Talk About Tennis 2.0

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 12:46 am

ti-amie wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 7:07 pm Loved the Connor MacLeod references!

I have no idea who Connor Macleod is ...so it went over my head altogether

Yes, a pretty American (possibly French and British too?) joke. There's a movie series (later turned into a TV series) named Highlander and it starred an actor named Christopher Lambert in the role of Connor MacLeod. So when I saw Bianca's new coach's name, that's all I could see.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 1:06 am

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 1:02 am

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 2:52 pm

Exactly. Will work wonders with her if she wants to learn to use a Katana, but a tennis racquet...

You think a US open champion needs to be taught how to use a racket,?!

An obvious joke, if you ever saw HIGHLANDER (The Movie).

Oh well, ok. No, never even heard of it..we move in different worlds, clearly

Pliskova and Sascha Bajin have teamed up again for the upcoming season

I think he is good. Maybe one more QF at a slam for her?
(Says the idiot that wrote her off just before she reached that Wimby final).

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:00 am I think he is good. Maybe one more QF at a slam for her?
(Says the idiot that wrote her off just before she reached that Wimby final).

I would write them both off..

Garcia has taken on Guzman as coach..for only some tournaments ..

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:25 am

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:00 am I think he is good. Maybe one more QF at a slam for her?
(Says the idiot that wrote her off just before she reached that Wimby final).

I would write them both off..

I wouldn't WANT to (I like Karo) but I have eaten my words so many times by now I like to put some steak sauce before I munch.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 4:25 am

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:25 am

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:00 am I think he is good. Maybe one more QF at a slam for her?
(Says the idiot that wrote her off just before she reached that Wimby final).

I would write them both off..

I wouldn't WANT to (I like Karo) but I have eaten my words so many times by now I like to put some steak sauce before I munch.

Karolina is a good candidate for 'best player never to win a major', though there are better candidates.. a separate topic of course.

Helena Sukova?

Julián Alonso and Leylah Fernández, new team for 2023
by Fernando Murciego 12/15/2022 21:18



We are in mid-December and we still have a lot of news to tell, but this one makes us especially excited because we are going to be the first to tell it. Julián Alonso will be the coach of Leylah Fernández in the 2023 season. The 45-year-old Spanish coach, who will continue to supervise the career of Arantxa Rus, is now embarking on a super exciting project with one of the most promising young women on the women's circuit. We will follow them closely.

Link is to original Spanish
Translated by Google

https://www.puntodebreak.com/2022/12/15 ... quipo-2023

ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 11:21 pm Julián Alonso and Leylah Fernández, new team for 2023
by Fernando Murciego 12/15/2022 21:18



We are in mid-December and we still have a lot of news to tell, but this one makes us especially excited because we are going to be the first to tell it. Julián Alonso will be the coach of Leylah Fernández in the 2023 season. The 45-year-old Spanish coach, who will continue to supervise the career of Arantxa Rus, is now embarking on a super exciting project with one of the most promising young women on the women's circuit. We will follow them closely.

Link is to original Spanish
Translated by Google

https://www.puntodebreak.com/2022/12/15 ... quipo-2023

Yeah... I saw that yesterday.
I think it's going to be a part-time thing, as Leylah's dad (Jorge) will likely insist on retaining a significant role in the equation.
Jorge is a 'control freak' - sometimes in a positive way, and sometimes in a detrimental way - and any coach that embarks on with Leylah will have to be able to tolerate Jorge's constant presence, input and interference (it's rather telling that he's included in the photo accompanying the story of Leylah's 'new coach').

I cannot see any coach being given 'free, independent reign' with Leylah - I think Jorge will have to have veto rights on everything. And any coach who does not have the total freedom to do the things he wants to do without having someone looking over their shoulder cannot be a full time coach in my opinion.
I think people in pro tennis know what Jorge is like by now. That's why I've said for a while that I don't see any coach who works independently being interested in working with Leylah - not because of Leylah, but because of knowing that Jorge will always be, at the very least, looking over their shoulder, approving or vetoing things.

Leylah's previous coach - Romain Deridder - was brand new to coaching at the WTA level when he began with Leylah. And so, as a new coach at that level, it's quite likely that he was more willing to put up with Jorge's input and interference than established coaches would be. Jorge still fired him after 18 months, though, just after the 2021 Olympics, and took over the official full time coaching duties himself.
Jorge has no background in tennis - he was a semi-pro soccer player and soccer coach. And so he has gotten a few mostly unknown tennis coaches to help with some technical things since he took over as full time coach.

Jorge and Leylah have a very close bond. And they understand and trust each other. While that can certainly be a positive thing in many aspects and situations (I have told him on several occasions that no other coach will ever have the bond and trust with Leylah that he has, and no other coach will ever know her as well as he does), it can also limit and restrict the exploration of other avenues.

good that Leylah has a coach at all.. not good to be coached by Papa all your life.. Coco Gauff should consider it too..

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2022 4:22 am good that Leylah has a coach at all.. not good to be coached by Papa all your life.. Coco Gauff should consider it too..

And it is not as if the experiment has not been done plenty of times:
Yuri Sharapov: no good for Maria.
The Tsitsipas parents: let's not even go there.
Wozniacki: I say he held her back.
Bencic: nah, not working.
Caro Garcia: once daddy left, look at the results.
Peter Graf: Steffi was so much better off without him.
The Williams: all kudos for bringing them both that far. Then even more for letting them go and find their own way.

Exceptions:
Seles: Her dad did well.
Connors: Gloria always kept the proper distance, and it worked well.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2022 4:04 pm

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2022 4:22 am good that Leylah has a coach at all.. not good to be coached by Papa all your life.. Coco Gauff should consider it too..

And it is not as if the experiment has not been done plenty of times:
Yuri Sharapov: no good for Maria.
The Tsitsipas parents: let's not even go there.
Wozniacki: I say he held her back.
Bencic: nah, not working.
Caro Garcia: once daddy left, look at the results.
Peter Graf: Steffi was so much better off without him.
The Williams: all kudos for bringing them both that far. Then even more for letting them go and find their own way.

Exceptions:
Seles: Her dad did well.
Connors: Gloria always kept the proper distance, and it worked well.

Hingis too but generally not a good idea..
I quit coaching my son when he was about 12..saw I had nothing to help him with..

ashkor87 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 17, 2022 4:22 am good that Leylah has a coach at all.. not good to be coached by Papa all your life.. Coco Gauff should consider it too..

Gauff has been coached by Diego Moyano for several months now.