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Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:05 pm Post subject: Early US Open Thoughts....
Who do you think is looking best for the US Open right now?
For the men, It is hard to tell right now because the Masters Series have just started, but I think Murray, Haas, Tursunov and Blake are doing well (aswell as Federer and Nadal of course). Murray and Brad Gilbert must be working well together as Murray has had very impressive results. He has won 14 of his last 16 sets in the last 2 weeks. Tursunov has shown some consistency for the first time in his career (just like Blake and Ginepri did last year). Haas has played his best this year on hardcourts and that LA title picked up his season just in time.
For the women, very few have played so far. Clijsters is once again a favourite after winning Stanford and a final in San Diego. Vaidisova reached the SF of those 2 events aswell. Sharapova and Serena are becoming more confident again aswell. Davenport, JHH, Mauresmo, Venus, Petrova have had little or no preparation so far.
Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:47 pm Post subject: Re: Early US Open Thoughts....
dav6789 wrote:
Who do you think is looking best for the US Open right now?
For the men, It is hard to tell right now because the Masters Series have just started, but I think Murray, Haas, Tursunov and Blake are doing well (aswell as Federer and Nadal of course). Murray and Brad Gilbert must be working well together as Murray has had very impressive results. He has won 14 of his last 16 sets in the last 2 weeks. Tursunov has shown some consistency for the first time in his career (just like Blake and Ginepri did last year). Haas has played his best this year on hardcourts and that LA title picked up his season just in time.
For the women, very few have played so far. Clijsters is once again a favourite after winning Stanford and a final in San Diego. Vaidisova reached the SF of those 2 events aswell. Sharapova and Serena are becoming more confident again aswell. Davenport, JHH, Mauresmo, Venus, Petrova have had little or no preparation so far.
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It will be hard to predict but I will try,
For the men Federer is looking good. Tursonov will be a threat if he can keep his head, he has an over powering game when on that will be suited to the fast hardcourts in NY. Haas could be a threat if he can survive the first rounds. Gasquet is looking good as is Murray, but I have doubts if either could beat the likes of Federer or Nadal to make the final. Malisse has been wonderful as well. Expect early upsets for Hewitt, Roddick, Ginepri, and sadly Agassi.
For the women while Sharapova looks good she has taken over from Mauresmo as the WTA Grand Slam choker. Vaidisova will never win a Slam until she controls her temper, Clijsters is not a favorite. While she has results her has looked moody and has not been playing anywhere near Grand Slam winning tennis, more like RD16 or QF. Serena could be a threat, I doubt Venus will even show up. Henin is no where to be seen and will lose before the SF's. I am holding judgement upon Lindsay until New Haven. For Petrova, all the warmups in the world wouldn't help her to a Slam, seriously, whoever told her to pick up a racquet should be put into an insane asylum. _________________
A lot will happen over the next 9 days but so far these are the players I could see doing well at the Open (obviously the draw determines a lot of things, seems like it's a much bigger factor these days, who you play and who you avoid)).
Women: Really only Sharapova and Clijsters have looked good. Serena is coming on, so you could throw her possibly in the mix. I don't see the women's Open being that good or competitive (same old story) until maybe the last 2 rds. 'cause most of the top players have basically quit this summer and have given some really shady excuses (Venus, JHH, etc)
Men: I think the USO is really going to be a great, wide open major but the draw could be brutal for a lot of top players/hard to predict 'cause the surface suits all types of players. Outside of Fed, I could see as many as 6-8 different guys playing him potentially in the final. Even Fed isn't a lock if he's not on his game, although as of now I expect him to win his 3rd consecutive title. Don't see Nadal as a lock anymore. He'll have to play great and avoid some big hitters if he wants to make it to the final. Guys like Tursunov, Haas, Murray, Berdych, Gasquet are playing very well. Also, you'd have to include Blake, Ljubicic, maybe Malisse, maybe Nieminen, Acasuso could be tough, but who knows about guys like Agassi, Roddick, even talented young guys like Monfils and Djokovic, who have some health issues or aren't playing this week.
