Saturday 31 January 2015

'SWITCHING' ( Dumb Idea )

A few matches back I picked either Stan or Novak for the title but after seeing Murray play his semi I am switching to him for my tip for the title.
Novak in fact is not looking his usual confident self and I believe that Murray knows how to play him well especially as he beat Novak to claim both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Murray has an air of confidence about him currently and he seems physically in good shape.
Tipping Andy in 4 tight sets......
**** AND THE MORAL TO THIS STORY ???*****
Never ever change your tipping !! What happened from 2-0 up in the third set to Murray may just remain a mystery but he had already written his victory speech in his head I suspect. Had him on toast.
Not sure how a man of Murray's experience can win just one more game from that position in the third. Head not right you think ? I am certain he would not have capitulated like that under guidance from Lendl. 
It seemed like the old animated Andy was back, the self 2 who was being talked out of a match by his self 1. There is always a negative side to a player, it's how you block the alter ego out that defines a player.
Silly game, especially when you are playing someone who's acting skills are just as famous as their tennis skills. Andy will have nightmares about this match for a long time because he knows it was on his racket at a break up on the scoreboard in the third.
But more importantly he knows he had one hand on the trophy also, he simply had to keep the ball in play as Novak was physically and mentally gone. He tried to finish it rather than prolong it, hence his unforced errors, dumb idea. His former coach would have kept the ball going and won by wearing his opponent out. 
Lendl was famous for it, sort of like death by starvation, a prolonged torture.
Strange match this one, possibly Andy's last shot at a major, a real shame, but that's tennis......

Friday 30 January 2015

'MY TAKE'

OK here's my take on the recent Albany Open Tennis Tournament or 'Emu Point Summer Championships' as some like to call it ( not sure why ). A local identity has asked the public to comment on the format so this is my personal opinion.
Now the reason I actually like the format of the Albany Open Tennis Tournament is because it keeps teams interested. If they have a bad start either due to nerves or lack of current form they still have a chance to win as there are 8 matches to play.
In other words each team has a chance to play themselves into the tournament.
The reason the format is so well received is because it afford players the luxury of a bad start, great idea. 
Nothing worse than having a crap initial match then simply going through the motions for the rest of the day.
I have called for different formats in tennis for a long time as I believe the current one is like 50 over cricket, a little out dated now due to the new and improved 20/20 format. Tennis needs a new face lift, one that doesn't keep revisiting the same old scene and the new first to 4 games idea seems like a welcome change, I like it.
This year's Albany Open was one that gave teams a chance, rather than the common scenario where a team dominates all day and wins easily by not dropping a match. The new format allows perhaps any of the top four teams to win providing they have at least one big win of say 8 games in a match. 
The timed format keeps the games ticking over quickly as each team is doing their best to amass as many games as possible. The short deuce also presents some cut throat game finishes. In fact two years ago on our way to a win in the Tournament myself and David Bignell played a match where the result was decided on the very last point of the match, brilliant concept.
This year didn't really matter, especially in the Mens A Grade Championship as it was 8 wins from 8 matches, fairly decisive in any mans language.
So to my conclusion; A great tournament, a great concept, a fresh way of playing and scoring and a fantastic way of keeping teams in the tournament who may have otherwise been a little dejected if they had been dealt a loss early on. 
Tennis needs a new look, the 4 game format does it's bit, The Albany Open does it's bit, others should do their bit to embrace a bit of a change to the game. As the old saying goes 'Don't knock it 'til you've tried it'.
Over and out..........

Tuesday 27 January 2015

'FAIR DINKUM'

