Madrid 3rd RD Wednesday: Serena v Azarenka, Wozniacki v Radwanska

Big tennis day tomorrow, and I can’t just sit around and see it.

May 5th, 2015 at 4:38 pm

I’m certainly not a Radwanska fan, but the Navratilova/Radwanska partnership made zero sense to me.

Martina was a strong, super-athletic, physically domineering, aggressive, attacking, serve-and-volleyer with a very effective swinging serve, and Radwanska is a slight, light, under-powered pure baseliner with no propensity for net rushing, a weak serve, and no physical presence.

It would be to me like Michael Chang trying to coach John McEnroe, or McEnroe trying to coach Wilander.

Opposites may attract, but they rarely make for effective coach/player teams.

May 5th, 2015 at 6:54 pm

@Sean +1. for talking women tennis.

@Rich -1. Your analysis makes some sense but your description of Agnieska’s tennis is wrong and insulting.

Sure, she doesn’t have the power of Serena, but she can glue to the baseline like no other women on the tour and then hits some incredible backhands.

She is probably the player with the most hot shots videos, from multiple tweeners (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAVzsCkZpUc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heaOAGgCC1k) to incredible blind volley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAVzsCkZpUc) via behind-the-body shot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQOHxFJFiX4). No surprise she owns the tennis #ninja hashtag.

May 6th, 2015 at 12:52 am

I can list a few more player’s that are more than capable of beating Serena. Since the author of this article seems to be convinced that Halep was the only chance that could prevent Serena from winning the title. There’s Kvitova, Azarenka,Ivanovic, and Stosur, but that doesn’t mean that they would, but only that they could & would if they’re playing great tennis like they’ve played before.

May 6th, 2015 at 8:49 am

azarenka is getting close; nice to see!

May 6th, 2015 at 11:01 am

^ oops, just read up on the match; apparently vika choked not once but twice: was up 5-1 in first tiebreak and was serving for the match in set 3 with 3 match points. awww, too bad. but she’ll walk away know she can do it if she holds it together.

May 6th, 2015 at 11:11 am

It is great to have Azarenka back in the mix at the top of the women’s game. There especially need to be players capable of beating top players like Serena, and she proved again today she can do that. Still not quite there, but clay has always been her least favourite surface, and to play like that this tournament proves she’s back.

May 6th, 2015 at 11:43 am

What I think are the two greatest puzzles in tennis are
1. Why Andy Murray sucks on clay so far. (Though his Hamburg win is his 1st so he may finally start playing up to his calibre as a player)
2. Why Vika Azarenka, a strong 6 footer with elite athlete speed and hand-eye coordination, still sucks at serving.

As we see, with Azarenka’s really needed return to tennis, a player Serena’s equal in other measures and one capable of beating her – still sucks on serve. Too bad. I was hoping she and her team would have worked while she had the foot injury to work on her serve mechanics sans the push-off element and waited for the foot healing to work on her whole motion.

Serena has hurt the WTA. No fault of her own, but it really isn’t a competitive sport with her tedious dominance. Her fans can glory in worshipping The Queen, but a healthy pro sport needs competitive rivals. It won’t be the erratic Klitova unless lightning strikes and she can keep it together at a big event through 7 matches. (Same with Sabine). It won’t be the defensive ‘energizer bunny” Wozniacki. It won’t be the aging Stosur who had a one-time big upset of Serena long ago, same with Doormatapova. Nor the gifted but mentally fragile beauty Ana unless she sorts herself out which she hasn’t managed to do since her one great year back in 2008. Radwanska can thrill with her shots, but then it’s bye bye Aga when she faces a power player. HAlep? She is still improving and does better against power players than Radwanska, but has her own power deficit.

May 6th, 2015 at 12:20 pm

Gregoire:

Please explain to me why people on the Internet have to get personal and nasty??? Do Internet people become juveniles when logging on, or do juveniles only log on to the Internet???

I described Radwanska as “…slight, light, under-powered pure baseliner with no propensity for net rushing, a weak serve, and no physical presence.”

What part of the above is inaccurate, and which part is “insulting”???

And regarding your analysis, how do Radwanska’s “hot shots” make her decision to hire Navratilova a good one???

May 6th, 2015 at 1:27 pm

It’s either Lisiki or Errani, can never remember which lol, who has the weirdest service action I’ve ever seen. Whenever I see it, I wonder why on earth some coach hasn’t sorted it out already.
I really like Vika, shame she choked. She needs a reliable 2nd serve.
I also like Caroline Garcia. She gave Maria a very tough match. Only 21. Can see her in the top 10.

May 6th, 2015 at 1:29 pm

@Margot – It has to be Errani. Lisiki has one of the best serve motions and the serve in the WTA now.

Pity for Vika. That is the aura Serena has. It is not easy to even think that you can beat Serena.

May 6th, 2015 at 1:35 pm

Cheers ckr :) The serve is so strange, both her legs seem to go in opposite directions!
Vika got 5-1 in the first set tie. Then lost it. Think she might have doubled there.
I see Nick is causing Fed more probs than I thought.

May 6th, 2015 at 2:04 pm

Talking about weird serves – Marion Bartoli used to alarm me – I thought she might forget she was supposed to hit the ball…….
apart from that, I was really delighted when she won Wimbledon –

May 7th, 2015 at 9:14 am