[Helen Lawson]

Originally Posted by TheBoiledEgg

Dinara got injured- chronic back thats why she lost her no1

worst case scenario is Ivanovic who shat herself.

Totally agree.


I don't think JJ felt pressure or was burned out at that point, Serena just passed her in the rankings.

[sweetadri06]

Dinara felt pressure and got burnt out. Jelena got passed by Serena, she was not the favorite for anything during her stint at number one.

[dencod16]

I don't think WOzniacki had the same pressure as Safina and Jankovic when she was number 1.

Safina i think is the number 1 at this, the pressure of number made her push harder and further than she should that led to her back injury getting worse.

[nathanj594]

Originally Posted by dencod16

I don't think WOzniacki had the same pressure as Safina and Jankovic when she was number 1.

Safina i think is the number 1 at this, the pressure of number made her push harder and further than she should that led to her back injury getting worse.

I completely agree with that. Safina had so much depth in the game to deal with when she was number one. That was a ton of pressure. For example, Kuznetsova cooked her in the French final, Venus absolutely blitzed her off the court in that semi at Wimbledon, and she lost in the first round (to an Aussie qualifier I do believe) at the US Open before losing the number one spot back to Serena. Her injury just added to her derailment. I liked her.

[tennisbum79]

For Ivanovic, I can't decide whether winning RG was the worst thing that happened to her career.

We will never know, I often speculate if she had not won RG, she would have a better career.
She strikes me as the type of player who needed to pay her due by staying in the top 10 for while, dealing with adversity of coming close but not winning,
then getting up and trying again.


This sort of hardship in apprenticeship period will have prepared her to deal with pressure when she finally got to the top.
I think the success came too soon before she was prepared to manage it.

She even admitted she could not deal well with opponents being super motivated to beat her when she became #1.

[tennisbum79]

Originally Posted by dencod16

I don't think WOzniacki had the same pressure as Safina and Jankovic when she was number 1.

Safina i think is the number 1 at this, the pressure of number made her push harder and further than she should that led to her back injury getting worse.

The added pressure for Caro, which is often overlooked is she was not liked even when she won.

Plurality of tennis fans did not like her game, did not respect her game, were contemptuous of her even when in situations where any other player would have gotten sympathy from fans.

Last, but not least, fans often questioned her motivation for entering tournaments they think is beneath the #1 rank player.
It is as if they were blaming her for disgracing the WTA #1 ranking ( one thing they once respected) for entering those tournaments and bring discredit the to the top throne.


She may not have publicly expressed the weight of this on her, but I do think it had to be a factor.

[ScrubLove]

Originally Posted by nathanj594

I completely agree with that. Safina had so much depth in the game to deal with when she was number one. That was a ton of pressure. For example, Kuznetsova cooked her in the French final, Venus absolutely blitzed her off the court in that semi at Wimbledon, and she lost in the first round (to an Aussie qualifier I do believe) at the US Open before losing the number one spot back to Serena. Her injury just added to her derailment. I liked her.

To be fair, Dinara did reach the 3rd round of the USO before losing to Kvitova. She did indeed struggle with Rogowska in the 1st round though.

[nathanj594]

Originally Posted by ScrubLove

To be fair, Dinara did reach the 3rd round of the USO before losing to Kvitova. She did indeed struggle with Rogowska in the 1st round though.

Ahh! Now I remember. Thanks, dear!

[The Dawntreader]

Jankovic's tenure was always going to be brief. She was bridging the void left by Henin's departure and Serena's inconsistency throughout 2008. By 2009, she had pretty much been usurped. Plus she compounded her issues with various melodramas etc.

Ivanovic just completely unravelled post Slam, and that has set the tone for the rest of her career. She's become distinctly second-tier.

Safina's demise was obviously due to that chronic back injury, but I feel even without injuries, there would've been an eventual slump/burn-out, purely due to the gruelling physical demands she put on her gamestyle during her 'peak' and the sheer amount of effort and workload she had to maintain just to maintain a high level of play, considering how mechanical and naturally un-athletic she was as a player.

[Achernar]

Originally Posted by tennisbum79

The added pressure for Caro, which if often overlooked is she was not like even when she won.

Plurality of tennis fan did not like her game, did not respect her game, were contemptuous of her even when in situations where any other player would have gotten sympathy from fans.

Last, but no least, fan often questioned her motivation for entering tournament they think is beneath #1 rank player.


She may not have publicly expressed they weight of this on her, but I do think it had to be a factor.

Well said.

Wozniacki is probably one of the mentally strongest players on Tour, but I'm fairly sure that 2 years of disrespectful comments from fans and media took their toll on her confidence. I am certain that this pressure are the main cause of the problems that she has experienced in 2012.

[Xepher]

Originally Posted by The Dawntreader

Jankovic's tenure was always going to be brief. She was bridging the void left by Henin's departure and Serena's inconsistency throughout 2008. By 2009, she had pretty much been usurped. Plus she compounded her issues with various melodramas etc.

Ivanovic just completely unravelled post Slam, and that has set the tone for the rest of her career. She's become distinctly second-tier.

Safina's demise was obviously due to that chronic back injury, but I feel even without injuries, there would've been an eventual slump/burn-out, purely due to the gruelling physical demands she put on her gamestyle during her 'peak' and the sheer amount of effort and workload she had to maintain just to maintain a high level of play, considering how mechanical and naturally un-athletic she was as a player.

Good post.

[Harry.]

I wouldn't say Aa had a burnout. She just didn't manage being no. 1 very well. It was almost like she was trying too hard. She injured her thumb after RG, it got worse at Wimbledon but she still chose to play Montreal and the USO (withdrew from the Olympics but still chose to play the USO) that year which was possibly the worst decision she's ever made (something she's admitted to herself as well). Those losses to Paszek and Coin really were shocking, and it really sapped the confidence out of her. Not only that, losing early at Wimbledon really did get people talking and the pressure started to mount, something she didn't handle to well. Yeah, she just didn't deal with the situation very well. I think she's admitted that on a lot of times. It was the external pressure + pressure she put on herself + mismanagement of her fitness that ultimately led to her falling.

[Aryman3]

From no.1 position the only direction is down

[BodyElectric.]

Originally Posted by tennisbum79

For Ivanovic, I can't decide whether winning RG was the worst thing that happened to her career.

We will never know, I often speculate if she had not won RG, she would have a better career.
It strike she is the type of player who needed to pay her due by staying in the top 10 for while, dealing with adversity of coming close but not winning,
then getting up and trying again.


This sort of hardship in apprenticeship period will have prepared her to deal with pressure when she finally got to the top.
I think the success came too soon before she was prepared to manage it.

She even admitted she could not deal well with opponents being super motivated to beat her when she became #1.

I completely agree with you, I feel if Ana remained consistent in the Top 10 but not winning a slam so soon would have benefited her. The pressure really did take it's toll on her. She really couldn't take the pressure to stay on top which is what quite a few #1s couldn't manage.

It'll be interesting to see how Vika handles the pressure next year.

[BodyElectric.]

Originally Posted by Patrick345

Every time a players reaches the #1 ranking for some bizarre reason, the only direction to go is down. The ranking is clearly cursed.

Exactly, which is why I call some of these girls "Nutcases". I have no problem losing #1 ranking but starting within the Top 10 at least. These girls completely lost the plot and went into a mental and physical overload which was ridiculous.

I blame the people around them too, they did nothing to motivate and advise them once they were on top. It's like their job was now "finished".