Just to prove what I have been saying for a long, long time in regards to certain individuals and certain organizations.
I received an email from a buddy, it was one of those 'Hey Thommo you have got to have a look at this' sort of emails. You see I am not the only one who can smell 'hype' when it rears it's ugly head.
A regular 'guru' to hype and all things nice has posted this little chestnut that had me smiling. This is not word for word however you will get the idea of the story.
They recently posted on a social media page that they have 'coached' around ten thousand students in just over ten years. I dispute this figure, I find that impossible.
If a coach of tennis has a base club where they coach a group of say 150 kids regularly and these 150 kids turn up for two terms of the year then this is surely 150 kids only, correct ? Ok so let's find the other 850 kids. We will need many assistants and many venues.
How about another 20 smaller venues for arguments sake hey ? Righto let's find another ten assistants at least to service 20 more venues at different times. That will give this 'guru' say another 400 kids over the course of two school terms of the year so that now takes the figure to around 600 kids. There's a very big shortfall here though to the 1000 kids required to prove the story correct. 
What also needs to be mentioned is that the 'coach' is not actually 'coaching' them, the assistants are, minor detail though hey?  What about adults ? 
Sure let's throw another 200 adults in over various programs over the course of say two or even three terms where they may do either tennis coaching or even the rather amusing 'cardio tennis' program. That now takes the figure to 800 students, a combined figure comprising adults and kids. This program is huge now ey ??
Now the reason I am saying two school terms is because I am aware of the impact or lack of impact that tennis has in the cooler months of the year. Two school terms is the main tennis playing time of the year from say October through to say April.
If the program was to go for three school terms then the figure may just be able to be bumped up to around the magical figure of 1000 but boy this figure is huge. Now let's fast forward to the next year.
How many of these students will go again ? If the coach is really good they may be able to keep around 75 per cent of these students but at least 25 per cent will move on, it's the nature of the sport. So we now have to find another 250 to 500 students to take the figure back to 1000 so that this 'guru can say that they have that amount in their program.
Are we forgetting something ? You can't recount what you have already counted so if you have around 500 regulars you can't keep putting that figure down, get my drift ? You can only count the new students, not the old regular ones. 
So if you have 500 regular students over 10 years you have 500 students but anyone who knows anything about a sport such as tennis knows that you cannot keep that figure over ten years. In fact you would be lucky to keep them over 5 years as kids get older and try other sports.
I am sure if you have half an ounce of brain matter you will see where I am going with this whole thing. It is AN IMPOSSIBILITY to coach a figure of around ten thousand students in say ten years because of the above examples. The only possible way you could get to that figure is to have all of your students drop out at the end of each year and then find another 1000 to start again.
Nope the whole story is a pile of garbage and just goes to show that the whole industry is full of these so called 'gurus' who write fictional stuff on their sites to make them sound like they are god's gift to the game.
If the 'guru' stumbles across this site then pay attention 'champ' , I am onto you and anyone who has a few clues on the industry will be also.
You are officially full of s...
Regards GT

Monday 26 January 2015

'THE CIBULKOVA FAN CLUB'

Just wondering what I need to do to join the Dominika Cibulkova Fan Club ??
After beating the screamer from Belarus (Miss Drama Queen) I am in awe of her. She has done the tennis public a huge favor as the sport does not need players like Azarenka deep into the second week of a Slam. 
Victoria flaunted the rules to suit herself two years ago and it seems now that the 'Tennis Gods' are doing their best to balance things.
Well played Dominika.......
Regards Glenn

Saturday 24 January 2015

'NEED MORE THAN A DANCE VICTORIA'

Victoria Azarenka just doesn't know how to win back an audience. I am referring to her rather publicized 'dance' at the end of her match last night in the Australian Open. 
She really has no idea that most of the Tennis World including myself thinks that she is simply a drama queen. My personal take on it all is that she is a pain in the arse.
Her 'cheating' against Sloane Stephens two years ago has not been forgotten, you know, the one where she openly admitted to 'almost doing the choke of the year'. 
This was while she gathered her thoughts in the change rooms while her opponent and audience sat and waited for ten minutes rather bemused to say the least.
This was not unlike a golfer kicking the ball out of the bushes and claiming that they had hit it, blatant cheating in any man's language.
So rather than just let her racket do the talking she has had to find the spotlight again for other reasons, but this is just the sort of person who Azarenka is.
She also has a rather annoying screech as she strikes the ball, not unlike Sharapova but at least Maria doesn't cheat.
Hopefully the 'Tennis Gods' will do the right thing and give us a Victoria loss in the next round, personally I am hoping so. I don't think I am alone......

Sunday 18 January 2015

'ALBANY OPEN TENNIS 2015' (APPARENTLY)


