[vogus]

I've been thinking about this for a while now. It seems like this year has been a real downer.

Kim Clisters, the tour's #1 player has sleepily and methodically won almost every tournament, except for the four that matter most, where she delivered unspectacular, choke job performances. One of the game's biggest stars Venus Williams once again failed to win a slam and has hardly played at all. A former dynamic #1 Hingis, walked away from the game at a premature age due as much to lack of interest as to her injuries. Serena is being tempted away from tennis by a career of B-grade sitcoms and Hollywood parties with Puff Daddy. The game's biggest draw Kournikova has also left the tour, cementing her transition from legitimate tennis player to Exho Queen and cutout cover girl for cheesy men's magazines. Meanwhile the nearly universally respected Monica Seles actually wants to play (she might be the only one!), but can't due to her never ending injury struggles. Davenport is getting even slower on court than she was before and is on a downward slide into retirement. Players that began the year as the next big thing, Hantuchova, Bovina, and Danilidou have been reduced to cowering midgets that other players hope to see in their part of the draw. Uber babe Dokic is playing like a lost soul and washed up veteran at age 21. Mauresmo, who hasn't done anything of interest in recent memory, is somehow taking up a spot in the top 10. A solid Top 30 player, Tatiana Panova, dropped off the tour due to chronic paranoia. As if it wasn't enough that my longtime fave Schnyder has (until this week) had a dismal year of on-court results, she's also gotten engaged to a convicted thief and recently went on national TV to accuse her own parents of being "The Taliban." Poor Casanova is on an Ethiopan 800 calorie diet and she's STILL 50 pounds overweight. Meanwhile poor Dani can't gain weight even by eating all the leftover pizza that Casanova is leaving for her in the fridge. The most famous match of year (Henin d Serena at RG) was marred by allegations of bad sportsmanship from both sides and a lingering sense of bitterness. Old timers like Pierce, Martinez, Coetzer continue to hang around despite long ago having qualified themselves for the dubious moniker "Grand Dames." Myskina and Shaughnessy have been stranded in a grind of mediocrity. Alexandra Stevenson - does anything even need to be said? Newcomers like Harkleroad and Sharapova haven't made much of an impact. Almost the entire tour is underperforming. I could go on and on...

Jesus Howard Christ! Has this been a good year for anybody?? I can't wait for it to be over! It's almost enough to make me start following MEN'S TENNIS!

 

[arcus]

Bringht point No. 1
an astounding 7 tour titles in doubles for 46 year old former singles champ Navratilova, showing that despite moving like a snail and serving like, not like she used to, she still has it.

Bright point No. 2
henin winning 2 slams, with wins over serena this year validating her sucesses and striking a blow against a trend for the game to be increasingly dominated by sheer physical strength and power.

 

[bandabou]

Bringht point No. 1
an astounding 7 tour titles in doubles for 46 year old former singles champ Navratilova, showing that despite moving like a snail and serving like, not like she used to, she still has it.

Bright point No. 2
henin winning 2 slams, with wins over serena this year validating her sucesses and striking a blow against a trend for the game to be increasingly dominated by sheer physical strength and power.

who went training with etcheberry?

 

[persond]

Bright point No. 2
henin winning 2 slams, with wins over serena this year validating her sucesses and striking a blow against a trend for the game to be increasingly dominated by sheer physical strength and power.

This observation is really made funny by the admission of Justine that she added strength and power to her game...!!! That's what's made the "real difference" for her this year...!!! :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

 

[-Sonic-]

I can see ur point & why people could think that.

Wish I couldn't tho!

 

[Lisbeth]

Maybe I'm missing your point, b ut how can it be a year of "stagnation" when the #1 you speak of only became #1 during this year, - and only started making semis regularly at slams this year - and when we have a new slam winner (in fact double slam winner) this year.

Now, if we had the same year again next year (which is not impossible, though I hope we won't!) THAT would be "stagnation".

 

[tennisIlove09]

It's been a boring year, really.

 

[arcus]

This observation is really made funny by the admission of Justine that she added strength and power to her game...!!! That's what's made the "real difference" for her this year...!!! :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

I'm not pro or anti-henin.
My point is that, inevitably the game is getting bigger, as the players get stronger and the rackets help make their groundies so huge.

Thats fine but it happens at the expense of players who play with more finesse, who often contribute to very entertaining tennis. Henin is further along the spectrum toward skill and finesse than some of the other players. Sure, she has had to beef it up to compete, but she still has more variety, and I like to see that. I admit that the biggest bumps on her chest are now her pecs, but she still has her lack of height to compensate for, and she does this with variety. I dont want all the players to play like clones, huge serve, huge western grip topspin forehand and huge doublehanded backhand, slugging away. Thats great, but complementary players, like serve-volleyers or whatever, make the game better.

