2011 WTA Review: Nos. 6-10
Матт Кронин
Выставил статью Кронина в котором он высказывает свое мнение как Стосур, Звонарева, Агнешка Радванска, Бартоли и Петкович провели сезон 2011 и чего можно ожидать от них в 2012 году.
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Most improved awards usually go to younger players who make substantial rankings breakthroughs, but in 2011, amongst the veterans, No. 6 Samantha Stosur would get my vote. How she managed to go from having her backhand rated as a “3-5” by John Newcombe at the start of the year, through three months of a mediocre winter and spring to eventually winning her maiden Slam crown at the age of 26 at the US Open with a stunning knockout of Serena Williams nearly defies logic. But she and her coach, David Taylor, stayed the course, trying to add more pop to her backhand and getting her to trust herself more at the net. Without question, it was those two improvements that landed her a much-coveted major crown, as her forehand and serve have always been big weapons.
Starting next month, the world will see if Stosur can withstand the immense pressure of being a major Slam contender at home, because at the 2012 Aussie Open, she’ll arrive there for the first times with zero questions about her mental toughness and not as many about her overall game on hard courts. As she showed against the greatest player of her generation, Serena, Stosur has the game to best any player on a great day. All she likely need in Melbourne is four more of those to make her the apple of her nation’s eye.
I really think that No. 7 Vera Zvonareva has essentially peaked and even though she’ll show flashed of improvement during the next few years, I just don’t believe in her mentally enough to project that she’ll ever win a Slam. She’s missing that special spark that Russian Slam winners Myskina, Sharapova and Kuznetsova have. She’s a reasonably bright woman with a solid all around game and she’s played some brilliant matches, but she does not appear to be driven in a very positive way and does not have a great sense of herself. Zvonareva will hang a around the top 10 much of the season but I could see her exiting the top ranks permanently by 2013.
I will not say the same of No. 8 Aga Radwanska, who is one of my favorite players to watch when she is on, but what’s very much in questions for the Pole is whether she can bring her hyper- intelligent, soft-handed game to the majors and win say, five straight matches? Given that she won three Premier level titles in 2011, she should skip into 2012 with supreme confidence, but for a somewhat slight woman, it is easier to win five matches at a Premier level event than it is seven straight at a major.
While Radwansk’a success in 2011 proves that the game has not totally gone to the power players, every woman who won a major in 2011 (Clijsters, Li, Kvitova and Stosur) can crack the ball, and if Radwanska wants to show that her more subtle game is worthy of Slam champ, she must improve her serve in the off season and come into Australia in tip top shape.
The sport should express a lot of appreciation for No. 9 Marion Bartoli in 2011, because she really left her heart on the court. Her performances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon were legendary and inspiring and she really seemed to have matured as a person. Clearly, she is somewhat as a limited player and it is unlikely that she ever win a major, but she is a resolute competitor, and sports a vicious inside the baseline game that is threatening to everyone.
What Bartoli has yet to convince herself of is that playing a more limited schedule would be beneficial to her, because she’s constantly getting hurt, but she’s addicted to competition so when she ends her career in a few years, she’ll likely to go down limping – and swigging for the lines.
No. 10 Andrea Petkovic could also be called one of the tour’s most improved players. The German loves life, is engaging on court and off and is totally dedicated to improving, spending six to seven hours a day on the practice court. While her game is somewhat predictable, she does hit hard, moves fairly well and has improved her serve. While the games stars might not be thrilled with her results, for a player who had suffered serious injuries problems, winning her second WTA title at Strasbourg, finishing runner-up at Brisbane and Beijing and reaching the semis three times, at Miami, San Diego and Cincinnati was reason to cheer. She also reached the quarters of three Slams.
With a little more finesse and a few additions to her repertoire, Petkovic could make one decent- sized run at a major in 2012. If she does, it will be well deserved and boon for a sport that is full of interesting people, but does not have may as interesting as the enigmatic Petko.
Верит ,что и Петкович может выиграть ТБШ в 2012 , хотя считает ее игру достаточно предсказуемой.Но ее удары очень мощны,она хорошо передвигается и значительно улучшила свою подачу.
Маловероятно для Кронина,что Марион или Вера выиграют ТБШ. Марион он считает грозной соперницей для любой теннисистке,но игроком с ограниченными возможностями.А у Веры нет той особой искры с которой можно выигрывать ТБШ и она до конца не может контролировать свои эмоции,быть достаточно позитивной.