Now this could be one of those chapters where I have a gloat regarding a tournament victory but instead I will direct this at two 'guru's' of the game.
Last year I received some flack regarding my age and how I shouldn't be playing in the final of my local Championships. Apparently 'old blokes shouldn't be playing in finals', or so the story went.
There was also talk of last year's winners 'dominating for the next 5 years'. C'mon, surely most educated 'guru's' are aware that it's too hard to dominate at tennis especially in this region where the standard of doubles play is high.
So after last year's disappointing loss I photocopied and cut out a Social Media page and put it in my tennis bag. I read the comments directed at me regularly which gave me all the motivation I needed for this year.
Putting things into perspective however I had never played the Albany Open before with a kid or former student so it was more an experiment last year. We went oh so close to a tournament win, one service break was all we lost by, I felt it was a good performance.
The article I wrote to the local paper last year was full of genuine praise for the winners, two young fellows I have known since they were 11 and 12 year olds. They are aware of where their initial tuition came from, I will not go into it.
The article however was photographed and uploaded onto a Social Media page and two comments followed the article but my name was blocked out, not sure why, I wrote it.
To cut a long story short, the whole rather silly affair was one that made me work harder physically for this year's competition and made me think more about my game. You always learn more from a loss and I did after last year. I told myself I would refuse to lose two in a row. I always get up for my local championship, The Albany Open, Albany's biggest Senior Tennis Tournament.
Now I am not sure why certain individuals keep calling it 'The Emu Point Summer Championships'. It has been THE ALBANY OPEN ever since I was a kid. The following is from the Albany Advertiser of 2013 after I was fortunate enough to partner a good mate of mine David Bignell;
Kojonup’s David Bignell dominated play at the annual Albany Open tennis tournament to win two A-grade titles at the weekend in what was considered one of the strongest fields in several years.
Bignell, who recently returned from a stint playing in Europe, partnered defending champion Glenn Thompson in the men’s A-grade doubles and they lived up to their number-one seeding, convincingly winning the title at Emu Point Tennis Club on Saturday.
I think some people simply have to accept that this tournament is in fact named after the town in which we live and it is in fact an OPEN TOURNAMENT, pretty simple really. Just like the Albany Open Senior Tournament we used to have the Albany Open Junior Tournament held at the C and S Tennis Club when I was a junior. It wasn't called the C and S Summer Championships !!
It's a funny sport tennis and in my home town of Albany, well I have seen and read some funny things. Different names for events and different ways of spelling out what has always simply just been TENNIS.
It's already getting complicated this wonderful game, let's just try to keep it in black and white down here in sleepy hollow, Albany ,Western Australia....... 

Wednesday 14 January 2015

'LOVE IT'

Great to see the great man Rafa back on court after a lengthy break, the game needs his intensity as a bench mark, especially for the younger players.
The thing that I love most about Rafa is his return of serve, almost from the Bjorn Borg era. Now the Swedish Champion had a rather unique way of returning serve that you really don't see much of these days but it is remarkably similar to Nadal.
Most players now days seem to stand on the base line and take the ball as early as they possibly can and sure I can see the merit in this, but look at Rafa's way. The reason why his return is so effective is because he hits up on it and gives it a huge loop making the return uncomfortable to play. Same as Borg.
The more standard way of return is now a flat shot with little margin for error, the timing on this type of shot needs to be precise. Rafa's way gives him a swing at it from sometimes four or five meters beyond the baseline.
Nadal does also own the shortened version of the return from closer in but off the second serve he never plays the ball around his ears, he lets it drop, he stands back. I believe this is why he has won so many French Open titles, his return is almost just another ground stroke, his rhythm is always the same. He is never jumping into a service return as some players do.
Bjorn Borg had possibly the greatest service return of the mid to late 70's but I believe it was because it wasn't risky, it was a safe way to return the delivery. Rafa's is different from Novak's however they are both brilliant in their own ways.
I am a firm believer in letting the big kick on the second serve drop, it allows a player valuable time and gets them into a 50/50 situation from a return. Too many returns are missed through lack of time to prepare.
If it was good enough for Borg and is still good enough for Rafa then surely the technique has merit......... 

Tuesday 13 January 2015

'IT'S ALL ABOUT THE $$$'

Jerzy Janowicz and Nick Kyrgios go on court at around 11 PM to play their match in Sydney due to a rain delay. Most people are in bed by that time yet two tennis players are expected to give their best performance. The loser of this match picked up around $4,000. Roger Federer wouldn't get out of bed for that amount of money.
JJ and Nick made some good dollars last year. I reckon they shoulda told the Tournament Officials to go bash it fair up their bums.
Common sense needed to prevail in this situation but it didn't......
Tennis Australia needs to start thinking with a little more common sense.......

Sunday 11 January 2015

'WHAT'S WRONG SERENA ?'

