[Philbo]

Im so happy that Monica gave her fans some real success this Aus Open to cheer about..

Its disapointing she lost to Hingis, but I still think the signs of an excellent year ahead are there...assuming she stays injury free...

But her fitness was still a problem, and the reason she lost yesterday.

She seemed to run out of puff after the first set, and really the match should have been hers if she played at the same level of the first set the whole match...

Monica had a bad case of the flu, and Im hoping that was the reason she ran out of puff, I heard her talk after beting Venus and she sounded really fluey...

I just want to conragulate Monica, and say bring on the French!!

 

[disposablehero]

I agree. Monica can still improve her fitness considerably, and I can't wait. Remember, she usually plays herself into shape, and she has just started playing.

 

[mishar]

I have to believe it was the flu, rather than general lack of fitness. I mean, even when she was positively unfit, she would be strong until the middle of the third set. Last night, at the beginning of the second set, she started missing shots she usually makes and hitting so many serves and returns into the net!
I'm not making any excuses, certainly Monica didn't make any, but you know the flu doesn't go away in one day.
Anyway, Martina played an excellent match and deserved to win, but I know Monica can play much better than that, much better than she played against Venus even. Not some imaginary Monica who is a super-athlete which she will never be, but hitting the way she was this week, cleanly, angled, power, on the lines, but with more consistency. That's all she needs to win these big matches, plus keeping her new big serve consistent. (That was one thing she did right against Venus, but not against Martina.

I hope you're right, DH, and she will be getting better and better as the year goes on. Maybe the clay will be her time to shine!

 

[barmaid]

Well done Monica-But fitness still the problem

I am a Martina fan but must applaud Monica on such a fine match...and maybe the fitness thing was the contributing factor or the sore throat? But what I saw from Monica was a wonderful act of being such a gracious loser...when they shook hands at the net and then went to the line judges..Monica gave Marti a peck on the cheek..which I thought was commendable of her under the circumstances..here she had beaten Venus...had such a great record at the open and had all those dreams dashed by Martina so even though her heart was breaking...she had the decency to congratulate Marti for winning.. And that my dear Monica fans is a class act!! I wish her all the best in the coming tourneys in 2002!
barmaid

 

[Fingon]

I agree that Monica can get fitter.

But I don't think fitness was the problem in this match, Monica was still running everyball at the very end of the match, and her problems really started at the beginning of the second set, if it had been a fitness problem at that point, the match would have ended much quicker.

I think the problem was partly that Martina surprised her (and me) being very solid in the second serve and the forehand, two areas where Monica knows she usually can hit winners.

Monica said she was trying to go for too much because Martina is very quick and gets a lot of balls back, and that was what was happening.

I think Monica can improve a lot still, she didn't have the precision she had during the US hardcourt season, I think it was both, Martina playing better than expected and Monica playing worse, but not to blame fitness.

 

[rafa]

Yes, I agree with you, congrats to Monica, she really did a good job. I loved her first set against Martina.

 

[Philbo]

Fingon - Im afraid Billie Jean King, liz Smylie, and jsut about anybody else who saw the match all agreed that Monica was making errors off balls in the 2nd and 3rd set by being one step too slow, that she wasnt making in the first set.


Martina did serve well, and did hit her forehand well, but Monica's fitness was clearly a factor...not trying to take away from Martina's fantastic victory...

 

[marshmellow]

actually i thought monica was quite fit. she looked alot better than i thought she would. also, i liked her movement on court. and some of those gets were just amazing. hingis was already pushing the ball deep and wide but monica got back some great shots...

but still if she could get even more fit, it'd be great...

 

[Philbo]

I think the telling factor is the fact that in the first set, almsot everytime Monica was forced to let go of one hand on her forehand, and use one hand, she made a great shot...

In the 2nd and 3rd, those shots became errors...she was a step too slow...

 

[marshmellow]

yep. those were the gets i was talking about. i loved how monica was able to take off one hand and still make a great shot....

 

[Dawn Marie]

Seles is one of my favorite players and her problem was not all fitness. Not at all. Some of her problems were her fitness but she most surely needs to improve her net game. Monica played one way the entire match... alot of Hingis balls she should have took out of the air. Plain and simple Monica needs to come to net more. She backed off that second and third set a bit ONLY until Hingis was serving for the match. Also her serve stills needs work. After I watched this match I honestly dont think she is gonna win another slam. Sorry but I agree with Mal Washington on this one. Seles's slam days are over. I hope I am proven wrong though.. and I am not gonna by that Monica only needs to get herself in shape crap anymore. Plain and Simple Seles needs to be 100% in tip top shape. To where she can withstand the endurance.. and the quick running ability, because she hits with both hands.

