[Steffica Greles]

Well first it must not be forgotten that Sveta has won a slam. Yet in the five years since her triumph in New York, Kuznetsova has become a bit of a bridesmaid. Her athleticism, and the potential of her game are there for all to see, but it's like there's a vital ingredient missing. Could it be that, rather like Novotna, she'll hang around the top eight for a few more years and then, finally, awaken.

In the below clip we see Novotna, in the fall of 1996, at just turned 28 years of age, when she was finally ready to enter her prime and establish herself as a regular top 3 player. Up until then she had been knocking about the top ten for six years or so. She was a beautiful, beautiful athlete, one of the most agile and flexible I've ever seen. Nobody in the last 30 years, except Navratilova, has been as lethal with their volleys and overheads either.

Like Kuznetsova, she was not a natural-born winner, if there is such a thing. Winning major championships was an arduous task for Jana, in spite of her talent. However, it was only in her final years when she did herself somewhere near justice.

Maybe there's hope for Sveta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ywvMSrxMq0&feature=related

 

[LUVMIRZA]

She lacks the Killer Instinct that a champion should possess to get out of difficult situations and win matches. She is too nice

 

[Steffica Greles]

Speaking of Graf the other day, Novotna is another born athlete who is still in excellent shape.

 

[Steffica Greles]

LOL, Imagine if they had a Women's Seniors Tour for the over 35s - Graf, Seles, Sanchez-Vicario, Novotna, Navratilova, Sabatini, Martinez....

THEY GET HIGHER ATTENDANCES THAN THE CURRENT WTA SHAMBLES!! Haha (Which is probably why it'd never happen).

 

[Helen Lawson]

Indeed they would. I think 2 years ago at the US Open, Conchita won the Seniors, beating Novotna and Martina, Martina had like 2-3 match points in the second set, but I guess Conchita was a foil for life! I would have watched those matches in person over anything else but a final in the MD.

 

[chef-d'œuvre]

I thought this thread would be about something else entirely. :help:

 

[fammmmedspin]

Well first it must not be forgotten that Sveta has won a slam. Yet in the five years since her triumph in New York, Kuznetsova has become a bit of a bridesmaid. Her athleticism, and the potential of her game are there for all to see, but it's like there's a vital ingredient missing. Could it be that, rather like Novotna, she'll hang around the top eight for a few more years and then, finally, awaken.

In the below clip we see Novotna, in the fall of 1996, at just turned 28 years of age, when she was finally ready to enter her prime and establish herself as a regular top 3 player. Up until then she had been knocking about the top ten for six years or so. She was a beautiful, beautiful athlete, one of the most agile and flexible I've ever seen. Nobody in the last 30 years, except Navratilova, has been as lethal with their volleys and overheads either.

Like Kuznetsova, she was not a natural-born winner, if there is such a thing. Winning major championships was an arduous task for Jana, in spite of her talent. However, it was only in her final years when she did herself somewhere near justice.

Maybe there's hope for Sveta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ywvMSrxMq0&feature=related

The story though is a bit different. Novotna was up against Graf and Steffi learnt how to play her and beat her to the point Novotna expected to be beaten. Jana gets through to her big GS win because someone else is havin g a brilliant day and takes out steffi. Sveta had one great US open where she was in dominant form from round one and after that win she faded and never really got going for long after - injury, burn out , personal issues? Odd really because Myskina who could out think her and denied her more earlier success has gone, and most of the younger players share the problems with her game and winning and have less power .

 

[Steffica Greles]

The story though is a bit different. Novotna was up against Graf and Steffi learnt how to play her and beat her to the point Novotna expected to be beaten. Jana gets through to her big GS win because someone else is havin g a brilliant day and takes out steffi. Sveta had one great US open where she was in dominant form from round one and after that win she faded and never really got going for long after - injury, burn out , personal issues? Odd really because Myskina who could out think her and denied her more earlier success has gone, and most of the younger players share the problems with her game and winning and have less power .