Cincinnati might be a better judgement of what will go down at the Open, but this wk. has shown that the young guys (Murray, Gasquet, Berdych) are going to be tough outs at the Open and a lot of the guys who've done well in NY of late like Hewitt, Nalbandian, Roddick, and Agassi have major ? marks due to injuries and frankly not that great '06 seasons. I see the youth movement coming to the fore at this last major and it'll be very exciting to see who starts challenging Nadal as the best 21 and under player.
It's a big shame that most of the top women have been out injured, because they are the only exciting players of the game. Most under the top 20 are just boring to watch (excluding Venus, Serena former top players). I hope Vaidisova will have a good run because she is the only young player that has variety, and when she grows up a bit more she will be the improved Sharapova.
The men have alot of depth and variety, but Federer/Nadal are too dominant for the real depth to show.
It's a big shame that most of the top women have been out injured, because they are the only exciting players of the game. Most under the top 20 are just boring to watch (excluding Venus, Serena former top players). I hope Vaidisova will have a good run because she is the only young player that has variety, and when she grows up a bit more she will be the improved Sharapova.
The men have alot of depth and variety, but Federer/Nadal are too dominant for the real depth to show.
I strongly disagree that Vaidisova has variety, her volleys are painful, I can count on one hand how many times she slices in a match, I can't remember her hitting a dropshot, she hits the ball as hard as she can. She is boring to watch, the only thing she has on Sharapova is speed, and truth be told she isn't even that fast. Her results come from hitting her opponent off the court. _________________
It's a big shame that most of the top women have been out injured, because they are the only exciting players of the game. Most under the top 20 are just boring to watch (excluding Venus, Serena former top players). I hope Vaidisova will have a good run because she is the only young player that has variety, and when she grows up a bit more she will be the improved Sharapova.
The men have alot of depth and variety, but Federer/Nadal are too dominant for the real depth to show.
I strongly disagree that Vaidisova has variety, her volleys are painful, I can count on one hand how many times she slices in a match, I can't remember her hitting a dropshot, she hits the ball as hard as she can. She is boring to watch, the only thing she has on Sharapova is speed, and truth be told she isn't even that fast. Her results come from hitting her opponent off the court.
The last time I saw her play was the French Open this year, and she showed alot of variety and maturity in her game way beyond her years. Against Kuznetsova in particular, she mixed up the pace very well. She hit some great high loopy forehands and some well-angled backhands to move Kuznetsova around. She constructed some great points and finished them off with some good volleys. She hit some perfect drop shots aswell. Her serve was great aswell, she mixed up a good kicker out wide with some body serves. That was more variety I than I have ever seen Sharapova use.
It's a big shame that most of the top women have been out injured, because they are the only exciting players of the game. Most under the top 20 are just boring to watch (excluding Venus, Serena former top players). I hope Vaidisova will have a good run because she is the only young player that has variety, and when she grows up a bit more she will be the improved Sharapova.
The men have alot of depth and variety, but Federer/Nadal are too dominant for the real depth to show.
I strongly disagree that Vaidisova has variety, her volleys are painful, I can count on one hand how many times she slices in a match, I can't remember her hitting a dropshot, she hits the ball as hard as she can. She is boring to watch, the only thing she has on Sharapova is speed, and truth be told she isn't even that fast. Her results come from hitting her opponent off the court.
The last time I saw her play was the French Open this year, and she showed alot of variety and maturity in her game way beyond her years. Against Kuznetsova in particular, she mixed up the pace very well. She hit some great high loopy forehands and some well-angled backhands to move Kuznetsova around. She constructed some great points and finished them off with some good volleys. She hit some perfect drop shots aswell. Her serve was great aswell, she mixed up a good kicker out wide with some body serves. That was more variety I than I have ever seen Sharapova use.
her game is power, variety is far and few between. her game revolves around power, that is why it is hard to become interested in player now. her volleys are not even close to the likes of Hingis, Mauresmo, Davenport, Henin, or Clijsters. Her power sets her up for easy volleys, she is not good up there. The few instances she uses variety is in large part due to setting them up by power. The days of variety in the womens game will die with the retirement of Davenport, Mauresmo, Henin, Clijsters, Hingis, and the Williams. There will be scattered instances of that type of game but the majority of faces coming up in the womens game hit the ball hard and that's about it. _________________
It's a big shame that most of the top women have been out injured, because they are the only exciting players of the game. Most under the top 20 are just boring to watch (excluding Venus, Serena former top players). I hope Vaidisova will have a good run because she is the only young player that has variety, and when she grows up a bit more she will be the improved Sharapova.
