[goldenlox]

2nd match is against Serena. If Serena is tired from Madrid, this draw could have her play Aga & Vika.

Either way, she needs to peak at the FO, where she was blown out in round 3 last year, and that led to this situation, where her draws are so much tougher than the top 4

Azarenka vs BYE
Peer vs Peng
Vinci vs Knapp
Q vs Cibulkova

Lisicki vs Erakovic
Gajdosova vs Scheepers
Benesova vs Wickmayer
BYE vs Li

------

Radwanska vs BYE
Cetkovska vs Q
Q vs Q
Pennetta vs Kirilenko

S. Williams vs Voskoboeva
Petrova vs Q
Medina Guarrigues vs Zheng
BYE vs Wozniacki

[C. W. Fields]

Oh boy, likely Serena in R16 again! But yes, with Serena playing final tomorrow and not having 1R bye in Rome she could well be tired and if Caro's ankle is almost fully healed she'll have a fair chance.
But Guarrigues first, probably, and she's not to be underestimated on clay (they haven't met on clay before). Another Zheng match would be weird. Their last meeting was also on clay with Caro nursing her right ankle (Warsaw10).

[CWTennis]

Another great draw for Caro

[goldenlox]

Its a break that Caro has the bye. Serena will be ranked 6 next week, Caro 8. And Serena made this final. They should let the finalists at the mandatory have a bye the next week.
Serena & Vika should be tired from a full week on clay.
But Caroline probably has her hands full in round 2, especially with Premier 5 record of losing these round 2's.

[Jimmie48]

Oh dear, Serena again..and this early

So we`re looking at another potential major point loss.

[Chrissie-fan]

[Chrissie-fan]

Originally Posted by Jimmie48

Oh dear, Serena again..and this early

So we`re looking at another potential major point loss.

And we can look forward to commentators kissing Serena's and kicking Caroline's ass again during the warm up.

[DownInAHole]

Come on, guys. Five months ago Caroline was number one. If she wants to be one of the elite players she should welcome tough draws and rise to the challenge they present. The more experience she gets playing top players the faster she will realise how much better she needs to be to get back to the top. Early or late she is going to need to beat some tough players if she is ever going to start winning big titles again.

[marineblue]

I think this is a good draw. Serena is a great challenge and another win against her would help her to gain a lot of self-confidence before Roland Garros. The win in Miami has made a big difference already. If Caroline was not injured in that match she could go for more and it could have gone her way.
Now that myth that she'll never beat one of the greats has been proven wrong she can approach the match against Serena with a different mindset. I think part of the reason why Serena has been so successful is that she intimidates her opponents. You can see that with Sharapova A win over her helps to overcome the intimidation and play more freely. From watching the highlights in Madrid I got the impression that Caroline was able to play with more ease than before Miami win.

[Jimmie48]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

And we can look forward to commentators kissing Serena's and kicking Caroline's ass again during the warm up.

Maybe German Eurosport is special but no such thing is happening here

[bizarredreamer]

Wozniacki has a better chance on Rome courts than Madrid ones, so it should be interesting.

[TennisFan66]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

And we can look forward to commentators kissing Serena's and kicking Caroline's ass again during the warm up.

Same old. Same old. As long as its a Miami and not a Madrid result, I'm fine

[TennisFan66]

Originally Posted by Jimmie48

Maybe German Eurosport is special but no such thing is happening here

German tennis commentators are >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> British ES ...

I've been fortunate a few times to find German ES streams and it's a pleasure with commentators, who know their stuff and don't try to 'entertain' viewers with non-relevant (personal) stuff. I use to be quite fond of British ES, but they've become truly annoying as of late - imho.

[goldenlox]

Originally Posted by DownInAHole

Come on, guys. Five months ago Caroline was number one. If she wants to be one of the elite players she should welcome tough draws and rise to the challenge they present. The more experience she gets playing top players the faster she will realise how much better she needs to be to get back to the top. Early or late she is going to need to beat some tough players if she is ever going to start winning big titles again.

I can only figure this huge step backwards, that she decided to do, is for big events.
here come 3 majors & the Olympics. If Caroline doesnt have at least 1 huge major this year, it was a huge step backwards, and whats the next move?

So I think these 3 majors & Olympics are a huge part of Caroline's career. Its now 2 & 1/2 years since her only slam final appearance

[Chrissie-fan]

Originally Posted by Jimmie48

Maybe German Eurosport is special but no such thing is happening here

I can choose between Belgian/Dutch or British commentary, but I always choose the Brits because overall the're much better in my opinion. But they - and in particular Chris Bradnam and Sam Smith (who I otherwise hold in VERY high regard - she's the best ever tennis commentator/analyst in my opinion) never can resist singing the praises of Serena and criticising Woz. There's nothing necessarily wrong with either of those two things, but everything has it's limits.