Well, in 1998 a lot of people were taking out Steffi! Novotna would have had the best chance she ever did had she played her at Wimbledon 1998. I always felt Novotna had quite a good game to beat Graf, but it was largely her mind which gave way.

But anyway, I feel Kuznesova has the compact build to avoid serious injuries and have a long career, in which case she might finally find some backbone born of experience and sheer desire to do her career justice - rather like Jana.

 

[Dawn Marie]

Yes, they are both mental midgets. Yet, Sveta did get her slam win out of the way. Yet she also has so much potential. I think Sveta will win another slam though. When she gets mentally tough she will go on a tear imho. Sveta is doing all the right things. Playing without a coach and working through your game on your own is a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE for the long haul.
Sveta is still young and has time to win another grandslam.
Serena won hers in 1999 and it took her awhile to win her second. Sveta will do it. It could be RG 09.

 

[Slammer7]

Well, in 1998 a lot of people were taking out Steffi! Novotna would have had the best chance she ever did had she played her at Wimbledon 1998. I always felt Novotna had quite a good game to beat Graf, but it was largely her mind which gave way.

But anyway, I feel Kuznesova has the compact build to avoid serious injuries and have a long career, in which case she might finally find some backbone born of experience and sheer desire to do her career justice - rather like Jana.

First of all, I thought this thread was about if we thought Sveta was in the league of chokers like Jana.:lol: You do know Jana has about 4 or 5 of the biggest chokes in tennis history, losing after leading 5-0 40-00 in the 3rd set against Rubin, we all know about the choke against Steffi and the one at the FO as well...geeze! Yes Jana had great athleticism and talent but her issue was that she was Mr. Heimlich's inspiration for the maneuver. :lol: If you want to compare Sveta and Jana on those grounds then you have a good comparison the 2 biggest chokers of this decade are Kim and Sveta, and this is from someone that likes Sveta and thinks she is a great girl and one of the nicest people in the sport. :kiss:

Oh, and you can say alot of things about Sveta but compact is not one of them :lol: stocky yes but compact no.

Yes, they are both mental midgets. Yet, Sveta did get her slam win out of the way. Yet she also has so much potential. I think Sveta will win another slam though. When she gets mentally tough she will go on a tear imho. Sveta is doing all the right things. Playing without a coach and working through your game on your own is a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE for the long haul.
Sveta is still young and has time to win another grandslam.
Serena won hers in 1999 and it took her awhile to win her second. Sveta will do it. It could be RG 09.

It took Serena a little over two and half years to win her second, it's been over four and a half years for Sveta and she has been in two final since and got mauled in one and killed in the other. Now I agree with you that Sveta will probably win another slam, she is just too talented not to but it has been a loooooong time between drinks.:lol:

 

[squig2k]

this thread just reminded me of a dream i had last night of kuznetsova winning RG...beating dementieva i think

 

[Joseosu19]

Well, in 1998 a lot of people were taking out Steffi! Novotna would have had the best chance she ever did had she played her at Wimbledon 1998. I always felt Novotna had quite a good game to beat Graf, but it was largely her mind which gave way.

But anyway, I feel Kuznesova has the compact build to avoid serious injuries and have a long career, in which case she might finally find some backbone born of experience and sheer desire to do her career justice - rather like Jana.

Jana definitely had the near perfect game to trouble Graf...Steffi never was terribly comfortable with a net rusher, re-Lori McNeil...granted Lori had a pretty terrible record against Graf (I think only one other win than the Wimbledon fiasco), but she tended to give Graf trouble at times, and when she was on like Wim 94, graf didn't like playing her to say the least.

 

[TennisViewer531]

I miss Jana..

 

[chef-d'œuvre]

This thread makes me remember how awesome it was that Mauresmo had the courage to be out when she was 19. :worship:

 

[Volcana]

Yes, they are both mental midgets.

I think that's quite unfair. There's suxh a thing as the opponent being better. Look at Novotna's mid-90s record at Wimbledon and the US Open.