Seles IMHO needs to do the following:

Get the fittest she can possibly be
Start going to net
Quit staying at baseline when it is obvious that she needs to wack ball out of the air.

 

[Adrian]

Of course, Martina had no say in the end result...Martina took control of the match and dictated point after point, Martina was on song, Monica was over whelmed with the constant depth and change of play, Martina brought her forward, moved her back, moved her from side to side in devastating style, her variation on serve left Monica stranded and really if Martina had not blown those break points at 4-3 in the first....well.


and please don't forget, Martina had played 4 doubles matches as well, before this match, so Monica was probably the fresher player

 

[Fingon]

Czechfan, I don't care what BJK said, I could see the match myself and I often don't agree with the commentators anyways

First, I don't think that speed and fitness are necessarily the same. Sure, Monica doesn't have the speed she had in the early 90s, but she also is not the age she was in the early 90s.

ASV, Conchita, Amanda, they are all slower than they were a few years ago. Some years ago Monica would very rarely hit a one-handed shot, now she has to do it more, partly because she isn't as fast as she used to be and partly because now most players hit the ball harder and then she has less time.

She needs extra time to hit the double handed groundstrokes, she always needed that extra time, but could compensate it with a great anticipation (that she still has) and speed (that she doesn't have).
If it was a fitness problem, she would be tired, and she wasn't tired IMO.

She got to more balls and make less errors in the first set because Martina wasn't hitting that deep and wasn't using those angles that much. On the other hand, when the opponent plays a match as clean as Martina did, there is a big deal of pressure, because the player has to hit more winners than usual, and it's very difficult, even for a player like Monica to keep that level all the time.

As I said, I do think Monica still can improve her fitness, and I do think she can beat anyone (except on grass), but when you have two top players, it's a toss up, if one of them is not 100% (and I don't mean physically but in her game) the other player is likely to win, that's normal.

It happened some times that Monica had a fantastic match and Martina didn't, why couldn't it happen that way this time?

I have to agree with Dawn Marie, fitness only is not the answer, and I am not sure that Monica really needs an answer, she is playing well, she got to the semis of a GS and lost to a 6 times finalist and former # 1, that's not that terrible and there is no need for Monica to rethink her career based on that result, it's not that it was an upset.

 

[Dawn Marie]

If Seles were 100% fit she would be quicker though Fingon because when you get fit you lose body fat and only tone up. She would be lighter on her feet. So in a sense fitness also has alot to do with footwork and speed. Look at Capriati, She got the fittest she could possible be last year and look how much quicker she became, she is not that far behind Seles in age either. I am tellin yah, Seles is getting there because she showing results. She beat Hingisova 2 times last year and took a set off Hingisova already this year. A much faster Hingisova too I might add. BUT I think that Seles needs to go up another level. Which is too get 100% fit as can be and go to net more and take balls out of air Only then will I feel she can win another slam... but I hope my opinions are wrong

 

[SM]

ditto dawn...

atleast Monica cna levae Aus with confidence now...she gave Martina a tigh match and had she won she owuldve been confident to win the slam..

form this period till rland garros I also believe Monica should aim to get in even better shape as the rallies on clay are even more demanding , snd she'll need that in order to beat Hingis en route to a Roland Garros crown.

 

[Philbo]

I agree she should have come into net lots more and finished off points...


But you can have your opinion Fingon, and agree with Dawn Maree, somehow methinks BJK knows just a little bit more about the game of tennis!

 

[Jakeev]

I have to agree that Martina played an amazing match although Monica really was in position to win the whole shebang.

I think her serve deserted her and I also think, and it was not mentioned, that Martina returned served fantastically.

Martina definitely won that match.

 

[Dawn Marie]

Yeah, Martina won it, but you can get a sense that Seles could have won this whole slam if she played a bit agressively and was on her game 100% in that match.

 

[Fingon]

I agree she should have come into net lots more and finished off points...


But you can have your opinion Fingon, and agree with Dawn Maree, somehow methinks BJK knows just a little bit more about the game of tennis!

well, I disagree with the idea that because you have played a sport you know a lot about it.

In soccer for example, there are many great player that tried to be coaches and failed, and many of the best coaches were mediocre players.

I do respect BJK, but I don't take everything she says for granted, she is human, and I have eyes, and a brain, I can see things by myself and not because a commentator says something different I will change my mind just because that person is famous.

BJK, like anyone else, to convince me needs to give me logical reasons and facts, that was her opinion and I don't made mine based on what I hear on tv.

In fact, I consider 90% of what I hear on tv bullshit, so, the argument that she knows a lot really is not very strong for me.

 

[Dawn Marie]

Philbo looks like you got told

By the way my name is Dawn Marie okay? not Maree. Also Czechfan I liked your post about Venus earlier this week. That was classy mate