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s_j · Jul 11th, 2009, 01:38 PM

Maria is returning to World Team Tennis action this summer.* Maria will play for will play for the Newport Beach Breakers on Wednesday, July 22nd, when they host the Kansas City Explorers.* The tie will begin at 19.05 local time.

Maria previously played*four seasons for the Breakers from 2003-2005 and 2007.* She made her WTT debut as a 15-year-old in 2002 for the Delaware Smash.

Now I'm all up for Maria playing as much tennis as possible so that she reaches her old form, yet I can't help but feel her priorities aren't great. Her ranking is still only at #60, but she only puts herself forward to the big tournaments. Yes, she has the fight and drive necessary, but she doesn't have the form (she lost to Dulko at Wimbledon!!? What was that all about?!) and she doesn't have the ranking points needed to give her good draws. She needs ranking points to avoid poor draws during the US hardcourt season, so why is she playing WTT and not, say, Portoroz? She needs to play some smaller tournaments to give her some easier opponents and guaranteed ranking points.

I don't know. She's had her break after Wimbledon - I just think she could be spending her time on court a bit more wisely and do something that actually contributes to getting herself back to the top where she belongs! She probably knows what she's doing though and I can't wait to see her on the hardcourts! Go Maria!

CrossCourt~Rally · Jul 11th, 2009, 01:41 PM

Good news, thats nice practice for her

s_j · Jul 11th, 2009, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrossCourt~Rally

Good news, thats nice practice for her

I suppose. And I know she's playing Stanford, LA and Toronto... but why play WTT when she could play a tournie that earns her points? I guess it's because she doesn't want to have to travel from America, which is understandable.

sharapovarulz1 · Jul 11th, 2009, 02:44 PM

Thats good to hear

I totally agree with what your saying though s_j she maybe could be spending her time a little but more wisely!

**TheBoiledEgg** · Jul 11th, 2009, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_j

I suppose. And I know she's playing Stanford, LA and Toronto... but why play WTT when she could play a tournie that earns her points? I guess it's because she doesn't want to have to travel from America, which is understandable.

why do you think there's only MM events during this time every yr

s_j · Jul 11th, 2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBoiledEgg

why do you think there's only MM events during this time every yr

MM events?

Miss Atomic Bomb · Jul 11th, 2009, 03:02 PM

Player forum.

**TheBoiledEgg** · Jul 11th, 2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_j

MM events?

no Tier II or above (or now from 2009 no Premier events) during BJK circus

s_j · Jul 11th, 2009, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBoiledEgg

no Tier II or above (or now from 2009 no Premier events) during BJK circus

TBE, I appreciate your comment, but my point was that I think Maria could play an International tournament, such as Portoroz, in which she would have a better chance of gaining well-needed ranking points, yet still play decent opponents, instead of playing WTT. I don't believe there are only Mickey Mouse tournaments at this time of year. I understand Maria won't want to play on outdoor red clay, but surely a hardcourt International tournament would benefit her more than WTT. It would also give her nice practice for her scheduled 3 Premier tournaments.

Tala Igasho · Jul 11th, 2009, 04:54 PM

Good practice, but I hope she isn't going to over do it...

Jacey · Jul 11th, 2009, 05:26 PM

Maria just has to do her best playing WTT.....there's no expectations, this is like practice for her. Why tavel outside of the US to get some "match play".....and really how many ranking points would she earn playing at a lower tier, not much to make a difference before the US Open, I would think. I think coming back from injury, Maria probably had it in her mind that she's just not going to put alot of pressure into what the outcome was for the rest of the season. Its going to take a while to get back to form, and I'm glad that she's aware of that.