[Mitten Kitten]

Originally Posted by Curcubeu

Good question. I'm not a pro athlet, we all aren't so it's hard for us to imagine how it is. I really think that apart from serious injuries, a lack of motivation is still the prime reason for so many players slumping. When they are young and new on the WTA, everything is awesome and entertaining and you want to proof yourself, but after a while it becomes ordinary life as everything does. And when things start not going the way you want them to be and you are just heading into a mini slump like every player has them on one point of their career, private or physical problems can be enough to give them the rest.

Then you feel drained, probably more because of the fact that you are changing hotels every few days as a matter of losing in R1 than physically because you played so many matches, every week the same crap, thoughts are piling up in your head, you lose focus, you are more prone to chokery as well + the expectations rose. It's for many players not that easy to go back to ITF, even if you can make some nice points, it feels like a defeat of honour to go back again, you feel like a failure depending on where you have been ranked during peak times, but this also depends on the player herself.

I know what you mean with the last sentence. Most of my faves on WTA/ATP are terrible headcases, not really bad players, but mentally completely brain frozen when it's getting close. Alexandra was just the cherry on the cake for this week, but the last month alone had enough chokery to offer.

i talk for myself, but probably that can be the case with Alex too. When you achieve something really good you can either take that to boost your confidence and see it as something "you are able to do, so why not another time", or, and that becomes the issue mostly after a while if you are starting to lose matches or playing bad, it becomes some sort of an heavy stone locked at your tights, you see it as something you have to demonstrate you didn't score randomly or for good luck. Then you see younger people coming to the tour and many of them start to beat you on a regular base and you see a terribly deep black hole really close to you.

[Curcubeu]

Originally Posted by Fantasy Hero

i talk for myself, but probably that can be the case with Alex too. When you achieve something really good you can either take that to boost your confidence and see it as something "you are able to do, so why not another time", or, and that becomes the issue mostly after a while if you are starting to lose matches or playing bad, it becomes some sort of an heavy stone locked at your tights, you see it as something you have to demonstrate you didn't score randomly or for good luck. Then you see younger people coming to the tour and many of them start to beat you on a regular base and you see a terribly deep black hole really close to you.

This certainly plays a role as well. She used to be the national #1, 2 years ago and now she will most likely fail to qualify for the Olympics, bitter truth, that must hurt...

[Dorien.]

Originally Posted by Curcubeu

Good question. I'm not a pro athlet, we all aren't so it's hard for us to imagine how it is. I really think that apart from serious injuries, a lack of motivation is still the prime reason for so many players slumping. When they are young and new on the WTA, everything is awesome and entertaining and you want to proof yourself, but after a while it becomes ordinary life as everything does. And when things start not going the way you want them to be and you are just heading into a mini slump like every player has them on one point of their career, private or physical problems can be enough to give them the rest.

Then you feel drained, probably more because of the fact that you are changing hotels every few days as a matter of losing in R1 than physically because you played so many matches, every week the same crap, thoughts are piling up in your head, you lose focus, you are more prone to chokery as well + the expectations rose. It's for many players not that easy to go back to ITF, even if you can make some nice points, it feels like a defeat of honour to go back again, you feel like a failure depending on where you have been ranked during peak times, but this also depends on the player herself.

I know what you mean with the last sentence. Most of my faves on WTA/ATP are terrible headcases, not really bad players, but mentally completely brain frozen when it's getting close. Alexandra was just the cherry on the cake for this week, but the last month alone had enough chokery to offer.

I don't know or it's really a lack of motivation.
I guess Alex still wants to win and is motivated to work hard for it. But that it's more about believing in yourself and believing in your game. When you are losing a few matches in a row, I guess that for some players is really enough to end in a big slump.
But I also think that a lot of people underestimate the fact of traveling around the world 10 months a year and seldom seeing your family and friends.

[FORZA SARITA]

Rybarikova, who upset No.5 seed Alexandra Dulgheru in the first round, was almost unable to play this week due to illness. "I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play this tournament and now I'm in the quarterfinals, so I'm happy. I'm playing Begu next - I've never played her but I've seen her and she's very good."

[Curcubeu]

Nice to see you back, Fran!

Well, what should I say:



EDIT: Rybarikova even lost a set to Hermoso.
And her scoreline from doubles suggests another choke...

[Curcubeu]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...10132792391936

The Acapulco player party is in full swing when the Romanian delegation finally found its way down to the beach. All girls in partner look, Mihaela and Irina in best mood, dragging a still devestated Alexandra with them. Party boy Victor already attending them for a photo, but nearly got neglected because of his resemblance with a tent pile.

Victor: So girls, I deliberately retired from my singles match to be ready for tonight. and you, Irina?
Irina: Yeah!!!
Victor: Mihaela?
Mihaela: Yeah!!!
Victor: And dancing queen Alexandra?


Alexandra: I miss Monterrey...

[sexador]

Alexandra's new talent http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/vide...portes:1476479

[Curcubeu]

La tenista Alexandra Durghero muestra su habilidades artísticas

Lol

I should have chosen Spanish in school...
But sounds awesome for a foreign speaker.

But seriously who is bothering about tennis when you
1.) are fluent in Spanish and English
2.) can dance like a real Michael Jackson double
3.) can imitate and act like a professional
4.) can draw like that

I know it sounds odd, but I sometimes really have the feeling that she has so many talents and interests that she just gets to easily distracted from her actual profession. If tennis is the only thing you have in life or you are having talent for, it's probably easier to fully devote yourself to the sport like for a person in her case.

[grs]

Forget Carravaggio, Picasso, Degas, Renoir, Rafael, etc We have Alexandra Dulgheru instead.

[Curcubeu]

Originally Posted by claypova

Originally Posted by Corswandt

Originally Posted by Harju.

Brilliant!

[Curcubeu]

WTA Indian Wells, Main Draw:

(6)Samantha Stosur v Bye
Bye (wc)Irina Falconi v Alexandra Dulgheru
(wc)Lauren Davis v Petra Martic
Bye v (30) Nadia Petrova


You can't, can you?

[Andiyan]

Falconi

[Curcubeu]

If she's losing this one, I really, really, really, give up on her for this year, seriously, she hit the jackpot.

[grs]

Originally Posted by Curcubeu

If she's losing this one, I really, really, really, give up on her for this year, seriously, she hit the jackpot.

You can't give up your true love

[Curcubeu]

Probably, even if she gets double bageled, I'm the first idiot to turn on the laptop when she plays her next match sometime in the middle of the night.

I'm just too faithful... sigh