Brisbane International 2014

[Sundaymorningguy]

It is hard to tell with Serena because while I like her outfit it does hide her body a touch to know if she looks heavier or not. I think overall she looks similar to how she ended the year last year. I don't know how much of her end of year was spent on fitness and training and how much was spent on business and pleasure. I will say fitness can always be improved by all players.

 

[kskate2]

^ I think you are right Sunday that she looks about the same as the end of the season. That being said, she had picked up a few pounds between the USO and the Asian/YEC swing. She could stand to drop about 5-8 pounds and it she'll look as trim as RG.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

I would say of the top 4 Maria and Li look the fittest. I think Serena and Vika are about even with the slight edge to Serena both probably a touch heavier than they should be.

 

[Front242]

No idea when this was taken but looking pretty good here. Both of them.

 

[Calvy]

Obviously Serena is fit as a fiddle, even the commentators have mentioned she's fitter than ever b4. Also, her fitness level has to be tight or there is no way could have competed as well consistently last season.

If her fittest was about even with Vika, then she wouldn't have lasted.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

Can I say for the record, I am kind of mad that Li is not playing this tournament. I hate it when the top players scatter into other tournaments because it makes it hard to gauge where players are at with their games. Though I suppose it adds to the excitement of the Australian Open as it will be a surprise.

 

[rugged]

No idea when this was taken but looking pretty good here. Both of them.

They look incredible! great picture

 

[rugged]

Can I say for the record, I am kind of mad that Li is not playing this tournament. I hate it when the top players scatter into other tournaments because it makes it hard to gauge where players are at with their games. Though I suppose it adds to the excitement of the Australian Open as it will be a surprise.

I agree;however, I am sure she looked at who had entered and probably figured she might not win it. I suspect she didn't want to go into the AO having to someone a couple of weeks before and have them in her head.

 

[special700]

I don't know why people say here comes the kitchen sink when it comes to Serena. Serena is the kitchen sink not the other way around. I expect a fight. Serena is defending champion, and Vika wants to take her down and land a blow. I expect the claws to come out, and I expect Serena to serve much better than she did today. I expect a three setter. I mean Serena is the only one not to drop a set in this tournament.

Exactly!!

They've applied their metaphor to the wrong individual.

I would also like to add that Serena has had to be on it from the start of this tournament. I mean her list of opponents : Petkovic, Cibulkova, Sharapova and now Azarenka. Her draw was not one slouch. All of her opponents are dangerous in their own way when things are firing. I expected Serena to have an off match. She is usually good for one every tournament she plays. I just didn't expect her serve to go off nearly as bad as it did in the second set.

Her draws never have slouches she always get the very tough opponents other 1 players e.g pova, get the easy draws. Maria's first opponent was a clay courter as oppose to Serena's first opponent and that is the norm when it comes to Serena.

 

[Moxie]

Can I say for the record, I am kind of mad that Li is not playing this tournament. I hate it when the top players scatter into other tournaments because it makes it hard to gauge where players are at with their games. Though I suppose it adds to the excitement of the Australian Open as it will be a surprise.

I agree;however, I am sure she looked at who had entered and probably figured she might not win it. I suspect she didn't want to go into the AO having to someone a couple of weeks before and have them in her head.

Personally, I have no problem with them splitting up the tune-ups. They don't all want to face each other before a Major, when they can get some confidence-building elsewhere. Plus, I think Li probably felt obligated to play the China tourney. Better to see more players coming into Oz with a bit of swagger, imo.

 

[Sundaymorningguy]

Can I say for the record, I am kind of mad that Li is not playing this tournament. I hate it when the top players scatter into other tournaments because it makes it hard to gauge where players are at with their games. Though I suppose it adds to the excitement of the Australian Open as it will be a surprise.

I agree;however, I am sure she looked at who had entered and probably figured she might not win it. I suspect she didn't want to go into the AO having to someone a couple of weeks before and have them in her head.

I don't know if that is true per se. I mean she is playing at home, so I imagine that tournament comes with a lot of perks. If she does think that way, then she definitely doesn't belong at the top of the game if you don't feel like competing against the top players.

