Week 18 - ITF ($50K) - Indian Harbour Beach, USA Clay

philwrig · Hall of fame

RE: Week 18 - ITF ($50K) - Indian Harbour Beach, USA Clay

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Ratty wrote:
tony_orient wrote:
If you were to compare where Laura is against Heather right now, it would be Heather's fitness and consistency which make her a better player rather than playing ability.

Here's the thing - what do you mean by "playing ability"? I guess, pardon my presumption, that you mean that Laura is a better ball-striker, and is somehow more "talented".
Along with this goes the perhaps common belief that it's just a "matter of time" before Laura gets into the top 100, top 50, whatever.
Cobblers! There's an awful lot more to winning tennis matches week-in week-out than smacking winners. I would suggest that most matches are won by the player who makes the fewest errors. And while it is surely unfair to criticise a player who was clearly struggling physically, Laura surely does make an awful lot of errors. As she has done every time I've seen her play.
She may be immensely successful in the future, she may not. But her future success certainly isn't inevitable.

To clarify what I meant by playing ability (admittedly an ambiguous term), I meant all round game, not just ball striking, but excluding anything that might get in the way of a player playing the game at the level of their ability (tiredness, injury, lack of form, temperament etc.).

I am not downplaying these aspects either as often (and today's match was an example) they will be the difference, but in Laura's case I was trying to assess where her game is now when she is fully fit.

I certainly didn't try to predict where her game will be in the future.

djlovesyou · Strong Club Player

Ratty tends to wait until players lose and then make a self-righteous post about how 'we're' all deluding ourselves.

Ratty · County player

djlovesyou wrote:
Ratty tends to wait until players lose and then make a self-righteous post about how 'we're' all deluding ourselves.

Well maybe, but I'd prefer to see it as an attempt to stimulate an interesting debate.

Wozniacki is of course a prime example of the importance of UNSUNG qualities like: athleticism, "bendiness" (*), consistently good health, a calm temperament, and a determination to keep the ball in play.

(*) Watch Djokovic or Clijsters doing the splits - it's like their tendons are made of elastic.

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Mel & Babos lost 4-6 5-7 (though I might be slightly inaccurate on that scoreline) shame.

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Julia Carrot wrote:
Mel & Babos lost 4-6 5-7 (though I might be slightly inaccurate on that scoreline) shame.

2 & 5, JC. Definitely a shame. hmm How I hate to be proved right at times like this! bleh

indiana · Tennis legend

Ratty wrote:

Well maybe, but I'd prefer to see it as an attempt to stimulate an interesting debate.
Wozniacki is of course a prime example of the importance of UNSUNG qualities like: athleticism, "bendiness" (*), consistently good health, a calm temperament, and a determination to keep the ball in play.
(*) Watch Djokovic or Clijsters doing the splits - it's like their tendons are made of elastic.

That seems fair enoough to me, it can be good to stimulate genuine debate and challenge assumptions.

Earlier in the the thread you asserted in a post that that it was when NOT on your game that COUNTS.

I replied with my reasoning that in the case generally of young players and with particular reference to Laura, it was what they are like at their BEST that can well be more of an indicator to how they could do at top level.

Yes, there will come a cross-over time, but I maintain it is her BEST ( a best which one would presume will get better ) that still excites that she can make it at the top level when that is allied in time to much better consistency.

You chose not to debate further that point, but moved on to challenging general thoughts as how Laura was coming on as a player and supposed assumptions as to where she might get to in the game. On here I see these not as assumptions, but as predictions, and there is no harm at all in that, although you may disagree the predictions.

Anyway, to an extent the two debates are connected to my main thoughts re Laura in that still being relatively young and having interruptions, I am sure much more consistency will come. Indeed I would most certainly say it steadily has over the last year or two.

Combine steadily improving consistency, better movement ( her movement will probably never be the best ) with her power and shot making ability, and to me she is still on line to be quite a player, quite how good will play out in time.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 8th of May 2011 02:36:48 PM

Ratty · County player

indiana wrote:
I am sure much more consistency will come. Indeed I would most certainly say it steadily has over the last year or two.
Combine steadily improving consistency, better movement ( her movement will probably never be the best ) with her power and shot making ability, and to me she is still on line to be quite a player, quite how good will play out in time.

You may well be right. But let's put Laura Robson to one side for the moment - it seems a bit arbitrary to keep using her as an example.

How do you knowwith any young player, that the best hasn't already happened?Sharapova won Wimbledon when she was 17 (younger than Laura is now, whoops, sorry ...) Who would have thought, 7 years later, that it just hasn't quite panned out for her the way one might have predicted?

I see so many people saying things like "he/she is young, and is improving all the time." What they mean is that they HAVE improved up to the present day. What happens tomorrow is anybody's guess.

So I don't do predictions. But, hey, it's a free country, so you lot keep going for it ...

DavidC · Tennis legend

One good outcome of yesterday's matches is that Melinda Czink beat Irena Falconi in the other semi to guarantee that Anne will be ranked 107 next week. At present the French Open cut is 107 (1 player entering with a Special Rank) so it will be borderline for Anne, though the only player I can think of who is likely to enter Wimbledon with a Special Rank is funnily enough ...... Melinda Czink - there may well be others I am unaware of though.

Providing she makes the main draw before the wild card committee deliberate on Monday 6th June then 8 other Brits will be allocated MD or QWCs. If she makes the cut after that then her wildcard will probably end up with a non-Brit.

DavidC · Tennis legend

Wimbledon lists are out and Melinda Czink is indeed the only player entered with a Special Rank, so Anne just scrapes in at this stage, thus freeing up a place on the list which the LTA submits.