Week 24 - WTA Premier ($710,000) - Birmingham, UK - Grass

PaulM · Tennis legend

RE: Week 24 - WTA Premier ($710,000) - Birmingham, UK - Grass

DF · Tennis legend

Well done Jo.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Jeremy Bates looking after Naomi this week.

Judy speaking very well on BT sport. Hev too defensive at critical moments, but played lots of good stuff. Naomi playing levels above her and coped well, but couldn't sustain it and tired (they are going to give her opportunities over the summer to improve and develop, so I think that means exposure in these events and getting her more into the central fold and to tap into things the LTA have which can help her).

indiana · Tennis legend

Well done to Jo and very good effort by Naomi.

As for Hev, it certainly appears that she carried on her recent excellent form until she stopped doing the main things that were getting these results. There were worse times to learn a very clear lesson.

Pretty encouraging overall.

steven · Tennis legend

Gutting that Hev and Naomi both lost from a set up - though it's the 7th time Wozniak has won from a set down this year, so she's a bit of a Hev herself!

Now that the dust has settled:

L56: (WC) Naomi Broady WR 163 lost to Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová (CZE) WR 62 (CH 39 in 2010) by 5-7 6-4 6-3

L56: (WC) Johanna Konta WR 110 beat (14) Kurumi Nara (JPN) WR 39 (= CH) by 3 & 1

L56: (WC) Heather Watson WR 69 lost to (Q) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) WR 135 (CH 21 in 2009) by 2-6 7-5 6-4

L56: (Q) Katy Dunne WR 440 lost to Camila Giorgi (ITA) WR 44 (= CH) by 4-6 6-1 2-1 ret.

L32: (WC) Johanna Konta WR 110 v (Q) Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) WR 135 (CH 21 in 2009)

JoKo needs two more wins to make the top 100.

tony_orient · ATP qualifying

Based on the World Rankings, one GB win was par - just it could have been so much better...

steven · Tennis legend

paulisi wrote:
JoJo won very easily. How is Nara that highly ranked?

Hev is cruising, playing very well. The draw looks kind. She could easily get to semi final.

Naomi has just broken and is serving for the set.

Nara reached R3 at the US Open and the Aus Open and won a clay court WTA (Rio) this year. Given that JoKo has a 4-0 H2H against her (now 5-0, obviously - all in straight sets!), it would have been disappointing if she hadn't won, but the scoreline is impressive - her most emphatic win against Nara yet

-- Edited by steven on Tuesday 10th of June 2014 04:57:13 PM

Mervatron · Masters Series Champion

Oh Hev. Not happy. Hope Jo Ko can sort that out tomorrw

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

PaulM wrote:
Jeremy Bates looking after Naomi this week.

Judy speaking very well on BT sport. Hev too defensive at critical moments, but played lots of good stuff. Naomi playing levels above her and coped well, but couldn't sustain it and tired (they are going to give her opportunities over the summer to improve and develop, so I think that means exposure in these events and getting her more into the central fold and to tap into things the LTA have which can help her).

Well, pleased for Naomi, if that's what she wants and it makes life easier.

Frankly, she might want to take a look at James Ward, Cameron Norrie and Katy Dunne this year, and see the benefits of steering well clear . . .

(and, yes, I know that James is still there but since he dropped the NTC coaching set-up and hired his private one it's definitely been a step, if not several steps, in the right direction).

Mind you, if they could help Naomi sort out some of her technical blips, they'd do a mammoth service to the woman - not easy though . . .

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Tuesday 10th of June 2014 03:36:03 PM

PaulM · Tennis legend

Yes but remember it is the opposite with Naomi. She's always been completely outside the LTA fold and is currently coaching herself, and perhaps considers that in order to make that last little push there are things they can help with (that doesn't mean re-basing to the NTC, it just means utilising the support and advice available rather than keeping out the way). Judy sounded very keen to get her more into the Fed Cup set-up.

Remember, Ward and Dunne are still well within the LTA set-up, the LTA is now, and has been for the past few years, quite flexible in terms of supporting players who are doing things there own way if it works for them (the lovely and much missed Bally being a prime example of that in relocating to Ipswich with Nino and then popping in and out of the NTC to use facilities and work with other coaches and support teams as requried).

The majority of our top players don't use LTA assigned coaches (can't think of any on the senior women's side other than Tara using Jane?). Most of them have their own teams who then work out of the NTC from time to time (either whenever they are in the UK, or if they are normally UK based for specific things).

Naomi's technical blips will probably never be resolved, her backhand really needed to have been sorted out years ago, and she can of course improve but probably needs to just get the best out what she has got. Judy hinted at this when she basically suggested Naomi focus all her attention on getting the serve even bigger (and adding in the consistency).

-- Edited by PaulM on Tuesday 10th of June 2014 03:44:11 PM

paulisi · Tennis legend

I think it's slightly unfair to criticise Hev. Wozniak was all over the place for a set and a half and Hev wasn' t making too many errors.
Then Wozniak got that big serve in, kept hitting the lines and her shots were much more powerful. Hev's level dipped a little and she could have won, but lost some horrible points at key moments to dodgy net cords.

Naomi played very well. She just needs the consistency and she could make top 100. Her backhand is her biggest weapon.

I'm hoping she takes some time off after Wimbledon as she has played almost as many tournaments as EWS.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Scouseandy wrote:
I blame you Paulisi

-- Edited by Scouseandy on Tuesday 10th of June 2014 01:40:20 PM

OK - I wasn't there. Watching on TV due to the dodgy forecast that never materialised.

I will be there tomorrow and Thursday

philwrig · Hall of fame

Well that was very strange, not sure there is an explanation, other than credit to Wozniak who upped her level which then put Hev in that awkward situation where she became tentative/nervous/not going for her shots. Hev's coach was quite chilled throughout the whole match until midway through the 2nd set when Hev was in complete control, he started getting really pumped and asking Hev for more, from that moment Hev's level started to drop, he never became animated again, very strange.

Jo's match felt much closer than the score line suggested, but it was a good win. Nara didn't play that well, horrible matchup for her. Wozniak will be a huge test. Didn't see Naomi's match as it clashed, so was Jeremy B actually court side ?

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

I notice Jeremy came on court to talk to Naomi with the score at 1-2* in the 3rd set. Naomi then failed to return 7 of the next 9 serves she faced that landed in the court. Mostly it was blocked backhand returns straight in the net. To my mind, Naomi looks a better player than she did when I saw her on grass against Anne and LDL at Wimbledon, though nerves seemed to play a big part in those matches. There were spells in this match in which Naomi looked a talented player (rather than simply someone with a big serve); for instance breaking BZS to love with 3 super winners in the 2nd set.

Serve was ok but hardly brilliant. Spells in which she wasn't aiming for the lines so BZS returned quite comfortably. Overall BZS won at least 10 more points than Naomi through unreturned serves including aces. Naomi's return was shocking at times, though not too bad in the 2nd set.

Forehand surprisingly good. She struck several super shots and finished most opportunities that came her way, typically immediately following a decent serve. Critically she missed a key forehand on bp late in the 3rd set. Backhand wasn't good. Some winners but far too many unforced errors; often missing by a huge margin. Volleys, drive-volleys and smashes were a mix of good and terrible.

Movement generally seemed better than usual for her.

-- Edited by kundalini on Tuesday 10th of June 2014 05:41:09 PM

philwrig · Hall of fame

I said to Naomi last week that I felt her movement had improved, she put her better defence down to improved anticipation.