1993 WB GRAF ......... L 7-6 1-6 6-4
1994 WB NAVRATILOVA .. L 5-7 6-0 6-1
1995 WB GRAF ......... L 5-7 6-4 6-2
1996 WB GRAF ......... L 6-3 6-2
1997 WB HINGIS ....... L 2-6 6-3 6-3

US 1994 GRAF ......... L 6-3 7-5
US 1995 SELES ........ L 7-6 6-2
US 1996 HINGIS ....... L 7-6 6-4
US 1997 DAVENPORT .... L 6-2 4-6 7-6
US 1998 HINGIS ....... L 3-6 6-1 6-4

She was losing to better tennis players

 

[chef-d'œuvre]

Well she should have won 93 Wimbledon. Even a die-hard Steffi fan like myself can say that. Who knows how many of those other matches she choked away? :shrug:

 

[Dawn Marie]

I think that's quite unfair. There's suxh a thing as the opponent being better. Look at Novotna's mid-90s record at Wimbledon and the US Open.

1993 WB GRAF ......... L 7-6 1-6 6-4
1994 WB NAVRATILOVA .. L 5-7 6-0 6-1
1995 WB GRAF ......... L 5-7 6-4 6-2
1996 WB GRAF ......... L 6-3 6-2
1997 WB HINGIS ....... L 2-6 6-3 6-3

US 1994 GRAF ......... L 6-3 7-5
US 1995 SELES ........ L 7-6 6-2
US 1996 HINGIS ....... L 7-6 6-4
US 1997 DAVENPORT .... L 6-2 4-6 7-6
US 1998 HINGIS ....... L 3-6 6-1 6-4

She was losing to better tennis players

Novotna was a mental midget. Just look at some of those three setters that she could have won. If the players were so much better than her then why did she take many of them to 3 sets? Or 2 tough sets. The tennis world knows that Jana was a mental midget/choker. Sveta is also. She should of won lots of more titles and a slam at RG by now. She choked playing Henin and a few others in slams. Sveta just choked against Serena at the Aus Open.
The're both mental headcases and their records prove it.

 

[spencercarlos]

I think that's quite unfair. There's suxh a thing as the opponent being better. Look at Novotna's mid-90s record at Wimbledon and the US Open.

1993 WB GRAF ......... L 7-6 1-6 6-4
1994 WB NAVRATILOVA .. L 5-7 6-0 6-1
1995 WB GRAF ......... L 5-7 6-4 6-2
1996 WB GRAF ......... L 6-3 6-2
1997 WB HINGIS ....... L 2-6 6-3 6-3

US 1994 GRAF ......... L 6-3 7-5
US 1995 SELES ........ L 7-6 6-2
US 1996 HINGIS ....... L 7-6 6-4
US 1997 DAVENPORT .... L 6-2 4-6 7-6
US 1998 HINGIS ....... L 3-6 6-1 6-4

She was losing to better tennis players

There you have 3 clear chokes.
1993 Wimbledon 4-1 two breaks
1997 Usopen, she served for the match and was two points away from victory against Davenport, who then was not a better player, carreer wise and ranking wise in comparisson to Jana.
1998 Usopen 4-1 two breaks up in the third set, again a repeat of what it was 1993 Wimbledon. Sad.

As for this thread i don´t really see much relationship from these two players, both one slam champions, but i get to feel that Novotna had to deal with much better competition that Kuznetsova. And at least Novotna has come close to winning more grand slams, somewhere Kuznetsova has been beaten easily in her other grand slam finals.

 

[spencercarlos]

Jana definitely had the near perfect game to trouble Graf...Steffi never was terribly comfortable with a net rusher, re-Lori McNeil...granted Lori had a pretty terrible record against Graf (I think only one other win than the Wimbledon fiasco), but she tended to give Graf trouble at times, and when she was on like Wim 94, graf didn't like playing her to say the least.

I disagree here.

Despite we know Novotna had the attacking game to beat Graf, she really went into trouble with her own slice backhand.

She could find herself back in the baseline defending with her slices and there Graf could do her own attacking. Graf´s slice was better.

Really the players that would give Graf the greatest fits were Davenport, Navratilova, Seles, Sabatini and Sanchez Vicario.