|
Post by lexpretend on Jun 29, 2011 7:13:23 GMT -5
JUST barely. I think if it wasn't Tauzita in that final bad things might have happened. If only Monica had managed a win in the QF over Zvereva, she would've beaten Tauziat in the SF and then watched Novotna gag away the final on countless occassions to win 0-6, 7-6, 21-19. Or even better, Zvereva closes out Tauziat in straights and takes advantage of a Jana gag! But I was happy for Jana, so boo. Thank God that didn't happen! I really treasure Natasha B2Bing Steffi and Monica at that Wimbledon too. (Actually it wasn't quite B2B, right? Can't remember who she beat in the 4R.) I remember totally fearing a Monica title. I had thought Corswandt only picked up tennis in the early '00s! So you followed it in the '90s, then missed the turn of the century drama, then picked it up again just in time to see it die? Jana was so popular in the UK. Actually, in all the years I've followed tennis, probably the most unanimously popular player I remember - obviously Henman and Murray got the "mania" but they also turned a lot of people off. But everyone loved Jana.
|
|
|
Post by Traveling Man on Jun 29, 2011 8:36:09 GMT -5
If only Monica had managed a win in the QF over Zvereva, she would've beaten Tauziat in the SF and then watched Novotna gag away the final on countless occassions to win 0-6, 7-6, 21-19. Or even better, Zvereva closes out Tauziat in straights and takes advantage of a Jana gag! But I was happy for Jana, so boo. Thank God that didn't happen! I really treasure Natasha B2Bing Steffi and Monica at that Wimbledon too. (Actually it wasn't quite B2B, right? Can't remember who she beat in the 4R.) I remember totally fearing a Monica title. I had thought Corswandt only picked up tennis in the early '00s! So you followed it in the '90s, then missed the turn of the century drama, then picked it up again just in time to see it die? Jana was so popular in the UK. Actually, in all the years I've followed tennis, probably the most unanimously popular player I remember - obviously Henman and Murray got the "mania" but they also turned a lot of people off. But everyone loved Jana. I was quite pleased with the B2B as well (she toppled Miriam Oremans in the 4th round) - that was such a great tournament for her (SF in singles and F in doubles), it's a shame she decided to drop her first set of the tournament to Tauziat and then again. And the women's doubles final was one of the greatest in recent memory (Hingis/Novotna def Davenport/Zvereva 6-3, 3-6, 8-6) at the end of which Zvereva was crying. All hypotheticals aside, though, I don't think there was ANYONE who was unhappy with Jana wnning the title. Except that nasty cunt Tauziat.
|
|
|
Post by Iorix on Jun 29, 2011 9:16:38 GMT -5
I had thought Corswandt only picked up tennis in the early '00s! So you followed it in the '90s, then missed the turn of the century drama, then picked it up again just in time to see it die? First match I watched with full knowledge of the rules was Agassi d. Ivanisevic in 1992. 1993 Novotna , peak years of tennis fandom 1993-1995 (my omnisports fan era; also followed football, cycling, track and field), still following tennis 1999-2000 when TV coverage on free-to-air channels began disappearing. From 2000-2003 I watched only a few men's Estoril Open and RG finals at most. By 2004 I was watching nothing; actually avoided doing so as I knew that it would be immediately addictive. Got back at the 2005 USO by accident during a particularly boring evening out at the sticks. Had to drop cycling in 2007 to focus on tennis.
|
|
|
Post by Iorix on Jun 29, 2011 9:22:02 GMT -5
The 1997 final was almost physically painful to me (taking the first set, then getting injured ), because I believed Novotna's window of opportunity was going to close because of the sisters. The 1998 final was shown taped. I didn't know the score, but I knew at what time the broadcast was due to finish, so as the second set crept closer to a TB I already knew Novotna had won it as there was no time left for a third. Anticlimax, but I didn't care. That was poetic justice, of the kind that I think we all hoped Lena D. would eventually get.
|
|
|
Post by lexpretend on Jun 29, 2011 11:33:22 GMT -5
Mauresmo got hers too. I think the Novotna and Mauresmo narratives made us a lot more hopeful about Demented than we should have been.
|
|
|
Post by Old Hag on Jun 29, 2011 11:48:54 GMT -5
It still amazes me that Amelie managed to win 2 slams, since she is THE biggest choker of all-time. Demented got her moment at the Olympics, so even that ended well.
|
|
|
Post by Bruguera's heavy balls on Jun 29, 2011 11:51:01 GMT -5
Sabatini was quite a big choker, and she was 3 times one match away from number 1 in 1991
|
|
|
Post by lexpretend on Jun 29, 2011 11:51:25 GMT -5
Would Mauresmo have got her moment if Justine hadn't been ill and quit in Australia? Because knowing she had unfinished business with her really seemed to motivate her at Wimbledon.
