Well played Chonky, ground Daria down

 

I want a reaction to this that is a mix of both shock and LOL.

 

Ehm... another vlog about coffee shops incoming.

 

Bageled by Kartal?

 

Ugly stuff from Daria

When isn't it?

She should do us all a favour and just go away already.

 

Preferably in tandem with Pavlyuchenkova I guess?

 

She's obviously very distracted and doesn't seem to care about her results all that much at the moment.

 

Of course she cares. Her despair and hopelessness after losses is so often on camera. Of course with each loss, it becomes harder for her to maintain self-belief and confidence. Perhaps her issue is taking losses to heart too much.

The ridiculous suggestion is that having a camera in front of the interactions with other players and her girlfriend she would be having anyway is simply impossible to juggle with her tennis career (remember Natalia does all the editing work).

Most other players naturally fall off after a few good seasons. Dasha has had more than a few. Often it's just a temporary slump; hopefully it is. But for some reason it can't be that with Kasatkina. It has to be her fault or Natalia's fault somehow. She has to be distracted or Natalia has to be a bad influence. They can't just be a happy couple who are good for each other and doing things the way they want.

 

Should just retire. BYE!

 

She got an AO passport and lost her drive, like the other Russian who got the French passport, she looked like a future top 20 then stopped winning

 

Gracheva?

 

Did Kartal change her service motion?


I remember weird movement - Iga style...

 

Video from 2023. Quite noticeable weight gain.

 

Nice points booster for Kartal who has slipped down the rankings since the Monastir points have dropped off.

Strange year for Kasatkina though. Over half of her wins have come at the majors and has been a complete non factor on the regular tour. Not like her at all.

 

Yeah, it’s usually the opposite for her. Good runs outside of the slams (especially at WTA 500 level) and poor results at the slams. She’s even lost valiantly against Navarro, Andreeva and Osaka at slams this year.

 

I expected a close match considering Kartals actual form which has been quite good, but I didn't expect such a one sided score. Daria looked very bad out there.

 

Dasha takes tournaments off. She makes sure to have good showings (rd of 16s) in the slams and a few other big tournaments, which is good enough to keep her ranking in the top 25 and bring in at least 2 million USD a year on court.

 

Slams only, she slacks off on training, besides her GF she has no team

 

Slams only, she slacks off on training, besides her GF she has no team

What are you talking about? She travels with a coach and a strength/conditioning person.

 

Her ranking is too high. Keeps messing up draws

 

Nice to see Sonay going through to R3.

 

Saddens me to see Dasha struggle on the court. Hopefully the Aus flag by her name is at least some measure of relief.

 

With all she’s been thru this year switching nationalities and residences she must be exhausted. She should take the rest of the year off and enjoy her new residence in Melbourne and just practice and chill till January where she will be a big home favorite.

 

If Kasatkina can put in performances like these, I guess Venus should keep getting WC's 🤷‍♂️

 

Either Kasatkina has burned out somewhat sooner than most counterpunchers (she was never going to be a top player once she hits 30) or she simply doesn't quite have the desire to grind out anymore since becoming an Australian and basically securing her long-term future away from Russia.

Either way it looks like Australia has acquired a player in visible decline.

 

Kasatkina is losing 700 points over the next few weeks meaning the Ginger Ninja will officially become the Aussie #1

 

She's had a lot going on this year including wedding planning which I think is happening in November. After moving into her new home in Melbourne and taking some time out I think her form will return in 2026.

 

She is thinking more about where she feels comfortable with her other half here in Australia. Hard when you have family in midst a war. She's tapering for AO 26.

 

Life changes seem to have thrown Dasha off for the moment (not a question of being in a relationship - it's been several years and she's been in the top 20 for much of the time)

Also: she lost her age group rival Penko to mutual glasnost, fellow '97 age group player Badosa is all the time injured (almost chronically) and the two other top 1997 players are now mothers and in a little bit different place mentally (Naomi, Belinda). She might feel a little bit stuck in mid-career doldrums, but she is not the only one.

Dasha's not quite as young as she used to be, so I do feel that she could consider skipping more tournaments altogether to have some more training blocks. I appreciate that her view has been that this is her job and skipping tournaments is not ok, but I think her recovery is starting to be a bit slower than someone like Mirra, and therefore something in this direction might be worth deciding before the next season starts. (and yes, I would say the same applies to Penko as well)

 

Are you serious? Checked out a while ago. Osaka USO. See that first set? Absolutely looking at rugs and ripping tiles in Melbourne.

 

Imagine being focussed on a life without a Dictator. Respected and loved God forbid those who have taken this move as a shield. Dasha gonna be paying some taxes. Could have claimed Bahamas or Monaco. Chose a country that will support and love.