Ostapenko, Really? Yeah Really

[Correspondent Kiu]

Yeah!

 

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Labi labi

 

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Wow what a win for Ostapenko though I did not see it yet as I was playing an Open in West Milford (won 6261 vs a 4.5 player) and I heard a voice during the match say Ostapenko won but I will watch the final later and share observations later.

 

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Proud to say that I called Ostapenko in April. This comment was made in the Halep Biofile which I posted in April. Ironic that Ostapenko beat Halep for her first GS... Submitted on 2017/04/09 at 9:37 am | In reply to catherine bell. Jelena Ostapenko of Ukraine is just what the WTA needs – a super talented ball crusher who shows a lot of joy and happiness on the court and laughs at her silly errors – I will call it right now Ostapenko will win GSs and be top five soon -Check her out today in the Charleston final vs Kasatkina -

 

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Kozlov vs D Brown in S-Hertogenbosch is another entertaining match.

 

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Hey Andrew; I would rather win a doubles GS than two Masters series in singles - Doubles glory in GS outlives and outshines Masters Series - Heck I'd rather win a mixed GS than a Masters Series. Huge Huge HUGE HUGE win for Harrison and Venus.

 

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Rafa Nadal won the 2017 2018 and 2019 Roland Garros titles today. I didn't see it yet but heard people talking about it at a tourney I playd in West Milford. Had to play two tough singles matches on hard court in 90 plus heat and beat a solid 4.5 then a D1 player in the final 75 62. A current D1 player so you can imagine the exhaustion, Rafa is the greatest player of all time. Ten times a winner of one GS is unbreakable record.

 

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Duke; Harrison family met Venus in Texas a decade ago and kept friendship. Harrisons let Venus stay at their house in Bradenton to train for years and years, Pat Harrison is super nice guy as is Christian and Ryan. It's a nice very special story.

 

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Du; Kozlov got WC last year and beat Johnson and got to QF I believe so I guess they like him and how he plays on grass - Kozlov can upset Brown on grass.

 

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Thanks Henk! It's always nice to win a title on the same day a legend does - also won an Open the day Federer beat Roddick in their classic epic Wimble final. All those people who suspected Rafa's body would break down by late or even MID 20s and said he wouldn't have a long career are currently eating their words and they have a lot to eat. I think even Agassi was a disbeliever in Rafa's longevity. This win blurs the GOAT debate again. Like Agassi has said the story is still in progress. It's unbelievable what these two are doing and frankly I can see these two titans continuing at this ultra high level for years and years to come. They both obviously still love tennis and have the desire and health. The best could be yet to come. I think we all know what the Wimbledon final is going to be. I pick Rafa to win Wimbledon. Federer has always been so impressive and amazing but I have always been a little more impressed by the way Rafa has done it. How he humbly took down the Great Federer and out fought and outsmarted the greatest player of all time on all surfaces. We have to say that at 31 Rafa is at his very best right now and the same can be said for Fed.

 

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Ostapenko says she prefers to play on grass than clay - WATCH OUT Wimbledon!

 

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Andrew; Rafa was always good on grass despite the inexperience on it and the vast difference from his favorite surface but I saw his early years matches on grass and you could see it was just a matter of time till he willed his way to mastery of grass. I recall a good win by young Rafa over seasoned vet Spadea.

 

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And remember Kozlov told me a few years ago Wimble grass plays almost like hard court and it's a lot different than Newport grass.

 

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Catherine: Kerber should relinquish the no 1 ranking and do herself and all the other players a favor. Take a lot of pressure off her back too. But then again nobody seems to want it either. No 1 is like a jinx to a lot of players who get it. Or it's like Rios - his fire and desire changed after he was no 1 for six weeks. Was never the same force.

 

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Ostapenko has already shown quality wins on grass - she actually could be the true favorite to win it. After what she did in Paris I would not bet against her. She has the kind of personality that suggests she could become severely addicted to winning. She really really loves the battle (few WTA players show a joy for playing high stress high stakes tennis) but Ostapenko especially THRIVES when the chips are down. Yes, she could be the on we've been waiting for. The one who wants to be the best and wants to STAY on HER Throne.

 

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I might be tempted to wager on Federer and Nadal to double bagel Father Time. Father Time has a weak backhand and no second serve. These two titans have rewritten the history book and they aint even close to being done. Father Time could get bashed back to the Futures

 

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Ostapenko looks like she is quite comfortable in the spotlight and enjoying it all. She apparently is built for being a superstar. The best thing about her is how she absolutely loves playing those big pressure cooker matches. She loves to play tennis. A lot of top players don't feel the joy that she does. There is actually no pressure now - from this point on she is a GS champion forever. The rest is all gravy.

 

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Catherine: Ostapenko will only get better with the confidence gained by being a GS champion.

 

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Speeches do matter Catherine. Players can really do a great job with their speeches and gain huge fanbase additions by doing a good job. Li Na and Cibulkova come to mind. Hopefully Halep will gain a new base of fans and they will help to push her across the finish line in future.

 

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Li Na became a worldwide crowd favorite after her finalist speeches. Cibulkova also but not to the extent that Na did.