The men have alot of depth and variety, but Federer/Nadal are too dominant for the real depth to show.
I strongly disagree that Vaidisova has variety, her volleys are painful, I can count on one hand how many times she slices in a match, I can't remember her hitting a dropshot, she hits the ball as hard as she can. She is boring to watch, the only thing she has on Sharapova is speed, and truth be told she isn't even that fast. Her results come from hitting her opponent off the court.
The last time I saw her play was the French Open this year, and she showed alot of variety and maturity in her game way beyond her years. Against Kuznetsova in particular, she mixed up the pace very well. She hit some great high loopy forehands and some well-angled backhands to move Kuznetsova around. She constructed some great points and finished them off with some good volleys. She hit some perfect drop shots aswell. Her serve was great aswell, she mixed up a good kicker out wide with some body serves. That was more variety I than I have ever seen Sharapova use.
her game is power, variety is far and few between. her game revolves around power, that is why it is hard to become interested in player now. her volleys are not even close to the likes of Hingis, Mauresmo, Davenport, Henin, or Clijsters. Her power sets her up for easy volleys, she is not good up there. The few instances she uses variety is in large part due to setting them up by power. The days of variety in the womens game will die with the retirement of Davenport, Mauresmo, Henin, Clijsters, Hingis, and the Williams. There will be scattered instances of that type of game but the majority of faces coming up in the womens game hit the ball hard and that's about it.
Yes, Vaidisova's game is based around power, but she has variety in there aswell....alot more than Sharapova. She has the ability to construct points instead of just hitting hard all the time like Sharapova does. Vaidisova is only 17 and will most definetely improve aspects of her game. From what I've seen so far, I think Vaidisova has alot more potential than Sharapova.
It's a big shame that most of the top women have been out injured, because they are the only exciting players of the game. Most under the top 20 are just boring to watch (excluding Venus, Serena former top players). I hope Vaidisova will have a good run because she is the only young player that has variety, and when she grows up a bit more she will be the improved Sharapova.
The men have alot of depth and variety, but Federer/Nadal are too dominant for the real depth to show.
I strongly disagree that Vaidisova has variety, her volleys are painful, I can count on one hand how many times she slices in a match, I can't remember her hitting a dropshot, she hits the ball as hard as she can. She is boring to watch, the only thing she has on Sharapova is speed, and truth be told she isn't even that fast. Her results come from hitting her opponent off the court.
The last time I saw her play was the French Open this year, and she showed alot of variety and maturity in her game way beyond her years. Against Kuznetsova in particular, she mixed up the pace very well. She hit some great high loopy forehands and some well-angled backhands to move Kuznetsova around. She constructed some great points and finished them off with some good volleys. She hit some perfect drop shots aswell. Her serve was great aswell, she mixed up a good kicker out wide with some body serves. That was more variety I than I have ever seen Sharapova use.
her game is power, variety is far and few between. her game revolves around power, that is why it is hard to become interested in player now. her volleys are not even close to the likes of Hingis, Mauresmo, Davenport, Henin, or Clijsters. Her power sets her up for easy volleys, she is not good up there. The few instances she uses variety is in large part due to setting them up by power. The days of variety in the womens game will die with the retirement of Davenport, Mauresmo, Henin, Clijsters, Hingis, and the Williams. There will be scattered instances of that type of game but the majority of faces coming up in the womens game hit the ball hard and that's about it.
Yes, Vaidisova's game is based around power, but she has variety in there aswell....alot more than Sharapova. She has the ability to construct points instead of just hitting hard all the time like Sharapova does. Vaidisova is only 17 and will most definetely improve aspects of her game. From what I've seen so far, I think Vaidisova has alot more potential than Sharapova.
