[Trih]

You're so kind.

[WarrenK]

Originally Posted by Pavstry.

LOL. I remember when this happened. Laura

But then, we got this press conference gem:

Originally Posted by Vodkapova

From Adal:

Q. Andy Murray tweeted that one day she will be world No. 1. What's your take on that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Who?

Maria shading Murray

P.S. Pavstry./Tejmeglekvar I need to spread reputation, but if I could, I would goodrep all of your posts/tweets.

[Trih]

"Who?"
too bad I didn't discover TF yet at that time

[dsanders06]

Originally Posted by Mexicola

So, basically, we need the fitness and stamina of today's Maria to go with the better precision, fight, and, dare I say, variety of 2004-2008 Maria. Then we'd see her go tooth and nail in some back and forth semifinal and final 3-setters with the likes of Serena, Vika, and Li Na, instead of seeing her get dumptrucked in meek fashion.

There's no question Maria is more than capable of going 2 and a half or 3 hours in a match if need be and not look fatigued. But she just errors herself to death before she can get any traction, so stamina and match pressure never even come into play. And, especially against someone like Li Na, extending a match is absolutely essential because she will crumble more often than not in tight situations. I want to see Maria do a MUCH better job at digging in against top opponents when momentum isn't going her way.

Yeah, really not. Obviously finesse is never going to be her strong point, but she can atleast occasionally hit a decent dropshot these days, which she never could've done in 04-06....she's always had an underrated lob though.

Also, I do think some people are guilty of overstating the gap between the "old" Maria and the current one. Overall I'd say 04-06Pova is slightly better than today's, but it's not as big a gap between them as some say, and there ARE certain things she does better today (movement as well as stamina, and I actually think there's an argument her backhand at times in 2012 was better than it ever was in 04-06). And I definitely don't think it's fair to say she fights less. Even in her worst losses over the past 12 months, it's not like she actually willingly gives up She's always been pumping herself up and trying to get herself going right til the end of her matches, even if she's still making mountains of errors. She might have less self-belief than she used to, but her will to fight is and always has been (except maybe a few matches in 2010) at pretty much the maximum possible.

[dsanders06]

Originally Posted by WarrenK

LOL. I remember when this happened. Laura

But then, we got this press conference gem:

From Adal:

Q. Andy Murray tweeted that one day she will be world No. 1. What's your take on that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Who?

Maria shading Murray

Oh, that was hilarious


(Although, I think it was later established that she must've just misunderstood the question, because, in the TF thread on this comment, someone pulled out "receipts" of a previous press conference where she was talking about Murray and obviously knew who he was )

[WarrenK]

Originally Posted by dsanders06

Oh, that was hilarious


(Although, I think it was later established that she must've just misunderstood the question, because, in the TF thread on this comment, someone pulled out "receipts" of a previous press conference where she was talking about Murray and obviously knew who he was )

Yeah. She probably misunderstood the question or was confused about who the reporter was mentioning because she has to know the big 3+1 in the ATP. I just prefer my fan-fic interpretation.

Anyways, I remember the wind being a huge factor in Maria's fuckery in this match so hopefully it's not too windy if/when they play. Bring it, Martha.

[domon17th]

Originally Posted by dsanders06

Yeah, really not. Obviously finesse is never going to be her strong point, but she can atleast occasionally hit a decent dropshot these days, which she never could've done in 04-06....she's always had an underrated lob though.

Gotta disagree. She's always capable of doing decent dropshots and dare-I-say, conventional volleys when she's not rushed. But knowing how dire her footwork is, especially when she's tired to prepare for these shots, she usually flops in the execution.

I think what I miss out of 04-06 Maria most, is the willingness to finish the points by coming into the net. Mostly her swing volleys, sometimes conventional volleys when absolutely necessary, and some sweet droppers and numerous flops when she's feeling creative

I love that she's conditioned herself so well now that she has the stamina and consistency to grind at the baseline, but I can't help thinking that it has instilled in her this false sense of security that she can fall back on out-grinding her opponents. It works on clay and against some of the lower ranked players, but she'll always have problems against Vika.

[gc-spurs]

Originally Posted by Pavstry.

Haha I remember that tweet. Laura Robson can be pretty funny.

[heavyhorse]

Originally Posted by domon17th

Gotta disagree. She's always capable of doing decent dropshots and dare-I-say, conventional volleys when she's not rushed. But knowing how dire her footwork is, especially when she's tired to prepare for these shots, she usually flops in the execution.

I think what I miss out of 04-06 Maria most, is the willingness to finish the points by coming into the net. Mostly her swing volleys, sometimes conventional volleys when absolutely necessary, and some sweet droppers and numerous flops when she's feeling creative

I love that she's conditioned herself so well now that she has the stamina and consistency to grind at the baseline, but I can't help thinking that it has instilled in her this false sense of security that she can fall back on out-grinding her opponents. It works on clay and against some of the lower ranked players, but she'll always have problems against Vika.

I agree. Even in her early days like 04-06 she could pull off a decent drop shot. She's always been pretty decent at drop shots and also running to retrieve drop shots as well despite being very tall.

[Mr.Sharapova]

Anything other than a semifinal here would be disappointing.

[Fighterpova]

Originally Posted by M.M

Anything other than a semifinal here would be disappointing.

Maria's perfect record will be tested vs Serena in the SF

[PimpMePova]

Originally Posted by Fighterpova

Maria's perfect record will be tested vs Serena in the SF

She has nothing to lose now that she's the third seed

[Fighterpova]

Originally Posted by Yoana R.

She has nothing to lose now that she's the third seed

[Fighterpova]

It's so difficult to follow WTA without ES coverage

[Asanty]

Originally Posted by Fighterpova

It's so difficult to follow WTA without ES coverage

Yeah but I subscribed to Tennistv. Pretty descent.