What's happening with Serena Williams ? Her lethargic performance in the final of the Hopman Cup raised some eyebrows over here in the West. As well as the poor body language she was also rather vocal and even smashed a racket in frustration.
OK we have all done that but the Hopman Cup is just an Exhibition Tournament isn't it ??
I have heard an unconfirmed report that Serena also did away with her runner up trophy, it may have been discarded somewhere in the locker room or thereabouts. Yet to be confirmed but it is from a 'reliable' source.
Serena loves to win however she is not what you would call a very good loser as her effort at the US Open a few years ago suggested. Williams was defaulted in her semi final against Clijsters as she threatened to shove a ball down the throat of a lines person, tough talk Serena, not overly intelligent though.
At Wimbledon in 2014 she withdrew from a doubles match with her sister Venus after appearing to be almost intoxicated for around 15 minutes. The Doctor's unofficial call on it was 'a viral illness' but most were a little confused at to why she even came out onto the court in the state she was in. Perhaps she just likes the lime light no matter how she is feeling.
Her Hopman Cup effort this year was interesting. It lacked heart and it lacked dignity. Roger Federer at the same age knows how to deal with wins and losses plus frustrating form. Perhaps Serena could learn a thing or two from the Great Man for the future.....

'WHAT'S WITH FITNESS INSTRUCTOR'S ?'

As the heading suggests I am a little confused as to why a tennis professional would hire a fitness instructor as their coach. Roger Rasheed took over as Lleyton Hewitt's Coach in 2003 and in doing so took Hewitt from World Number 1 to World Number 19. Just ask John Tomic.
The rather controversial father of Bernard had a public spat with Rasheed over a comment made toward his son so he snapped back with a comment that was rather humorous. He congratulated Rasheed for doing just that, taking Hewitt from 1 to 19.
Rasheed has always been known for his fitness mentoring not his tennis coaching so I find it rather unusual that a guy like Hewitt would employ a fitness trainer as his tennis coach. What does a fitness instructor or trainer really know about the intricacies of a game like tennis apart from what the body requires ? 
Now not every player can hire someone as knowledgeable as say Stefan Edberg  but surely players would look at someone who can help them tactically over someone who can train them physically ? I don't know of too many coaches who have the ability to do both.
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov currently is coached by Rasheed  who recently said that he could make someone 'spew within 30 seconds', interesting comment. To me that is big noting one's ability to train a player hard but it lacks any real substance as far as teaching them the game of tennis.
Dimitrov is a talented tennis player yet he can't find a way to beat the top guys as his 2014 record suggests. He won 50 singles matches but lost 18 including a first round exit at the French Open to Karlovic. Now as big as the serve is of Karlovic a player of Dimitrov's standard on clay should be smart enough to at least take a set but he lost in straight.
 In fact it seems that the Bulgarian's return of serve is his least effective shot as he also lost to Janowicz in Cincinnati who was ranked 57 places behind him. Against Andy Murray in Paris in October Dimitrov won just 8 of 44 service return points, that's poor from a guy who owns just about every other shot. 
So my conclusion is simple really. A fitness guru really can't tweak the changes as well as a credentialed ex player or experienced coach of the game of tennis. Sure they can get a player's body fit and can even make them 'spew in 30 seconds' but it really isn't going to help them work strategies and angles.
Fitness instructors have a place in tennis, don't get me wrong but as far as actually teaching a player the game, well that should be left to mentors who really have one focus, teaching a player how to play the game. I don't know too many past coaches who have had a successful career in the game who were more recognized for their fitness expertise.
You can only own so many 'degrees' in tennis........

Wednesday 7 January 2015

'THINK FOR YOURSELF'

I see there's a 'guru' doing the rounds on many sites, his ideas are being constantly re posted, I won't mention the name but it disturbs me somewhat. This guy can't even play tennis, he is a fitness instructor yet the 'new breed' of  tennis 'coach' go weak at the knees with his every word.
Impressionable ? It seems that the new breed are, no originality from their own minds and reliant on other 'zen masters' to give them ideas. Tennis improvement comes from intelligent students and intelligent coaches who have their own ideas on how to teach. It also comes from people who think 'outside the square'.
Stop relying on others you guys, after all you are the ones who swear by your programs yet none of these programs seem to be from your own heads. It seems they are all copied from others. Where's your sense of originality ?
I posted a chapter a while ago that had a dig at a 'guru' who was questioned by a parent over 'their' program.
The answer that came back from the guru was 'That's how the program is run'. Can anyone pick what's wrong with that answer ??
'THE PROGRAM' was the answer. What ever happened to 'MY PROGRAM'?? The answer proved that the 'coach' was simply following a program that had been given to them. Would it be fair to say that 'THE PROGRAM' lacks substance ? You do the sums. I don't see as many kids coming through now days as they used to.
Think for yourself when it comes to tennis, you may just get somewhere with it whether you are either playing or 'teaching' it.
Interesting phase this game of tennis is at currently........

