JesuslookslikeBorg
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Wozniacki - a temporary loss of form or the beginning of the end?
- Thread starter jhar26
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Well jesusloooklikeborg and others - leave that poor girl and find someone else to battle about - she doesn't deserve this. SHe's in a slump right now and I'm sure she knows it but we don't have to be unpolite about that. Negative things CAN actually be said in a positive way if you just put a little effort in your comments IMHO.
rubydo
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I am probably the only media person that spends anytime here. I have done radio,(broadcast over 300 ice hockey games, two of those being NHL games), tv and print reporting on sports on and off since 1969, combining it with advertising sales. I currently write a column on tennis once a month in our paper, hopefully will cover 3 International tennis tournaments this year, and have interviewed some of the top sports personalities in virtually every sport. I am not boasting those are the facts. So when I see two members getting so bent over with their personal comments slamming each other, take a deep breath. Life is too short to get so worked up over one sports personality. Caro has provided tennis with some memorable moments, she is not the greatest player that ever stepped onto the court, we know that. How good are you on the court? Put it in the proper perspective. I treat any sports person I interview with respect, I know I could never accomplish what they have done or are doing. So gentlemen try and respect each other on these forums. 
SingleBackhand
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I see that many of you try to explain things in technical terms. Wozniacki lacks this or that in her game or her father isn't good enough as her coach and so on. But why not see things from her personal perspective. Wozniacki has worked immensely hard to maintain her #1 position when she was top ranked. Under those circumstances it shouldn't be a surprise that she has burned her candle from both ends and that she now pays the price. People get worn out and hit the wall not only in common work life but it applies to tennis players as well.
There could also be other explanations. Wozniacki is deeply in love and maybe suddenly tennis isn't a major issue for her anymore. She has spend years doing it and now her priorities have shifted. Her clock is maybe ticking and she wants to start a family. No one can explain or tell how Wozniacki feels and how it effects her. I'm sure that there are plenty of examples of good tennis players who suddenly lost their interest in the sport and some may even have taken a time out to recharge their batteries. Names like Kim Clijsters and Justine Henine come to mind
I don't know if this is a temporary loss of form or the beginning of the end. All I'm saying is that there could be loads of reasons which not necessarily have something to do with her tennis skills which could have caused Wozniacki's game to collapse. Until we know more and she reveals what she herself is feeling we can not even begin to understand what is going on in her mind. She might regain her form, she might take a time out and she might quit altogether. My personal opinion is that it isn't Wozniacki's tennis which is the issue here but it's more of a psychological issue. She just doesn't see tennis as her #1 priority anymore. She does her best on court but it doesn't really matter that much to her anymore if she wins or loses. A top tennis player needs to be fanatic about her game and willing to give it her everything. In Wozniacki's case hat fanaticism is just not there anymore
There could also be other explanations. Wozniacki is deeply in love and maybe suddenly tennis isn't a major issue for her anymore. She has spend years doing it and now her priorities have shifted. Her clock is maybe ticking and she wants to start a family. No one can explain or tell how Wozniacki feels and how it effects her. I'm sure that there are plenty of examples of good tennis players who suddenly lost their interest in the sport and some may even have taken a time out to recharge their batteries. Names like Kim Clijsters and Justine Henine come to mind
I don't know if this is a temporary loss of form or the beginning of the end. All I'm saying is that there could be loads of reasons which not necessarily have something to do with her tennis skills which could have caused Wozniacki's game to collapse. Until we know more and she reveals what she herself is feeling we can not even begin to understand what is going on in her mind. She might regain her form, she might take a time out and she might quit altogether. My personal opinion is that it isn't Wozniacki's tennis which is the issue here but it's more of a psychological issue. She just doesn't see tennis as her #1 priority anymore. She does her best on court but it doesn't really matter that much to her anymore if she wins or loses. A top tennis player needs to be fanatic about her game and willing to give it her everything. In Wozniacki's case hat fanaticism is just not there anymore
tented
Administrator
rubydo said:I am probably the only media person that spends anytime here. I have done radio,(broadcast over 300 ice hockey games, two of those being NHL games), tv and print reporting on sports on and off since 1969, combining it with advertising sales. I currently write a column on tennis once a month in our paper, hopefully will cover 3 International tennis tournaments this year, and have interviewed some of the top sports personalities in virtually every sport. I am not boasting those are the facts. So when I see two members getting so bent over with their personal comments slamming each other, take a deep breath. Life is too short to get so worked up over one sports personality. Caro has provided tennis with some memorable moments, she is not the greatest player that ever stepped onto the court, we know that. How good are you on the court? Put it in the proper perspective. I treat any sports person I interview with respect, I know I could never accomplish what they have done or are doing. So gentlemen try and respect each other on these forums.
Well put! Thanks, Rubydo.
Correspondent Kiu
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MargaretMcAleer
The GOAT
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Caroline has improved her first serve in 2014,which has been evident in the matches she has played,also to me she is looking to play more aggressive tennis.One of her best matches was at the US Open where she defeated Maria Sharapova in the 4th round.Caroline has always been one of the fittest players on tour,training for the NYC marathon to me only enhanced her fitness levels.Caroline is also mentally tough.I will look with interest in 2015 to see if Caroline can build on the positives in her game from 2014.
It's definitely interesting to look back and question why a player temporarily loses form, if they happen to be lucky enough to get it back.
I would say there are two main reasons why someone loses their standing and then gains it back.
1. Mental. The pressure becomes to much. I think we saw this with a lot of the Russian greats of the last decade. Dementieva would go up and down, same with Kuzentsova and Safina. I think for certain players they are using tunnel vision to get to the top of the game. They work so hard and focus only on their goal of reaching the top. Suddenly they're there and so many people begin to put pressure on them to stay there and produce more results. Inevitably their game no longer has the benefit of being pressure free and they get in their head and start to lose form.
2. Other players figure out their game plan. I think that players like Wozniaki are especially prone to this problem. Her game and strength was so centered on consistency. Woz would always have stamina and always get the ball back. Other top players only needed to find a weakness, end a point quickly, and outhit her. That leaves a consistency player really vulnerable. They don't have a point ending weapon like their opponents. I think the only way to overcome this obviously is to try and either create a weapon or be able to adapt very quickly in the midst of a match.
Either way I'm happy she's back. I always loved Caro. It's pretty sad to look at old comments on this thread and see how vicious people can be. We so quickly forget that we actually know almost nothing about these people that we follow. They are people with private lives and personalities beyond our knowledge.
I would say there are two main reasons why someone loses their standing and then gains it back.
1. Mental. The pressure becomes to much. I think we saw this with a lot of the Russian greats of the last decade. Dementieva would go up and down, same with Kuzentsova and Safina. I think for certain players they are using tunnel vision to get to the top of the game. They work so hard and focus only on their goal of reaching the top. Suddenly they're there and so many people begin to put pressure on them to stay there and produce more results. Inevitably their game no longer has the benefit of being pressure free and they get in their head and start to lose form.
2. Other players figure out their game plan. I think that players like Wozniaki are especially prone to this problem. Her game and strength was so centered on consistency. Woz would always have stamina and always get the ball back. Other top players only needed to find a weakness, end a point quickly, and outhit her. That leaves a consistency player really vulnerable. They don't have a point ending weapon like their opponents. I think the only way to overcome this obviously is to try and either create a weapon or be able to adapt very quickly in the midst of a match.
Either way I'm happy she's back. I always loved Caro. It's pretty sad to look at old comments on this thread and see how vicious people can be. We so quickly forget that we actually know almost nothing about these people that we follow. They are people with private lives and personalities beyond our knowledge.
