[Chrissie-fan]

Originally Posted by terjw

I really agree with your post. Well all except the last sentence where I'd like to agree and think that - but it's more hope than anything. I've just seen too many Caro interviews where she's on auto-pilot to put a positive spin on everything and doesn't prove or tell us anything.

True, but getting that ambitious in her comments doesn't sound like the usual auto-pilot comment to me. Pretending to be reasonably happy with her 2012 season because she's still in the top 10 does though. NOBODY can believe that she really feels that way.

[DownInAHole]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

But first Caroline has to put herself into the position again where she'll actually be in the mix at the business end of big tournaments. That alone is already a mountain to climb for her. I think she'll really give it all she's got though. That interview from the other day where she said that she wants to win the AO and get back to number one soon sounds borderline funny considering the state that her tennis is in, but it also proves that the fire is still burning and that she won't go anywhere without at least putting up one hell of a fight.

I think this is the thing that is the most frustrating. Of course every player is going to have "shocking" losses to lower ranked players but there was a time when Caroline routinely defeated the players she was "supposed" to (say players outside of the top thirty). You rarely had to worry about her losing to those "lesser" players it was when she played top twenty/top ten players that there was more doubt about if she would win. Those days are gone and now there are virtually no "easy" matches. Every time that she steps on to the court I feel like there is a pretty good chance that she could lose. If she can't get back to a place where she is regularly defeating non top thirty players she is never going to get close to where she was at her peak.

A lot of people were anticipating a Wozniacki/Azarenka quarter-final but Caroline fell well short of making it that far. That was once her greatest strength, that week after week you could depend on her making the quarters/semis/finals but that consistency has completely disappeared and now more often than not she loses early.

[rucolo]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

I agree with your first point. I have no idea if she skips training though. I mean, she could hardly look any fitter than she does and her stamina is second to none. So I'm sure that she works very hard on the physical part of the game. Problem may be that she doesn't work enough on her technique, which may explain why she continues to struggle with her forehand. I'm obviously just guessing, but if she has been working on that we sure don't see any positive results - or not often enough anyway. As I've said before, towards the end of last year the forehand down the line was a pretty effective shot for her in some of her matches. I didn't see any of that in the Pervak match anymore though.

....But it's early days. Let's hope for better in Sydney. It's all we can do.

Caroline skipped training by travelling around the world to be with Rory at golf tournaments. Instead of training her groundstrokes and serve she spends lots of time with Rory and walks around the green grass all day to be with him. Until FO 2011 Caroline was much more dedicated to tennis. Now Rory is her #1. And I didn`t mean her fitness, I meant working on the court to develop a consistent depth in her groundstrokes, something that used to be her strength.

Originally Posted by goldenlox

Yeah, Caroline used to have a good backhand. She could go up the line or crosscourt. Her forehand was okay. She couldnt blast it, but she could place it deep to either side of the court.

That`s an understatement. Caroline`s backhand was amazing! She could do anything she wanted with it. Hit winners from the most difficult positions, extremely consistent, hardly any mistakes. Caroline`s backhand was a weapon, one of the reasons I became a fan. She could always rely on it. Perfect deep placement. Now her backhand is only average.

Now its mental. Nobody can win just setting up their opponents with short balls, or making errors early in points.
She cant hit with a decent mix of pace & placement anymore.

Exactly, that`s one of the weak parts in Caroline`s game nowadays. Many of her balls are simply too short. And she can`t afford this. Caroline must place her balls with more depth/length. Otherwise the players will punish her. I also don`t get why she makes so many stupid UEs now. Complete opposite of her game at #1 time.

I dont know if its Rory, although that will be how its written in history. Because he showed up in her life when her game fell apart.

Of course he did. He has a negative influence on her tennis career. It`s stupid and naive to think Rory has nothing to do with Caroline`s decline. The closer the relationship got the worse Caroline played. And when you have Caroline`s gamestyle you can`t afford to give less than 100 % on court. Her desire and will to win is not anymore at 100 % since she found Rory. He is more important to her than tennis.