'MH ONTO IT'

Glenn, the reason WHY TA (Tennis Australia) and other big national organizations want players modelled off the IDEAL swing shape is because it's part of their business model. Think about it, the further the pupil is away from the ideal swing, the better! 
More lessons required to surgically and unnaturally change what was a natural swing for THAT individual. Coaching is not personal and individualistic like it used to be...its a lucrative business for those coaches with self interest wanting to feed their lifestyle on.

It seems my 'new fan' 'MH' may just be onto it. The above comment was posted on my comments section yesterday in relation to my chapter 'FOR MARTY'.

Tuesday 6 January 2015

'FOR MARTY'

Righto Champ this is my take on it. Wayne Bryan knows the game and he knows his boys didn't come from a production line of tennis players who were all taught to play a specific way. The comments from Mr Bryan regarding the style of play from current and past professionals has obvious merit. 'Greatness is passionate. Greatness is creative. Greatness does things that have never been done before'.
Good point Mr Bryan. I wrote a chapter some time ago regarding Bjorn Borg's backhand and Jonny Mac's serve. Could you imagine if these guys had turned up 30 years later with those shots and asked to be part of a program ? 
'Sorry, what's your names, Bjorn and John ? This is how you serve and this is how you hit a backhand now days, we will need to fix your 'obvious technique flaws'. 
Have you ever taken the time to look at the way the game is played currently ? It's pretty much all the same, it's a baseline war of fitness and strength although Federer is doing his best to change the trend, or at least keep the points shorter. 
How does David Ferrer beat Thomas Berdych ? How does Tommy Robredo beat Kei Nishikori or vice versa to both of those examples ? Slowly and painfully, very little separates these players, their games do not really have anything unique. They are simply better than the next 100 players who all play pretty much the same.
Borg didn't miss and his passing shots were played with so much spin that he could still pass a player at the net cross court even if his opponent was covering that side. McEnroe's serve was brilliant but his net game in particular was so good that he could turn defence into offence in the blink of an eye.
Jimmy Connors used to clear the net by a bee's nostril on his ground strokes and whenever he was in trouble he would come in, he would not resort to a 40 shot rally. He was possibly the gutsiest player I have ever seen play the game.
All of these players were not technically brilliant and they all had flaws but they were allowed to play their own brand of tennis. Above all they were UNIQUE.
Rafa is almost unbeatable on clay because he hits the ball so high over the net from his forehand that trying to take this shot on the rise over 5 sets will ultimately wear most players out. Another unique style. 
Just because a player does not get the ball over the net the same as the next guy it doesn't mean that he is not going to be effective. I am all for technique as this site suggests however I am not one to clone players because they all have their own ideas on how to play.
If a ball goes in with a heap of spin and depth I am not going to say 'Look that's pretty good but your swing needs to be refined, it's not quite right'. I would let the shot remain.
Too many coaches want players to hit the ball the same as Novak hits his backhand or how Roger hits his forehand and it's why players eventually find it all too hard.
Just work hard, get fit, grow a tennis brain, work on tactics, work on a big shot but let that big shot be unique to the player, not a mirror image of a one in a million player.
Wayne Bryan wants to see some initiative used and he doesn't believe that it currently is happening, fair call, where are all the results coming from ? Europe, not the US. Interesting though isn't it ? The US is a really big place. 
It may just lay with Wayne's idea to privatize tennis coaching in general, after all this has merit. Borg, Connors and Mac were not part of a production line, they were taught by either family or personal coaches. Rafa was mentored by Moya and coached by Uncle Tony. Federer's initial days were overseen by Peter Carter of Australia.
Pat Cash was taught by his junior coach Ian Barclay and even 'my mate' Lleyton was privately taught by Darren Cahill. 
Do the sums, forget the big 'Academies' that sound great, find a coach who thinks outside the square and who lets you develop your own style.
There is no set way of playing tennis and if players stopped trying to hit the ball like the top 4 in the World they may just develop a game that could well be the game of the future. After all Rafa did not look up a coaching manual to learn how to hit his amazing forehand, it was done through experimentation......... 
One more thing, get rid of the soft tennis balls, that does not do any kids any favors because quite simply, it's NOT REAL tennis.
If that's not the answer you were looking for Marty I apologize. Regards Glenn

