I was really amped for this match tonight because Halep starting winning titles right after Sloane got the AO semis and I was a fan of hers then and then to see her go down hill over the last year and a half as Halep came up and they're only a year apart I have just not been a fan of Halep. But she really is so good. So I appreciate her a lot more now. And she's just in that mode right now that Clijsters and Henin and Wozniacki used to get into. Just winning titles. She just straight wins. She competes and defends so well and people don't know what to do with her so she just keeps on winning.
Meanwhile, Sloane has never even made a final because mentally she's just not there. I mean, if she was like 20% better mentally she'd have a title or two or three by now because he game is so good. But mentally she's just not there. And it so frustrating. So tonight I was hoping, with Sloane playing better that she would really push Halep. And she did in that second set but it was clear in the first set that Halep was just too confident for Sloane to beat her. Because as confident as Halep is, she's going to go for her shots when the opportunity presents itself, and it will present itself because she sets up her points so well and her footwork is phenomenal. And then you saw it there in the second set where she started missing some shots that are definitely difficult low percentage shots because she was willing to go for them. But in the first set Sloane just hadn't shown up yet. And that's her problem. Her intensity just takes some time to get going and I think that's just part of her makeup. Ya know? Like I just think she's this nice non-aggressive person. Not totally passive but not very aggressive and it means that she takes time to get going in matches and when she does get going she may still not play the most aggressive tennis because she just doesn't have it in her. I mean, I totally believe that if she believed in herself and had just some aggression, she'd be bossing points left and right all the time because she powerful shots are that good. But she also lets herself be passive because she knows she's quick enough to track down balls so in the end her amazing athleticism actually holds her back sort of. Which is just ridiculous. Mind boggling. Extremely frustrating.
Tonight, Sloane didn't have enough winning under her belt and Halep is having an amazing year and knows that she's better than pretty much anyone she steps onto court with or that she can bother them in some way and so she's extremely confident. She's a competitor and she knows tough matches so when Sloane made a match of it and got to 4-3 in the second set, I called the easy Halep hold that ensued because by now you know she's not going to go away and in fact she's going to bear down and dig in and go for more. And why wouldn't she. She's up a set still.
I am indeed thrilled to see Sloane bring it there for a bit. But I wasn't surprised to see Halep get that break back because you could see that Sloane was feeling the pressure. Again, mentally she just doesn't have it yet. Hopefully she'll get it. Hopefully she get at least some more of it. But at this point I feel like I've already seen enough to know that she'll never be the most mentally tough player on tour and she consequently will probably never be the best, most dominant player around. I do think she can win slams. And I still think she's capable of reaching world #1 at some point. But I don't think she'll be the best player of this generation.
I don't want to not like it, but at this point I don't like it, but we may already be looking at the best of this generation in Halep. And like I said, I appreciate her a lot more. But I just don't love her. She doesn't inspire that in me. She inspires respect because she's always smiling and competing. But not true fandom.
Anyways, here's to Sloane continuing to push herself to grow and win more and therefore a much better season.
And here's to Serena showing that she's still the boss against Halep tomorrow. With Halep playing this well, I think we'll see a great match and she may get a set. And I mean, that's if Serena is playing well. If Serena takes her sweet time getting into the match as we know she can do as well, Halep may just beat her too. I doubt it, but I think she's capable of it.