Talk About Tennis 2.0

Swiatek as destructive as ever against Coco..she always wins 3 and 0! Predictable! Coco is clearly not ready yet, commendable to get this far of course..

I think these year end tournaments show better where you are compared with your peers than a Slam (hard courts). No lucky draws, nowhere to hide.

Not sure how losing to the best player this year makes a player “not ready.”

Unless you mean not ready to be the best player in the world this year

It's not just her loss to Swiatek in what was essentially a 'nothing' match (Swiatek had already clinched her spot, and Gauff had no chance of going any further) - it's the fact that she didn't even win a set the entire week, and never looked like a contender. Add that she didn't win a match in doubles, either...

It just seemed that she was too in awe of being in the final 8. If she had met these same players in a tournament - even in a Major -, I think she would have been more competitive. It seems that she put too much pressure on herself here, and was overwhelmed with being classed in the 'best 8'.
And so saying that she's 'not ready' for this type of playing environment seems quite accurate and appropriate to me, given her age and comparative lack of experience.
She will grow emotionally. She will gain experience and be more balanced. It's all a learning process.

Cori has made great advances in her game in the last year. Is she a top ten player? I think it depends on how you define what you want in a player who has reached the top ten in their sport. At this point I think she's top twenty using old school thinking but not top ten. I'm hoping that she is allowed to continue what has been a slow and steady pace that's allowed her to mature physically and mentally.

It's Sakkari who is reeling at the moment as Garcia, who has every right to be tired, who routines the first set 6-3

Sakkari's First Serve percentage is 37%

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:20 pm It's Sakkari who is reeling at the moment as Garcia, who has every right to be tired, who routines the first set 6-3

Garcia is just pressuring Sakkari into uncomfortableness. She's playing very aggressively, and Sakkari is growing more and more frustrated at not being able to set up her natural playing style and speed.

The question is whether Garcia can maintain this level psychologically or not.

Garcia is up 4-0 in the second set. This is tennis and things can change at the drop of a hat but Garcia has so far exposed Sakkari's weakness, her inability to adjust her game to counter what her opponent is doing. Garcia is not giving her any room to do that though. This is not the match I thought it would be.

And with that comprehensive win, my pick is into the Final....

Sabalenka is halfway there after winning the 1st set over Swiatek.
I very much believe Swiatek will win this match - because she has shown a very consistent ability to dig down and find that extra gear when needed, and because Sabalenka is known to fall apart and beat herself more than any other player, living or dead.