Expectations

[RJD11]

"Sara Errani ousted in upset at U.S. Open, Serena Williams rolls on" from the Associated Press:

" NEW YORK (AP) -- Only a few spots separate them in the seedings. Still, the considerable gulf between No. 1 Serena Williams and No. 4 Sara Errani was hard to ignore in their back-to-back matches Thursday at the U.S. Open."

For the rest of the article, click here:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20130829/us-open-day-4.ap/#ixzz2daS7p4qZ

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I think this has been a problem with several players. I really think

this is what happened to Dinara Safina. She was so happy to ,reach No 1

only to have it turn into a nightmare with all of the media questioning

Her about not winning a slam. JJ nearly ruined her career going to the

gym and hitting the weights trying to get a powerful serve. Woz hiring

and firing coaches. Do we put to much pressure on these players with

high expectations after they achieve a breakthru?

 

[RJD11]

Errani, ranked No. 5 in the world, was bumped up to the No. 4 seed after Maria Sharapova withdrew. A top-50 player for much of her career and long considered more of a doubles specialist (she holds the No. 1 spot in the doubles rankings with partner Roberta Vinci) Errani broke into the top 10 in 2012 after making a surprising run to the French Open final. The pressure of being a top player who, at least on paper, is expected to win, combined with the prospect of intense scrutiny that would come with a loss, was paralyzing for the diminutive Italian.

“I have never been here like this,” Errani said of her seeding. “I have never been in this situation, so it’s a new situation for me. We have to find the solution, because I think these things happen to everybody when you feel on top and you are there and people [are] playing against you with no pressure and you have a lot of pressure. I’m not that kind of player that can go there and make aces and winners, and if the ball is going in I’m doing good.”

The loss will drop her out of the top five.

“For me, [the key] is to go there and fight,” she said. “If I feel that I’m not fighting good [because I feel] too much pressure … I don’t want to go on the court. I don’t want to go to play. I don’t want to stay there on the court. I feel very bad. So that is the problem for me. I have to find the way to find the motivation to go there. If I go there and I know that if I lose [it] is very bad and if I win [it] is normal, [that] is not a good thing. I have to find a way to like to stay there and fight. That is important. I hope to find it.”

Serena Williams sympathized with Errani’s stress.

“Sometimes you have a tough day at the office, and it doesn’t mean that you didn’t handle the pressure well,” Williams said after defeating Galina Voskoboeva in the second round. “I think she’s a good player.”


http://tennis.si.com/2013/08/29/sara-errani-tears-us-open-second-round-flameout-flavia-pennetta/?sct=tn_wr_a3

 

[RJD11]

Would the situation involving young players who pull off

a big win vs a top player be the same sort of problem

ex. Melanie Oudin, the cautionary tale, who reached the quarterfinals here in 2009 and has seldom been heard from again.

and V. Duval


To hype or not to hype is a vexing question. On its face, it seems distasteful. These are teenagers, seduced by bright lights -- Duval appeared on Good Morning America on Wednesday -- and attention. Unlike team sports, there is no infrastructure to handle requests and shield the player from the cameras, microphones and glad-handers. The interest of agents, usually a membrane of protection, militates against a measured approach. (You represent Duval? It would be a dereliction of duty not to try to cash in on this surge.) Pity the kid. And, some would say, LEAVE HER ALONE!

But these calls of "Give her space" and "Give her time" also seem a bit disingenuous. Part of the pleasure of being a sports fan entails finding the Next Big Thing. Whether it's watching the NFL draft or trying to steal a fantasy-league bargain, spotting future stars is part of the drill. There's an expression in tennis, "If you play, you're fit. If you're fit, you play." It applies to injuries, but could apply to hype as well. If you're out there, you've inherently agreed to a certain level of scrutiny. If you're not ready for the acclaim that comes with winning, don't turn pro.

Don't tag Duval the Next Big Thing? Fine. But declining to express admiration for her performance against Stosur and (measured) excitement over her prospects? That's naive.

The good news here: If Duval's play on the court is an indication, her factory setting is "poised." Part of what made her first-round win so sweet is that it was Duval who had the superior will and served out the match at 5-4 in the third set against a veteran opponent. You'd like to think that an athlete capable of handling that pressure can deal with what comes next. Whatever that might be.




Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20130828/us-open-victoria-duval-mailbag/#ixzz2daadJKOl