[Volcana]

I do not have any old Hantuchova tape, so I can't just go check it out. But comparing Sharapova to my memories of Hantuchova, they seem similiar, stylistically.

Baseliner, hit hard, Sharapova has a better serve, and more ferocity, and is maybe a little faster, but they do the same things on the court. Or rather, Hantuchova, in my memory used to do the same things on the court. I wasn't a big Hantuchova fan, so my memory is probably at fault.

 

[SzavayFi]

No way back when Hantuchova had a real peppy game hard ground strokes they were very much the same Dani just has had some real problems the last coulpe of years she just needs ta get over em.

 

[Missing_Hingis]

Daniela didn't hit as hard as Hingis made it out to be.
Maria has a much tougher game than Daniela in all fronts. Daniela is an all-court type player.
They are totally different.

 

[switz]

they aren't really similar. hantuchova had a much more beautiful game than sharapova. her groundstrokes flowed and we would hit effortlessly of both sides. her serve was never really really fast but it was an extremely effective weapon. and she used her touch around the net much more often as well.

daniela never demonstrated that she could go with players like venus, serena, lindsay playing well and i think that it because unlike sharapova she could not match their power.

basically it's just a nothing comparison IMO.

 

[DaNieLa RoCkZ]

Well she has played Lindsay a few times and tooks sets off her her.. she even lost to her in a third set tie-breaker.. so i think that she can "go with Lindsay"

 

[switz]

Well she has played Lindsay a few times and tooks sets off her her.. she even lost to her in a third set tie-breaker.. so i think that she can "go with Lindsay"

whatever. i'm a fan of daniela. i'm pretty sure i said when they were playing well, and '02 was the year she was not playing well. she lost to patty indoors a couple of weeks later and that is not something she would do if she was on her game.

 

[DaNieLa RoCkZ]

Well she lost to Lindsay at Syndey in 2003.. not 2002.. She was playing well in 2003

 

[V.Melb]

IMO Sharapova is far more intense on the court and always was.
Hantuchova went for the lines more often... has nicer looking strokes.... but she did/does NOT have the power of Sharapova.

I also agree that Hingis made Hantuchova look more powerfull then she actually was.

 

[sartrista7]

Sharapova absorbs her opponent's power much better than Hantuchova ever did, which is completely different to creating power herself.

 

[Knizzle]

Hantuchova and Sharapova are nothing alike gamewise IMHO.

 

[Volcana]

Daniela didn't hit as hard as Hingis made it out to be.
Maria has a much tougher game than Daniela in all fronts. Daniela is an all-court type player.
They are totally different.

I really wasn't thinking vs Hingis. Hantuchova was a top player for a year and half after that IW. Then her game went south. BTW, I would never have called Hantuchova an all court player, but of course, the only times I ever got to see her play, besides that IW< was against top ten American power players. It's hard to get off the baseline vs Serena or Venus or Lindsay or Jenn.

Maybe she is an all court player by preference, but I've never gotten to see it. To me, each is/was a power baseliner, with Sharapova hitting all out more often.

 

[Albireo]

I really wasn't thinking vs Hingis. Hantuchova was a top player for a year and half after that IW. Then her game went south. BTW, I would never have called Hantuchova an all court player, but of course, the only times I ever got to see her play, besides that IW< was against top ten American power players. It's hard to get off the baseline vs Serena or Venus or Lindsay or Jenn.

Maybe she is an all court player by preference, but I've never gotten to see it. To me, each is/was a power baseliner, with Sharapova hitting all out more often.

One of the more noticeable changes in her game in the last two years has been her abandonment of the net game she was developing. (Remember, she has two GS mixed-doubles titles and made her first splash in the AO doubles final vs. Hingis/Kournikova-- the net game, while still raw, was starting to come together.) One of the reasons Sears was hired was because he promised to develop that particular aspect of her game. Once she started slumping, the first thing in which she lost confidence was in coming forward-- when things went south, she went back to the absolute basics, i.e. the baseline, at which she wasn't nearly as solid as the other top players.

 

[azinna]

Another difference between the two is that Maria is quite Seles-like in imparting top-spin on her power strokes. Daniela's strokes, though more fluid, are relatively flat. Her sweetspot seems smaller than Maria's. When she was playing very well (that is with no pressure), she could rely on her near-perfect timing and footwork to keep her winners in. But almost every dip in confidence, fitness, or nervous steel results in an error.

 

[Fingon]

Yes, they have some things in common.

They both have a two-handed backhand.

they both are blonde.

they both have long legs.

They both wear Nike.

they both are good looking.

they both are from Eastern Europe.

that's about it.

 

[Volcana]

Another difference between the two is that Maria is quite Seles-like in imparting top-spin on her power strokes.

I dunno. I grant you that again, I only see her against certain players, but Sharapova's shots seem really flat to me. Not Davenport-flat, but she uses less topspin than Serena, who's no Patty Schnyder in the spin department.

That business about Hantuchova abandoning coming to net makes sense. Even the players who have good volleys too often just park themselves back there til they a ball that lands inside the service line. Even then, they often go for a winner and retreat.

Well, Hantuchova stopped the free-fall, and she's slowly rising again. I don't know that she'll see the top five again, but top fifteen seems reachable.

 

[Albireo]

That business about Hantuchova abandoning coming to net makes sense. Even the players who have good volleys too often just park themselves back there til they a ball that lands inside the service line. Even then, they often go for a winner and retreat.

It actually reminds me of what happened to Sabatini-- once her confidence bottomed out (particularly after the RG choke against MJF) and players started really punishing her serves on a consistent basis, she ceased to be a factor at the net. Granted, it's hard to come in behind your serve when it bounces on your side of the net first, or when it doesn't crack the 80 MPH mark...

These tall, long-limbed players like Hantuchova and Sharapova, Venus and Davenport... I just don't understand why they don't use their reach advantages at net more. Yeah, I know the passing shots are like lasers these days, but the last time I watched a Slam, I couldn't believe the number of missed opportunities for taking the initiative at net. Amanda Coetzer was pretty decent when she came in; there's no reason some of these players who are a foot taller than Coetzer couldn't do it if they worked on it a bit.

 

[Experimentee]

Yes when both were at their peak they were quite similar, but Sharapova had more power and not as much variety.

 

[Sharapower]

Sharapova has way much more speed in her foot work.

 

[Jakeev]

Yes, they have some things in common.

They both have a two-handed backhand.

they both are blonde.

they both have long legs.

They both wear Nike.

they both are good looking.

they both are from Eastern Europe.

that's about it.

Lol could not have been said any better.......

 

[ginger_fish668]

Yes, they have some things in common.

They both have a two-handed backhand.

they both are blonde.

they both have long legs.

They both wear Nike.

they both are good looking.

they both are from Eastern Europe.

that's about it.

How about they both also trained at Nick Bollettieri's

Thay are both represented by IMG....

And that's probably all they have in common. I don't really see any similarities in their games.