indiana wrote:

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Would be really great though if she can get rid of what's maybe becoming a bit of a monkey on her back.  In some ways slightly remarkably she hasn't won 2 rounds of an event since the Istanbul tour event at the end of last July, that's 15 successive events ( 4 first round defeats and 11 second  round defeats ).

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I think when you're playing WTAs all the time but not ranked high enough to be seeded in them, the luck of the draw has a very big effect on your ranking (especially if you are good at taking advantage when you do get a decent draw, as Elena is) and I get the impression that Elena is playing at a similar level to last year, despite her falling ranking suggesting otherwise.

What she is doing by being so consistent is creating a great platform for a rankings rise if she can start to raise her level a bit. She must be getting quite a reputation for her never say die attitude, and that should mean that if she can manage to get to the level where she can stick with flakier players like Safina, Hantuchova (etc, etc) for long enough to put pressure on them, she's going to have a fantastic chance of outlasting them mentally.

For an up-and-coming Brit who (unlike Andy Murray, say) was never guaranteed to get into the top 100, I don't think you could ask for a better attitude and temperament.

It wasn't always so of course (even though she was always a fighter!) - I always got the impression that her previous coaches didn't push her hard enough because of her illness. If that was true, I understand it, and I'm sure it was well meant, but it's not going to get her anywhere when the players she is competing against aren't going to be as sympathetic!

The change Nino Severino has wrought since he started working with her has been spectacular. I don't get the impression he's had to get 'nasty' with her to do it either - just meticulous planning (including managing her health problems a lot better), hard work and instilling the self-belief in her that she can reach her potential despite all the obstacles in the way.

The other day, I came across this article from last year which I don't remember seeing before http://www.sportsister.com/2010/06/21/elena-baltacha-coach-nino-severino-on-the-lioness-behind-the-racket/ - it includes things like:

"The first time Nino met Elena (or Bally as she is affectionately known) was during a presentation in Spain at The La Manga Club. I had arranged to coach the players from Ballys old academy after my presentation duties, he recollects, and Bally, as I remember, was crying in one corner and did not join the session. I did not think anything of it but as time went on I learned why at that point she was such a tormented and unfulfilled athlete.

... and ...

"When I joined forces with Bally she was ranked 160 in the world. Approximately two years ago now I recall sitting in a small tennis facility trying to convince her not to retire and take a job as a coach in a local tennis club. She was, at that point, a lioness with a broken heart and not enough will to endure the challenging and relentless training regimes that would merely lead her to more time on the sidelines of a court in tears because of the physical and emotional strain.

As a coach it hurt so much to see a potentially great athlete thrown on the scrap heap of tennis. I used all the belief I had in my abilities to convince Bally that we could turn this around, that we could rebuild her mentally and physically to once again bring those dreams alive. Thankfully I succeeded, after hours of discussions and many buckets of tears. As I write this, Bally is once again the most successful British womens tennis player occupying the coveted No.1 spot.

I wonder if there are any other Brits he could have worked a similar kind of magic with.