Vaidisova does have more potential but is still far from having any kind of appealing game. her game gets that job done, that's it. her game is not graceful, is not nice on the eyes, nor is it particulary hard to do compared to players with more variety. the sad thing it you could use the three things I just said to describe most of the upcoming players. _________________
I much prefer watching Vaidisova than Sharapova. Her strokes are beautiful and she mixes them nicely with excess topspin and flat. Her movement is better than Sharapova AND she is better looking than Sharapova . She just looks like a natural player instead of mechanical, like most other upcoming players.
I much prefer watching Vaidisova than Sharapova. Her strokes are beautiful and she mixes them nicely with excess topspin and flat. Her movement is better than Sharapova AND she is better looking than Sharapova . She just looks like a natural player instead of mechanical, like most other upcoming players.
I do think that Vaidisova moves better, mixes up better, plays at net better, slices better, etc. But I don't really think that she looks THAT natural. I think that Sharapova has more effective strokes than Vaidisova especially on the BH side. But until Vaidisova gets the mental together, I don't think that she will win a GS. But "variety" wise, she is more talented than Sharapova in that department. (note the quotation marks ) _________________ www.freewebs.com/tenniswallpapers by myself and x.doublea
GS winners of 06! Mauresmo(AO, Wimbledon), Henin-Hardenne(FO), Sharapova(USO), Federer(AO, Wimbledon, USO), and Nadal(FO)
I much prefer watching Vaidisova than Sharapova. Her strokes are beautiful and she mixes them nicely with excess topspin and flat. Her movement is better than Sharapova AND she is better looking than Sharapova . She just looks like a natural player instead of mechanical, like most other upcoming players.
I do think that Vaidisova moves better, mixes up better, plays at net better, slices better, etc. But I don't really think that she looks THAT natural. I think that Sharapova has more effective strokes than Vaidisova especially on the BH side. But until Vaidisova gets the mental together, I don't think that she will win a GS. But "variety" wise, she is more talented than Sharapova in that department. (note the quotation marks )
I think Sharapova was lucky to win a slam when she did, otherwise she would be in the same position as Vaidisova. It was at the weakest time in women's tennis. The Williams sisters were off form, the Belgians were not playing, Capriati was constantly injured and Davenport was at her lowest ever confidence she was talking of retiring. Since then, Sharapova has not gone beyond the SF of a slam.
Vaidisova has a much better FH than Sharapova, and their backhands are about equal. Vaidisova doesn't hit that hard from that wing, but is more accurate. In a few years, Vaidisova should be at the very top.
But I feel that the mental thing is a very large issue for Nicole. Yes, Maria may be less talented than Nicole, but even with worse "variety" and movement, Maria's intensity at grand slams practically wins her 3 rounds by itself. That doesn't happen with Nicole. _________________ www.freewebs.com/tenniswallpapers by myself and x.doublea
GS winners of 06! Mauresmo(AO, Wimbledon), Henin-Hardenne(FO), Sharapova(USO), Federer(AO, Wimbledon, USO), and Nadal(FO)
But I feel that the mental thing is a very large issue for Nicole. Yes, Maria may be less talented than Nicole, but even with worse "variety" and movement, Maria's intensity at grand slams practically wins her 3 rounds by itself. That doesn't happen with Nicole.
It is just starting to happen for Nicole, she is getting her temper under control. She showed alot of mental strength against Mauresmo and Venus to win her biggest matches at the French Open. She won 3 straight events at the end of 2005 which is rare for a young player. Her mental strength is improving.
I look for Gasquet to make a run at the USopen. I don't think Aggasi will make it far, hate to say it. Roddick it depends on the draw for him. We all know he isn't one to pull out to many good victories with the going gets tough. But with a new coach who knows what can happen for him. I also think Blake can make a run here. But do you think his lost to Gasquet rattled him at all???
But aside from the competion Federer should win it for the 3 or was it 2 (?) straight time
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. She just looks like a natural player instead of mechanical, like most other upcoming players.
I do think that Vaidisova moves better, mixes up better, plays at net better, slices better, etc. But I don't really think that she looks THAT natural. I think that Sharapova has more effective strokes than Vaidisova especially on the BH side. But until Vaidisova gets the mental together, I don't think that she will win a GS. But "variety" wise, she is more talented than Sharapova in that department. (note the quotation marks 
)