[rucolo]

Originally Posted by goldenlox

I dont think Caroline is under pressure to win a major. No one expects her to win a major in 2013.
What she has to do is get back to being a YEC player and start making deep runs in majors and Tier I's again.

I was talking about her time as #1 and short after. Now nobody takes Caroline seriously anymore as a contender for a Grand Slam title. Who would? Caroline just lost to Pervak in Brisbane R1 who then got killed by Azarenka. And her last Grand Slam results were awful. R3, R1 and R1. Caroline is becoming a bye. I really hope she steps it up at Aus Open.

Originally Posted by Saraya00000

2. 100% agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jorn]

(1)A.Radwanska v BYE
(wc)Dellacqua v Q
Paszek v Jankovic
Vinci v (8)Petrova

(4)Li v McHale
Q v Hantuchova
Safarova v Q
Zheng v (6)Stosur

(5)Kvitova v Cibulkova
Lepchenko v Makarova
(wc)Rogowska v Kirilenko
Q v (3)Errani

(7)Wozniacki v U.Radwanska
Goerges v Q
Wickmayer v Q
(2)Kerber v BYE

[goldenlox]

URad, Goerges, Kerber, Kvitova...
Here's a chance to show Brisbane isnt a sign she was wasting her offseason.
If she can get thru this draw, it will say something.

[bruce goose]

Caro will have to go thru 2 buddies if if she plans on making at least the semis there

[Chrissie-fan]

Originally Posted by Jorn

(1)A.Radwanska v BYE
(wc)Dellacqua v Q
Paszek v Jankovic
Vinci v (8)Petrova

(4)Li v McHale
Q v Hantuchova
Safarova v Q
Zheng v (6)Stosur

(5)Kvitova v Cibulkova
Lepchenko v Makarova
(wc)Rogowska v Kirilenko
Q v (3)Errani

(7)Wozniacki v U.Radwanska
Goerges v Q
Wickmayer v Q
(2)Kerber v BYE

[DownInAHole]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

Chin up, little fella. Realistically until her form improves virtually every draw is going to be scary but if she can get through it her confidence should be greatly improved. I'm not trying to understate how many problems she has had over the last year and a half but if she has one tournament where she can beat a couple of top ten players, even if she doesn't end up winning a title, I believe that could make a huge difference to her confidence and be a huge step towards arresting and reversing her decline. Of course actually doing that is not going to be easy but it can be done and I believe it will happen eventually.

[Chrissie-fan]

^^
Always the optimist.

[Vaidisova]

Hope she will bounce back from this week and do well in Sydney.

[TennisFan66]

Originally Posted by Chrissie-fan

.. but in honesty, a +1 from me.

She could well be out in R1 again.

2 won matches and then a loss to Kerber would - in the current climate - be a great achievement.

[goldenlox]

Originally Posted by TennisFan66

.. but in honesty, a +1 from me.

She could well be out in R1 again.

2 won matches and then a loss to Kerber would - in the current climate - be a great achievement.

The important thing is that Caroline has to start fighting to win matches again.

Lets assume that she was never that good. Serena, Vika, Maria, Petra are all better than Caroline ever was.
She STILL has become a lazy player, losing after 5-1 vs Vinci at a Tier I, losing twice to McHale, Pervak, blown off the court by Ivanovic.
Caroline has gotten mentally lazy in her matches. She doesnt fight for them anymore. Not like she used to.
The last 9 Permier 5's, she lost her 1st match 5 times. Over half!
No way she was #1 and was THAT weak a player. Mentally, she stopped fighting.
Maybe she works hard during practice, but you have to do the hard work of focusing during the match, or the practice hours are a waste of time

[Blu€]

at the draw. If she loses to Goerges after she was dismissed by Larsson this week... I might cry Anyway, let's see if she can actually beat Ula

[CWTennis]

nice draw, if she can get through the 1st round, that will be an improvement!