...it'll just be very sad for the sport if petra does not fulfill her potential...because she is the ONLY player on the tour right now who can potentially outplay Serena...

don't mean to sound negative, but given her recent form...not really expecting much from Petra at this yr's AO...i think a 4th round result would be surprisingly good

[bruce goose]

Originally Posted by paulmara

lucky me

Don't know how well Petra can read in English,but she needs to learn......if for no other reason than coming here to check out your posts

[Petronius]

Petra confirms that she had asthma issues in Brisbane and this derailed her a bit mentally - the girl is probably still in 'asthma-adjustment' mode.

Practiced hard with Bartoli, 'excellent training cause Marion hits hard and fast so you've got to be fully focused' and looks forward to AO.

She always steps it up at grandslams, she made the second week in 7 out of the last 8 slams.

[JarkaFish]

Good luck.

[Excelscior]

Originally Posted by Petronius

Petra confirms that she had asthma issues in Brisbane and this derailed her a bit mentally - the girl is probably still in 'asthma-adjustment' mode.

Practiced hard with Bartoli, 'excellent training cause Marion hits hard and fast so you've got to be fully focused' and looks forward to AO.

She always steps it up at grandslams, she made the second week in 7 out of the last 8 slams.

Find a better doctor/s!!

Plus, adapt better and/or get used to it (as best as you can/when you can, when it happens). I know it's not always easy. Nontheless, what does this have to do with Sydney, where she was just god awful (or this was the "mental" carry over from Brisbane)?

As far as the rest of it (i.e. Australian Open), good luck Petra!

[Setsuna.]

Djokovic used to have an obvious breathing problem but not anymore. Petra could do the same if she finds a better doctor probably or if she took care of herself very well. I don't know really.

[Petronius]

Originally Posted by Excelscior

(or this was the "mental" carry over from Brisbane)?

Probably

[bruce goose]

Both sluts and chicks who have dated Aussie males--who are sometimes one and the same--are popular down under,where the male fans don't seem too discriminating...if Brie Whitehead slept around with a couple Aussie players,there would probably be a huge following for her where they called her 'Aussie Brie'.....Anyway,despite Petra's language limitations,there was a pair of dudes who invited her on their show within the last few days,and there's a charming pic of Petra in that setting on the WTA webpage

[TennisAddict84]

Originally Posted by Petronius

Petra confirms that she had asthma issues in Brisbane and this derailed her a bit mentally - the girl is probably still in 'asthma-adjustment' mode.

Practiced hard with Bartoli, 'excellent training cause Marion hits hard and fast so you've got to be fully focused' and looks forward to AO.

She always steps it up at grandslams, she made the second week in 7 out of the last 8 slams.

I still don't understand why Petra hasn't gotten a full time male hitting partner...

[TennisAddict84]

Originally Posted by Hisagi.

Djokovic used to have an obvious breathing problem but not anymore. Petra could do the same if she finds a better doctor probably or if she took care of herself very well. I don't know really.

yeah, I was thinking the same thing...and Azarenka too used to have melt downs in the heat, but now that she's fully fit...she's perfectly fine playing in extremely hot conditions

[bruce goose]

Originally Posted by bruce goose

Both sluts and chicks who have dated Aussie males--who are sometimes one and the same--are popular down under,where the male fans don't seem too discriminating...if Brie Whitehead slept around with a couple Aussie players,there would probably be a huge following for her where they called her 'Aussie Brie'.....Anyway,despite Petra's language limitations,there was a pair of dudes who invited her on their show within the last few days,and there's a charming pic of Petra in that setting on the WTA webpage

To add to this,many of you have probably already seen Pat Cash interview Petra on CNN's Open Court.The video on my computer wouldn't play that clip,for some reason,but the audio was just fine and Cash was almost fawning--yet in a dignified way,not like a drooling pervert--in his respect for Petra's ability and future prospects

[Excelscior]

Originally Posted by bruce goose

To add to this,many of you have probably already seen Pat Cash interview Petra on CNN's Open Court.The video on my computer wouldn't play that clip,for some reason,but the audio was just fine and Cash was almost fawning--yet in a dignified way,not like a drooling pervert--in his respect for Petra's ability and future prospects

Petra's quite charming, in regards to interviews. I don't think she has "language limitations" either. We just keep babying her (in regards to that), like we do with so many other aspects regarding Petra and her tennis. Her English, is no worse than many other foreign players on the tour, who spent very little time in the US. It's this type of thinking (staying in her comfort zone), why Petra's seemingly stuck in her ways, with her results remaining stagnant or even moving backwards.

As far as her talent: We all know/everybody knows Petra's got talent. Shoot, that's the worst ("sshhhh") secret in tennis. However, that's not good enough anymore. Petra's needs to be in the PRODUCTION stage of her career. Unfortunately, neither Petra nor her handlers, seem ready or equipped for that (and what it entails/requires) at the moment. That's unfortunate, and such a waste (of almost immeasurable talent), as long as the under achievement, mental/tennis unpreparedness, and overall lack of professionalism persist in her career.

Nonetheless, I hope Petra can get hot, get her head on straight and with some luck, make a deep run at the Aussie Open or (good grief ) even win the damn thing.

A deep run or win there, certainly wouldn't take away from Petra's lack of commitment, professionalism, meeting expectations, confidence, etc., but it would sure feel good at the moment (depending on how the run finally ended, of course).

[bruce goose]

I say 'language limitations' b/c it's much harder to market someone who stumbles badly over her words and speaks at a simplistic level(an exception would be someone who marketed herself as Anna K. did).This doesn't mean that Petra lacks intelligence;I think it's more a case where she doesn't LIKE or WANT to speak English and the results reflect that

[Excelscior]

Originally Posted by bruce goose

I say 'language limitations' b/c it's much harder to market someone who stumbles badly over her words and speaks at a simplistic level(an exception would be someone who marketed herself as Anna K. did).This doesn't mean that Petra lacks intelligence;I think it's more a case where she doesn't LIKE or WANT to speak English and the results reflect that

At the risk of getting into a protracted dialogue (which I don't), I kindly disagree Bruce.

The media finds Petra quite charming, and has said repeatedly that they 'like talking to her', and 'she's one of our favorites' to interview'. I repeat, Petra can be quite charming, humorous and profound, during post match pressers. At other times, Petra's TV stints can be worthless or quite charming. Like anyone else; I guess it's when you catch them.

Remember, in Dec 2011, Jan 2012, the media was loaded up to make Petra the new Queen of tennis, and Petra burned them (by not winning in early 2012, and eventually much at all), and didn't live up to her portion of the bargain. So they were ready and waiting to market and proclaim her in spades. However, Petra didn't cooperate. It's funny, how we easily forget that.

Which leads into the other argument: Petra needs to win. Not only does her speaking English or not, has nothing to do with her winning (anywhere in the world). But you need to win to be marketed. Simple as that!

However, I don't don't care about her marketing. That's the least of Petra's issues at the moment. I just want Petra to win, and get on the right track. And right now, Petra's doing a bad job at it.