 

[special700]

^ I think you are right Sunday that she looks about the same as the end of the season. That being said, she had picked up a few pounds between the USO and the Asian/YEC swing. She could stand to drop about 5-8 pounds and it she'll look as trim as RG.

I would love for you to tell me where she's suppose to lose these 5-8 pounds from. Serena does not have one ounce of fat on her body. You people never cease to amaze me. Let's see the season ended I think the middle of Nov. and started again the end of Dec. and you are telling me that serena gained so much weight within that short period of time and you can see it. In that case then the "fit" pova girl should have kicked her butt off the court. FYI - being thin does not translate to being fit.

 

[Moxie]

^ I think you are right Sunday that she looks about the same as the end of the season. That being said, she had picked up a few pounds between the USO and the Asian/YEC swing. She could stand to drop about 5-8 pounds and it she'll look as trim as RG.

I would love for you to tell me where she's suppose to lose these 5-8 pounds from. Serena does not have one ounce of fat on her body. You people never cease to amaze me. Let's see the season ended I think the middle of Nov. and started again the end of Dec. and you are telling me that serena gained so much weight within that short period of time and you can see it. In that case then the "fit" pova girl should have kicked her butt off the court. FYI - being thin does not translate to being fit.

You make a great point, special700…being thin doesn't translate to being fit. I often try to stay out of this conversation around here, because it's so loaded. Women and body-types. But you're right: a woman of Serena's stature can carry 5-8 lbs. up or down, and who's to know? And we're watching her on TV, (or worse, the internet.) The outfits they wear and the way a lens may stretch them gives us no real sense of where they are, in terms of weight, tournament-to-tournament. Some women do carry belly-fat, I'll say that, and I wonder about it. But that's not Serena.

There is no reason to believe that the slender girls are more fit. By some estimation, they have less power. Muscle-mass in the shoulders and big gluteus muscles are a bonus for tennis players. Serena is not great in spite of her body-type, but in many ways because of it. It's tiresome that people talk about her weight so much. Her powerful body has won her a lot of titles.

 

[Calvy]

Can I say for the record, I am kind of mad that Li is not playing this tournament. I hate it when the top players scatter into other tournaments because it makes it hard to gauge where players are at with their games. Though I suppose it adds to the excitement of the Australian Open as it will be a surprise.

I agree;however, I am sure she looked at who had entered and probably figured she might not win it. I suspect she didn't want to go into the AO having to someone a couple of weeks before and have them in her head.

Personally, I have no problem with them splitting up the tune-ups. They don't all want to face each other before a Major, when they can get some confidence-building elsewhere. Plus, I think Li probably felt obligated to play the China tourney. Better to see more players coming into Oz with a bit of swagger, imo.

The WTA wants Li to play the Chinase events as she is the biggest Chinese star, and having her entered guarantees a successful event. It's not because she's dodging the other top players as some suggested, it's because of obligations.

 

[Front242]

You might think Serena's power (especially for serving) comes from having bigger biceps than many of the women in the WTA but that's completely not the case. It's actually her extremely strong quads that provide the very stable core base for harnessing all her power I reckon. Glutes and shoulders too as Moxie stated above. Weight lifting studies have proven that if one person concentrates on heavy squatting to strengthen their quads and core while lifting light to moderate amounts for biceps, they'll actually build more muscle than someone with weak legs but who is lifting far heavier weights on their biceps.

The body creates far more natural growth hormone when you work your legs hard and Serena's legs are extremely strong. That imo is the main reason she has so much power at her disposal. Technique too of course. Sharapova's very slight, for example, but man she can belt the ball.

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

Muscle is heavy, lots of muscle is good for power but a drag to haul around, lots of muscle can slow one down.

Speed is as much of a key in tennis as is power, sometimes more effective.

Serena is heavy. But she is fast.

 

[Front242]

Well, the heaviest thing is definitely those 17 slams. She's gotta be doing something right.

 

[Front242]

In that case Sara Errani should be Speedy Gonzalez but look how she does against Serena!

 

[Correspondent Kiu]

OK 242, you win!

 

[Front242]

OK 242, you win!