Re: Jarmila Gajdosova Cheering Thread!
I am a bit curious as to why people feel so sorry for Gajdosova.
She is obviously a nice young lady, who is currently wrestling with her tennis game, both on a physical and mental front. However, people comforting her, and treating her with kid gloves (whether that be her supporters, people on social networks, commentators, etc) are part of the problem, not the solution. Just because she is nice, and has potential (such a nasty nasty word), does not make her immune to criticism, and if we are honest, and if Gajdosova is honest, from very poor performances in recent times. Her first round AO exit is not an isolated event. She was double baggeled in the Hopman Cup against Bartoli, and she has now from memory not been passed the first round of the AO in seven attempts. She tells everyone she has been as high as 24 in the world, and how good she is, but in my books, someone who is claiming to be of such an elite standard would probably be able to scrape in to the second round of her home grand slam!
She is a well paid professional tennis player, who should recognise she has a lifestyle many can only dream of. Players like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Sharapova, Williams, etc have much more pressures in their lives and tennis game, and are scrutinised far more than she will ever be. If Djokovic loses one match, or Nadal does not win more than one major a year, they tennis obitiaries are being penned. Christ, I wonder how Jarmila would cope if she actually started winning major comps. They don't act like she does, nor do they blame everyone and anything for any shortcomings or failures, unlike Gajdosova, who seems destined to make sure any loss, or failure to perform is everyone's fault except her own. She is acting like a protected specie. I see her as acting very very precious.
Gajdosova needs to wake up a bit. Firstly, the greater general Australian public probably have little or now knowledge of who she is, or what she has achieved. She is more recognised for her off court trials and tribulations (i.e. marraige break up, and twitter followings - how ridiculous that even made the news), rather than her on court performances. Unfortunately, this stigma has been able to develop due to her form, and her own foolish decisions and behaviour, in addition to an obvious poorly managed PR and medica affairs by her support staff. The interview she gave after her first round loss was nothing short of staggering and down right embarrassing. I cannot believe people are actually defending her. She is on a one way track to becoming the next Jana Pittman of the women's sporting scene in Australia (i.e. a drama queen first, and a sportsperson second). She has taken the seige mentality - us against them. Some people thrive on such a philosophy, however I don't think Gajdosova has the mental hardness to be able to cope. She is so fragile, and tbh her comments have just painted a target on her back, and it is like a red rag to a bull for the media in the future.
Gajdosova needs to start accepting and recognising her faults. Just saying, my game is not to get the ball over the net, plain and simple, is a defeatist attidute, and one which shows she is just as she was once described "a mindless ballbasher'. Champions, no great, no good tennis players, are also smart tennis players. Until she is willing to accept she has to cut down her ufe's, provide consistency in her game, and work hard for wins, not just gamble on the "hit or miss' philsophy, I cannot help but think she deserves every bit of criticism that comes her way. She needs better management, a better coach, and someone who won't let her simply get away with her current state of mind as to her tennis. The problem - the player pays the coach, and therefore the player is always in control. In Gajdosova's case - that is clearly not the best for her game going forward.
Just my opinion though. Wish I could send it to Gajdosova. It is not that I have it in for her, but I watch and follow professional sports and sportspersons, because I want to see people doing things under pressure, and performing when it counts, not because they are nice, look good, or talk the talk. Kobe Bryant, Brett Favre, James Hird, Steffi Graff get the job done when it counts, and they are true champions. Gajdosova seems to want to be treated like these stars, without doing the hard work to get there, and without any of the crticisms, which undoubtedly those same people have encountered along their sporting lives.