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It never stops :lol: :lol: :lol:
Here goes:
Field touts finesse over power
By BEVERLEY SMITH
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Toronto ? So what if Serena and Venus Williams gave the $1.3-million (U.S.) Rogers AT & T women's tennis tournament a pass this week?
The competitors who are left to pick up the pieces from a list ravaged by injury at the York University tennis centre feel that the power-hitting sisters are not as dominant as they once were.
On Sunday, after winning the JP Morgan Chase Open tournament in California, Kim Clijsters of Belgium snatched the world No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams for the first time, even though Williams has won five of six key events this year.
Serena Williams skipped the Toronto tournament after undergoing surgery for a gimpy knee on Aug. 1. She'll be out for up to two months. She had held the No. 1 ranking for 57 consecutive weeks, beginning July 8, 2002.
The complicated ranking system obviously rewards consistent play over a year, rather than putting emphasis on a few emotion-packed Grand Slam victories. Clijsters has reached the semi-finals or better in 14 events this season. Although world No. 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium scrambled up the ladder, helped in part by her victory in the French Open, Clijsters has never won a Grand Slam event.
"Power is not the only thing on the court," said Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, (No. 8), the antithesis of a power player. At 5-feet-11½, she weighs 123 pounds (56 kilograms).
"I think more than anything, it's the head that is important on the court," she said. "I've proved in the past that I can play anyone and it has nothing to do with my physical [shape]."
She said Henin-Hardenne of Belgium is also not the strongest female player in the world, but won a Grand Slam (the French Open) anyway. Playing with finesse is the real tennis, Hantuchova said. "It is interesting to see the power of women's sport. But I think it is good when you see a combination."
Hantuchova said she is very happy for Clijsters and thinks she deserves the No. 1 spot.
Amelie Mauresmo of France, the Toronto tournament's defending champion and world No. 6, said it's difficult to determine the best player in the world.
"I think she [Clijsters] has proved although the Williams sisters have dominated for the last couple of years, that other players can do it too," she said. "I think when [Serena] is very tough, she is very difficult to beat. But Serena has had some tough matches that she didn't have in the past."
Mauresmo thinks not only are the Williams sisters losing their footing on the top perch, but other women are catching up.
"They've gone to another level from two years ago," she said. "Everyone has had to adapt to how they [the Williamses] play, to make sure they work harder, practice even more, pay even more attention to the body, and to the preparation to make sure we are physically fit."
However, Mauresmo said the push to match the Williams sisters has taken its toll and many players are suffering injuries earlier in the season.
"I think we've been asking a lot of our bodies," she said. "We are all trying to do our best."
Clijsters has been able to grab the top spot largely because Serena Williams hasn't played a lot this season while the young Belgian has been to the net twice as often. The Toronto tournament will be Clijsters' 23rd event of the year. Serena has played only in 11 tournaments while Venus has played 10. Venus is also out of the Toronto tournament with an injury. The top 18 tournaments count, meaning that the Williams sisters don't have the luxury of dropping any bad results.
"I don't think they are playing less tournaments this year than they usually play," said Magdalena Maleeva (No. 11) of Bulgaria.
Even though American women hold five of the top nine spots in the world rankings, they are in short supply at this tournament. Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Chanda Rubin and Monica Seles joined the Williamses in withdrawing from the Toronto tournament because of injuries. For the first time in the history of the Toronto women's tournament, no Americans are seeded in the event.
By sharp contrast, there are six Russian seeds out of 16. Of the 56 players, 10 are Russians. Four Americans are unseeded.
Yesterday, one of the American women in the tournament, Jill Craybas, (No. 76) crushed top-ranked Canadian player Maureen Drake (No. 123), 32, of Toronto 6-3, 6-1 in first-round play at centre court. Drake was clearly frustrated with her play, shaking her head after a wild lob in the second match. The agony didn't last long. The match was over in 56 minutes.
Drake said she didn't enter the tournament with a lot of confidence because she's been struggling with her game all season. In the past month, she's made a few technical changes to her serving and volleying techniques but they haven't become automatic yet. "I feel burned out a little bit," she said, adding that a shorter season would help.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030811.wteto_211/BNStory/Sports/
Here goes:
Field touts finesse over power
By BEVERLEY SMITH
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Toronto ? So what if Serena and Venus Williams gave the $1.3-million (U.S.) Rogers AT & T women's tennis tournament a pass this week?
