I am afraid to say that, but Wozniacki will not progress with her limited game variety. She can only use 2 strokes, nothing else, even being in a situation calling for drop shot or a slice, she used the same over and over again. Not to mention her angle game includes one angle, right in the middle. I am really surprised she managed to win 1 set. Did someone say she was #1 at some point?

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Haha, yeah she was #1 for way longer than you would think (over a year I believe in total?). She was one of the few stable people in a field full of headcases and injured people. She needs to find a real coach, and fast, before her career slips away with 0 majors won.

Very true. But I think she's in better spirits. I liked her variety and she was very effective at the net. Seemed a bit more under control off the forehand wing. IF she can control her forehand and her emotions, she has a legit shot to win the AO.

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I think she has the game to take out Vika in the quarters, but I'm not sure where her fitness and stamina will be at. After long points against Woz, it looked like she could barely breathe. As a result, she started going for more winners and coming into net, which is what I think helped her win the match. She wont be able to beat Vika bashing from the baseline. If she uses her all court game and mixes it up with a few slices, maybe come to net, try to end a few points quicker, she will make it a very interesting match.

I am afraid to say that, but Wozniacki will not progress with her limited game variety. She can only use 2 strokes, nothing else, even being in a situation calling for drop shot or a slice, she used the same over and over again. Not to mention her angle game includes one angle, right in the middle. I am really surprised she managed to win 1 set. Did someone say she was #1 at some point?

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i agree with you that wozzy seems lost. wasn't there a point in her career where her bh was something like a weapon? from what little i ended up watching of her match with kuzzy while chasing an 18 month old from room to room, it seemed like even when she got a ball she could have attacked, she just rolled it crosscourt. maybe she was waiting for kuzzy to flip her wig but but that didn't happen enough for woz to win.

if you were coaching the woz, what would you tell her is the most important thing to work on? the serve (which is what every commentator harps on)? the forehand? the strategy?

yeah, woz didn't do much but after the monumental mental collapses we've seen out of kuzzy in the past (uso final vs. henin) it was refreshing to see her be able to steal the momentum in a final set.

i agree with you that wozzy seems lost. wasn't there a point in her career where her bh was something like a weapon? from what little i ended up watching of her match with kuzzy while chasing an 18 month old from room to room, it seemed like even when she got a ball she could have attacked, she just rolled it crosscourt. maybe she was waiting for kuzzy to flip her wig but but that didn't happen enough for woz to win.

if you were coaching the woz, what would you tell her is the most important thing to work on? the serve (which is what every commentator harps on)? the forehand? the strategy?

yeah, woz didn't do much but after the monumental mental collapses we've seen out of kuzzy in the past (uso final vs. henin) it was refreshing to see her be able to steal the momentum in a final set.

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Woz needs to figure out for herself how she manages a match. She hasn't won a tournament without on-court coaching, iirc. That's item #1.

Because nobody actually fears Wozniacki beating them outright, she should give her opponent something to think about. Why not deviate from the plan and attack first periodically? That way she can say she's more aggressive, she doesn't take much of a risk, and the opponent may overreact and find themselves out of place.

Her net play definitely leaves much to be desired. She looks uncomfortable that close.

The forehand is what it is. It's a rally ball FH by design. She can hit winners from it, but she only goes for it when the opponent has left a ton of open court. And at times when she mishits it. She cheats herself out of cheap points because more often than not it's just crosscourt to get herself back into position.

Her backhand is her best wing, but even last year that side was breaking down more than usual. I don't think she trusts herself with being more assertive. Her DTL BH is quite good. She should incorporate a slice BH just to mix things up.

Her retrieving by itself is not going to win a major. Her and her team should realize that.

if you were coaching the woz, what would you tell her is the most important thing to work on? the serve (which is what every commentator harps on)? the forehand? the strategy?