'WORK THIS OUT'

"In the last few days it's been something I've been having worked on". This was Matt Ebden's take on his injured calf muscle. So where is the issue ? Why did he play the Hopman Cup if he was not 100 per cent fit ? 
His statement is testimony to the fact that he was in fact injured going into the Tournament. If he admitted to the calf being 'worked on' then surely he should not have been picked to play.
Matt Ebden has been playing mainly Challenger events as he has been struggling to get his ranking back up to a level that will gain him access to the Main Draw of the bigger tournaments. The lift in intensity against some of the World's best players surely would mean that a fit body was a requirement, not an option. Was the tournament appearance fee too good to pass up ? Is it around $60,000 per team now? I would doubt if it was a cent less. 
Some will say that Ebden was a good choice as he nearly beat Jerzy Janowicz of Poland who is ranked more than 200 places higher but let's put it into perspective. Jerzy has just landed from a long plane flight, he always takes a while to get going ( he was getting belted by a kid from Australia in the first round of the Aussie Open last year before he woke up ), plus it's always debatable at the Hopman Cup just how fair dinkum players are. Serena lost a set to love today, hmmmmmm.
Marinko Matosevic is now the replacement for Ebden who was the replacement for Kyrgios, the long list of replacements continue. Hewitt has been replaced in the past as has Philippoussis, the Aussie curse continues.
There are a few young Aussie tennis players knocking the ball around at the moment who are hitting it well and many have a much higher ranking than Ebden, the choice seems confusing to say the least.
The Australian public deserve to see the best players perform at the Hopman Cup and no offense to Ebden but his ranking of around 265 does not give the public their money's worth. If they want to see a player ranked 265 play then they can go and watch a Challenger event where that ranking is common place.
This year's Hopman Cup, despite what happens from now on is one where management need to take a long hard look at just who plays as the public deserve more.......

Sunday 4 January 2015

'MORE FROM MH'

MH...further to my earlier response regarding coaches roles and responsibilities, I have an interesting and thought provoking fact. On the WTA tour last season there were a number of coaches who had very good results with players only to be sacked by their players?? Interesting isn't it?...I have experienced a similar scenario on the ITF junior tour where the players I was working with made great progress in all facets of the game including ranking...well that took care of itself really. Anyway I approached areas of their game that were too uncomfortable for others previously, said things they didn't want to hear and gave them they tools to negotiate them. I was sacked only to see them fall away as a consequence. I think players these days think that success will come without awkwardness, hardship and the feeling of being uncomfortable. DOESNT HAPPEN. MH on 'NICE COMMENT MH'
(*I have tried to trace MH through my stats area and all it tells me is that the comments have come from Brisbane. Whoever you are MH I appreciate your honesty.....)
Regards GT

'NICE COMMENT MH'

Unless Stosur and her TA entourage confront these TENNIS YIPS then the tennis public and Sam are going to constantly relive this reoccurring nightmare! Honesty from Sam and her coaches is crucial here...denying the obvious will only compound the issue that she constantly dismisses. TA coaches need to forget about telling Sam what what she wants to hear and start telling her a few things she doesn't want to hear...be brutally honest instead of trying to save your job. Coaches are there for the progress of the player...I've seen NO progress for a number of years now. She needs someone with some BALLS to get stuck into her and work on some strategies that enable her to close out matches. Coaches aren't there to be mates...think about it. MH

This comment was sent to me by someone who obviously knows tennis, knows Stosur's issues and is not afraid to state the obvious. This was worth publishing, in regards to my last chapter....

'SHE SAID WHAT'?

Sam Stosur did it again, yep she found a way to lose the unlosable match today from 5-1 up in the deciding set of her first round match. However it was what she said in her press conference that I found rather interesting to say the least.
"I don't necessarily think that tonight was a big, you know, mental capitulation".
What was it Sam ? Or how about this one ; "That was the most comfortable and I feel like one of the best matches I've played to start my campaign. I would go out there and do it all over again".
Yep that's what Sammy said, word for word.
Perhaps it's just me but I think we are missing something here. If Sammy is happy with that complete mental capitulation then I think both her and her new Coach should be looking at a different line of work.....
Fair Dinkum this game never ceases to amuse me........
( The Australian Open of 2013 saw Stosur lose in the second round after leading 5-2 in the third set against Jie Zheng. In 2009 Stosur lead Serena Williams 5-4, 40-0 in the third set and lost, in Sydney. )