 

[bandabou]

I'm not pro or anti-henin.
My point is that, inevitably the game is getting bigger, as the players get stronger and the rackets help make their groundies so huge.

Thats fine but it happens at the expense of players who play with more finesse, who often contribute to very entertaining tennis. Henin is further along the spectrum toward skill and finesse than some of the other players. Sure, she has had to beef it up to compete, but she still has more variety, and I like to see that. I admit that the biggest bumps on her chest are now her pecs, but she still has her lack of height to compensate for, and she does this with variety. I dont want all the players to play like clones, huge serve, huge western grip topspin forehand and huge doublehanded backhand, slugging away. Thats great, but complementary players, like serve-volleyers or whatever, make the game better.

Blah, blah.....Henin serve and volley?! Pluuzzzz! Didn´t see her appear at the net much during the final at the U.S. open....she´s playing the same as everyone else, it´s just that everybody´s drooling on her one-handed backhand.

 

[arcus]

Blah, blah.....Henin serve and volley?! Pluuzzzz! Didn´t see her appear at the net much during the final at the U.S. open....she´s playing the same as everyone else, it´s just that everybody´s drooling on her one-handed backhand.

"Pluuzzzz" ?????????????


btw, I never said that henin was a serve volleyer, I said that she played with variety, and that I would like to see more serve-volleyers.

 

[disposablehero]

Far from it, in fact it's gone from a 2 player tour in the second half of last year to a 4 player tour at the end of this one. Even though one of my favourites is among those 4, it disturbs me that only once all year has any of those 4 players lost to someone out of the group in a Slam. Disturbing, but still an improvement.

 

[switz]

Maybe I'm missing your point, b ut how can it be a year of "stagnation" when the #1 you speak of only became #1 during this year, - and only started making semis regularly at slams this year - and when we have a new slam winner (in fact double slam winner) this year.

Now, if we had the same year again next year (which is not impossible, though I hope we won't!) THAT would be "stagnation".

well i don't think you would have thought it was a great year if everything remained the same but it was williams sister coming to the top and not your favourite. you can't reall say that kim and justine's rise (primarily due to the williams sisteres absence) is really getting anyone ,besides there fans and people who hate the williams sisters, very excited. the only two decent GS were between the williams sisters, and i certainly never though i would say that.

i think your on the money vogus. i'm hopinh patty will make her big run late though. if she wins this tournament she would actually be pretty close to the top 10, which shows how everyone has struggled IMO, because the last time patty made the top 10 she needed about 2300, and now only 1600!

 

[Trish101]

hello people who the fuck cares? Capriati showed us how a good match is played....every match she has played against the other top 5 girls has been of the highest class.....TENNIS may have been boring, but Jennifer never is !

 

[Jakeev]

I'm definitely not buying into the gloom and doom of this thread. Despite all the injury problems of many players, I still have enjoyed tennis this year a great deal.

But what was that comment again about Tatiana Panova? I mean I have wondered where she disappeared to but she has paranoia?

 

[TennisHack]

It's almost enough to make me start following MEN'S TENNIS!

Come over to the dark side We don't bite.

 

[switz]

I'm definitely not buying into the gloom and doom of this thread. Despite all the injury problems of many players, I still have enjoyed tennis this year a great deal.

But what was that comment again about Tatiana Panova? I mean I have wondered where she disappeared to but she has paranoia?

she think she's in a mental institution. she thinks she is being stalked. i could be wrong though

 

[arcus]

Re: Panova. There has been a suggestion that she developed schizophrenia, a neurochemical brain disturbance that can result in paranoid ideas, delusions and social difficulties. It is treatable with medications. I have no idea if this is true, but, if it is, it is a tough break for her and those close to her, and I hope she gets better.

 

[JasonW]

Thats because ASV retired...

 

[vogus]

thanks for quantifying that switz about the point totals necessary to make Top 10, 1600 now vs 2300 in 1999. It's good to be able to put the tour's overall slump in a measurable perspective.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

thanks for quantifying that switz about the point totals necessary to make Top 10, 1600 now vs 2300 in 1999. It's good to be able to put the tour's overall slump in a measurable perspective.

Or that could just mean that the players outside of the top 10 are getting better... but nah, lets be negative and account for this (very very) slight increase in depth by saying the top ten just ain't what it used to be... .