The competitors who are left to pick up the pieces from a list ravaged by injury at the York University tennis centre feel that the power-hitting sisters are not as dominant as they once were.
On Sunday, after winning the JP Morgan Chase Open tournament in California, Kim Clijsters of Belgium snatched the world No. 1 ranking from Serena Williams for the first time, even though Williams has won five of six key events this year.
Serena Williams skipped the Toronto tournament after undergoing surgery for a gimpy knee on Aug. 1. She'll be out for up to two months. She had held the No. 1 ranking for 57 consecutive weeks, beginning July 8, 2002.
The complicated ranking system obviously rewards consistent play over a year, rather than putting emphasis on a few emotion-packed Grand Slam victories. Clijsters has reached the semi-finals or better in 14 events this season. Although world No. 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium scrambled up the ladder, helped in part by her victory in the French Open, Clijsters has never won a Grand Slam event.
"Power is not the only thing on the court," said Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, (No. 8), the antithesis of a power player. At 5-feet-11½, she weighs 123 pounds (56 kilograms).
"I think more than anything, it's the head that is important on the court," she said. "I've proved in the past that I can play anyone and it has nothing to do with my physical [shape]."
She said Henin-Hardenne of Belgium is also not the strongest female player in the world, but won a Grand Slam (the French Open) anyway. Playing with finesse is the real tennis, Hantuchova said. "It is interesting to see the power of women's sport. But I think it is good when you see a combination."
Hantuchova said she is very happy for Clijsters and thinks she deserves the No. 1 spot.
Amelie Mauresmo of France, the Toronto tournament's defending champion and world No. 6, said it's difficult to determine the best player in the world.
"I think she [Clijsters] has proved although the Williams sisters have dominated for the last couple of years, that other players can do it too," she said. "I think when [Serena] is very tough, she is very difficult to beat. But Serena has had some tough matches that she didn't have in the past."
Mauresmo thinks not only are the Williams sisters losing their footing on the top perch, but other women are catching up.
"They've gone to another level from two years ago," she said. "Everyone has had to adapt to how they [the Williamses] play, to make sure they work harder, practice even more, pay even more attention to the body, and to the preparation to make sure we are physically fit."
However, Mauresmo said the push to match the Williams sisters has taken its toll and many players are suffering injuries earlier in the season.
"I think we've been asking a lot of our bodies," she said. "We are all trying to do our best."
Clijsters has been able to grab the top spot largely because Serena Williams hasn't played a lot this season while the young Belgian has been to the net twice as often. The Toronto tournament will be Clijsters' 23rd event of the year. Serena has played only in 11 tournaments while Venus has played 10. Venus is also out of the Toronto tournament with an injury. The top 18 tournaments count, meaning that the Williams sisters don't have the luxury of dropping any bad results.
"I don't think they are playing less tournaments this year than they usually play," said Magdalena Maleeva (No. 11) of Bulgaria.
Even though American women hold five of the top nine spots in the world rankings, they are in short supply at this tournament. Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Chanda Rubin and Monica Seles joined the Williamses in withdrawing from the Toronto tournament because of injuries. For the first time in the history of the Toronto women's tournament, no Americans are seeded in the event.
By sharp contrast, there are six Russian seeds out of 16. Of the 56 players, 10 are Russians. Four Americans are unseeded.
Yesterday, one of the American women in the tournament, Jill Craybas, (No. 76) crushed top-ranked Canadian player Maureen Drake (No. 123), 32, of Toronto 6-3, 6-1 in first-round play at centre court. Drake was clearly frustrated with her play, shaking her head after a wild lob in the second match. The agony didn't last long. The match was over in 56 minutes.
Drake said she didn't enter the tournament with a lot of confidence because she's been struggling with her game all season. In the past month, she's made a few technical changes to her serving and volleying techniques but they haven't become automatic yet. "I feel burned out a little bit," she said, adding that a shorter season would help.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030811.wteto_211/BNStory/Sports/
if the media stopped asking dumass questions the women wouldnt look so stupid