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first she needs to learn how to create points, simple retrieving is not good enough, next she needs to learn few more shots, slice, drop etc and of course net play, she goes to the net when she is forced and doesn't really know what do once she gets there, oh, and one more thing, get a real coach

Woz needs to figure out for herself how she manages a match. She hasn't won a tournament without on-court coaching, iirc. That's item #1.

Because nobody actually fears Wozniacki beating them outright, she should give her opponent something to think about. Why not deviate from the plan and attack first periodically? That way she can say she's more aggressive, she doesn't take much of a risk, and the opponent may overreact and find themselves out of place.

Her net play definitely leaves much to be desired. She looks uncomfortable that close.

The forehand is what it is. It's a rally ball FH by design. She can hit winners from it, but she only goes for it when the opponent has left a ton of open court. And at times when she mishits it. She cheats herself out of cheap points because more often than not it's just crosscourt to get herself back into position.

Her backhand is her best wing, but even last year that side was breaking down more than usual. I don't think she trusts herself with being more assertive. Her DTL BH is quite good. She should incorporate a slice BH just to mix things up.
Her retrieving by itself is not going to win a major. Her and her team should realize that.

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that's what i was thinking. there were several moments in the third set when i thought she had set kuzzy up to drill the dtl bh but instead she just rolled it cc and surrendered the initiative. daggone girl, it's the third set, it's now or never!!!!

personally, i'd like to see her try some of this stuff at some 250 level tourneys where she's not gonna see "the big girls" right away so she could build up her confidence (i think that's flagging just as much if not more than her play is). i don't know when or where that will happen.

Woz simply developing more power, and being comfortable using that power, would go a long way to putting her in contention with some of the other top gals. Not to be a mindless basher, but to have enough power that it's her instinct to actually go for the winner when there's an opening. Won't be enough for the elites, but would be a start.

Lisicki is now the floor leader, despite Petrova's objections and stripping a title from Wozniacki in the process. Rearranged the deck a bit. Dumped Bondarenko as I don't expect her to return. Li is on parole.

Kvitova, aspiring headcase, was the only person on the AO thread to not get a vote (even Kerber, Errani, Wozniacki, Other got votes). Has it really been 15 months since she won the YEC?

When I see a player as overweight as (current) Serena, I always think it's an injury waiting to happen. Pro tennis is a sport that requires maximum fitness (and mobility). If you don't have it, you're putting yourself at risk every time you step on the court for a match.

It was great to see Li Na's performance last night. It was the first time that I watched her play this year. Some of her stinkers from last year are still fresh in my mind (esp her errorfest against Kerber where she hit about 70-80 unforced errors). The commentators last night mentioned that Carlos Rodriguez had worked with her to get a little more height on her forehand so that she would clear the net more and have fewer errors into the net. It was her forehand that impressed me the most, especially crosscourt. It really reminded me of how Djokovic had improved his forehand in 2011. She has such beautiful form and moves well across the court. And I like her aggressive ball striking. She wasn't aiming for the lines but because she is able to keep the ball out of the middle of the court with her strong backhand and now strong forehand and keep Sharapova on the run. I'm rooting for Li in the finals. I like Azarenka. I can tolerate her hooting (it's kind of melodious and is not a scream like Sharapova, Kirilenko, etc). She has lived up better as a post-slam winner than any of the other recent ones, bar Serena. I like Li better as a player on the court and a person off the court. But if Serena were playing I would be rooting for Serena to go all the way.

When I see a player as overweight as (current) Serena, I always think it's an injury waiting to happen. Pro tennis is a sport that requires maximum fitness (and mobility). If you don't have it, you're putting yourself at risk every time you step on the court for a match.

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Um, Serena's not overweight. And she moves well (when healthy of course).

When I see a player as overweight as (current) Serena, I always think it's an injury waiting to happen. Pro tennis is a sport that requires maximum fitness (and mobility). If you don't have it, you're putting yourself at risk every time you step on the court for a match.