Is it time for Lina K. to make serious changes and move...

1830 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by marshmellow, Nov 11, 2001

the cat

Discussion Starter · Nov 1, 2001

to a tennis academy in America or Spain? I think so. And she would of course bring her parents and little brother with her. After a promising start to 2001, Lina's fine play fell apart after Wimbledon. It all started at the Fed Cup, when those Russian tennis geniuses, uh, not really, Larissa Neiland and Shamil Tarpischev devastated the extremely patriotic and loyal Lina by pulling her from a crucial singles match for Elena Likhovtseva, a terrible clay court player, who had been playing on hard courts in America. That was a stupid move, if there ever was one. Lina played badly the rest of the year. Coincidence? I think not! And the age restriction rule didn't help Lina's struggling game either. Lina is in her senior year in high school, and she's gone as far as she can go living and training in Obininsk, her small Russian town. I know Lina is extremely loyal to Russia, and I respect that, but it's time for her to fulfill her vast potential. That means she must make the difficult move of uprooting her family<br />and moving to a tennis academy in America or Spain. This will give Lina and Sasha the best chance to fulfill their potential. I know Lina's father has in the past said "nyet" to a move abroad. But I think it's time to re-consider that option. Whether she and Sasha come to Bollettieri's, Macci's, Saddlebrook or go to an academy in Spain, remains to be seen. I also hope one of her changes will be to send Larissa Neiland back to Latvia, and hire a coach to help her get to the next level! I think Lina has top 15 and maybe even top 10 ability. But she's not going to make the top 10 or top 15 if she continues to live and train in Obininsk. Udachi Lina! Make 2002 your big breakthrough year. But in order to do so, changes must be made.

P.S. - The same goes for Elena Dementieva. Elena like Lina seems to be going backwards. Why?

[ November 01, 2001: Message edited by: the cat in the hat ]

[ November 09, 2001: Message edited by: the cat in the hat ]</p>

See less See more

Save

1 - 11 of 11 Posts

TheBoiledEgg

· #2 · Nov 1, 2001

I don't see Lina moving abroad not at this time of life especially as she still has another few months left of school.

Alexander "Sasha" is also coming to crucial moments of his life . He will be playing some more U16 level tournaments next year.

Spain is only good good if you have clay expertise , Svetlana Kuznetsova is there under Emilo Sanchez guidance.

2002 will be a big year for Lina , needs to work on her serve especially.

once her age restrictions come off .... she will be able to play more.

Its no co-incidence that she has performed better at tournaments when she has had to qualify ( MATCH PLAY)

Save

Durx 182

· #3 · Nov 2, 2001

Lina will surely have a better year in 2002, she's an awesome player. With the age restriction gone by April her ranking will go up. I expect her to reach Top 20 at least in 2002, maybe even winning a tournament. She just needs time. Btw she needs to improve her serve, just like TS.

Save

the cat

Discussion Starter · #4 · Nov 2, 2001

Durx 182, this isn't the AnnaK.org board, is it? Leave the "TS" nonsense there. This is the "Russian Roulette" forum for fans of the Russian tennis players.

Save

Skaya

· #5 · Nov 3, 2001

<img src="graemlins/bounce.gif" border="0" alt="[Bounce]" /> Best wish to Lina! <img src="graemlins/bounce.gif" border="0" alt="[Bounce]" />

[ November 03, 2001: Message edited by: Skaya ]</p>

Save

marshmellow

· #6 · Nov 3, 2001

interesting cat...

i think moving closer to a tennis academy might help lina, but i doubt she'd be making that move in the near future.

she's one of the younger russians whom i think will improve a lot. but bringing your parents and a brother with you to a whole new location will put too much pressure on a young girl to win her matches.

as for the age restriction rule, i have no problem with it. i'd rather have younger girls being limited to the number of tournaments they play than burning out too early in their career. she'll have to do well with what she's being given right now...when she's older, im sure we'll see more of her....

Save

TheBoiledEgg

· #7 · Nov 3, 2001

Nick B's academy is not the be all and end all , all he teaches is to hit as hard as you can and hope it goes it.

I have been there and it teaches discipline to its pupils.

Lina needs a full hands on coach who can get the best out of her and improve her service.

<br /> You will see the best of Lina as I've been keep saying around end of 2002 onwards.

Save

Andrelina

· #8 · Nov 3, 2001

Like I've written before I do think Lina needs to get rid of her coach, Larissa Neiland. Her game was totally different from Lina's. This can be good when she manages to teach Lina additional strokes, but I don't see any improvement in her technique. Lina still doesn't know how to play an undercut backhand correctly. Her preparation and grip are totally wrong. What is this Neiland doing?

Save

the cat

Discussion Starter · #9 · Nov 3, 2001

Marshmallow, you say you agree with the age restriction rule. Fine. But why do you, like the age restriction rule, have to decide life for other people? How did Steffi, Aranxta, Monica etc. turn out so fine wothout the age restriction rule guiding their lives? It's a miracle they survived without the age restriction rule! Uh, not really! The age restriction rule limited Jelena Dokic's tournaments to about 16 in 2000. Then, this year, when Jelena turned 18 in April, she went crazy with her schedule, and played far too much tennis. Dokic went from about 16 tournaments in 2000 to nearly 30 this year. That's absolutely insane! Fortunately Jelena avoided serious injury this year. The idea of the age restriction rule is intelligent. But the under 18 players don't play enough tournaments to properly develope. The prime example is Lina Kranoroutskaya. She had fine form up until Wimbledon. Then she hardly played the rest of the year, and her talent was wasted. Thanks to not playing enough. Let's just hope Lina avoids jumping from about 15 tournaments this year to 25 or more next year. That would be too much. But this year Lina didn't play enough tournaments to keep sharp. I think everyone would agree with that.

See less See more

Save

the cat

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 9, 2001

Will Lina's being dropped from the Russian Fed Cup team, after being replaced in the second day of singles play against Slovakia in July, push Lina towards training and living outside of Russia? I think it's a possibility. She needs a change. Lina had just made the quarters in the French Open and the round of sixteen at Wimbledon. When has a Russian girl ever done that on the WTA tour? Then they pull her from a big Fed Cup match for Elena Likhovsteva. That was shocking. And I think their poor treatment of Lina will have a lasting effect on Lina and her family. Udachi Lina! Make 2002 your year.

Save

marshmellow

· #11 · Nov 11, 2001

cat....lol....it's marshmellow cos i don't wanna be mistaken for a soft gewwy mallow.....hehehe...

but as for the age restriction, i understand why you might think getting rid of it is better. if i was a young up and coming player, i'd like to be able to play as many tournies as i can too.

but the problem is the players deciding to turn pro in the women's tour get younger and younger all the time....

you don't see that many guys in their 16's trying to play professionally....

and there's always the risk of burning out the girls too early... which is the last thing you'd want to have...

so as much as it pains younger players, i think it's better to work with the number of tournies you're allowed to enter...like other girls older than they have done...

Save

1 - 11 of 11 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month