|
|
|
Post by Grarliner on Jun 29, 2011 12:07:07 GMT -5
I still think she can. I just think it needs to be on a hardcourt. I had my initial burst of Woz enthusiasm this spring when she initially did well on clay, but the reality is she is a hardcourt player. I'm sure she'll have better French/Wimbledons but her chances are really at the HC majors. I'm not sure. Inexplicably or not, I think by Woz's IW title she had built up something of an aura. I think the bubble's burst now, though. It's not like it took particularly special opposition to take her out of the last two Slams (Hantuchova on clay? Cibulkova who got double breadsticked in the next round?), she actually did substantially worse than even our low expectations would have predicted. You do wonder whether her stupid schedule killed her chances somewhat...with her game, she can't afford to be even slightly tired or unfocused. I thought she definitely looked tired at RG. But there'll always be the lack of on-court coaching, which turns around so many of her matches, at Slams. Because really, what impressive matches has she ever won at Slams? She has two top 10 wins EVER in Slams (Stupid Sweta, USO '09, and Fran just off the longest match ever at AO '11). And then Maria at last year's USO, which I didn't see. That's it. Maria at the USO was an excellent win. The stupid schedule may or may not have been a factor. But if it was she only has herself to blame. I am not one to push the panic button after every loss with OMG RETIRE NOW. But sometimes I miss the start of trends because I try not to focus too much on what just happened. Yes, maybe RG and Wimbledon signal the beginning of a Jankovic-esque decline. I hope not and I don't think it does because I think she isn't as good on those surfaces anyway. If she's still losing to Cibulkova and Hantuchova on American hardcourts, THEN I'll be worried.
|
|
|
Post by Grarliner on Jun 29, 2011 12:08:59 GMT -5
God, I can't believe Jana was my first favourite player. Setting the blueprint for so many chokers to come She was my first favourite too. Years of misery. I stopped believing after the 97 final, but regarded that 1998 final as NID and pretty much stopped following tennis after it due to sense of closure. Given what happened at USO 1998 that was a good plan.
|
|
|
Post by Old Hag on Jun 29, 2011 12:12:54 GMT -5
Sabatini was quite a big choker, and she was 3 times one match away from number 1 in 1991 True, Bimbly that year was a wonderful job by her. It's easy to forget what a great player she was.
|
|
|
Post by lexpretend on Jun 29, 2011 12:16:14 GMT -5
Woz has already lost to Cibulkova on hard courts this year!
|
|
|
Post by Grarliner on Jun 29, 2011 12:17:55 GMT -5
It still amazes me that Amelie managed to win 2 slams, since she is THE biggest choker of all-time. Demented got her moment at the Olympics, so even that ended well. There's no way Amelie choked more or worse than Novotna. Imagine if there had been a Slam in the Czech Republic! They had different choking styles. Jana would be fine for the whole match up until the point where it looked like she might win. Amelie would come out for a pressure match and be so nervous she could barely hold the racket.
|
|
|
Post by Grarliner on Jun 29, 2011 12:26:35 GMT -5
Would Mauresmo have got her moment if Justine hadn't been ill and quit in Australia? Because knowing she had unfinished business with her really seemed to motivate her at Wimbledon. It certainly added to the drama of the match. Then there was the fact that Justine was almost universally expected to win that match, both on here and by the tennis illuminati. The AO loss had apparently convinced nobody that it was real. I'm sure Amelie noted all that. I was one of a small minority who thought Amelie would win and boy, was I happy when she did. We can all imagine how horrible it would have been had she lost that match and ended up with only AO '06 as her major title. It was also one of the classic finals, in my opinion. Justine won a seemingly easy first set 6-2 but it wasn't that easy. Amelie got rather unlucky. She could have folded and crashed under the pressure. Instead, she jogged Rafa style back out to the baseline after set one and never lost her serve again. I think Justine should have grabbed a Wimbledon title, though. 2007 was the year, Justine! WTF?
|
|
|
Post by Grarliner on Jun 29, 2011 12:29:04 GMT -5
Woz has already lost to Cibulkova on hard courts this year! Not American ones.
|
|
|
Post by Traveling Man on Jun 29, 2011 13:26:38 GMT -5
I remember being elated when Amelie won Wimbledon - it truly was closure and such a pleasant surprise since it was unexpected.
|
|
|
Post by Iorix on Jun 30, 2011 5:34:02 GMT -5
Demented got her moment at the Olympics, so even that ended well. Comfort for her given her k00ky notions of career priorities, but zero comfort to everybody else. And I really really fear that one day she'll wake up and realise that the correct way of rating the Olympics vs the Slams is not her own but the one used by everybody else.
|
|
|
Post by lexpretend on Jun 30, 2011 6:23:50 GMT -5
If that simple girl didn't realise that while she was on tour, there's a strong chance she'll never realise it.
|
|
|
Post by Lady on Jun 30, 2011 7:04:41 GMT -5
I think it's part of Russian mentality. Olympics is huge there, like really the biggest thing ever. Tennis didn't get a lot of attention until almost 21st century I'd say, but even now it's not that known. I remember myself when I didn't follow tennis and taking into account people who don't really follow it now, they don't know what slam win actually means. Like the prestige of it. But winning an Olympic medal is the biggest achievement, that and being the best in your sport. So I'd say that in general public's eye - biggest things are an Olympics medal & being #1 in the world. And I think those 2 were Lena's main aspirations.
I agree that it's weird that Lena didn't change her perspective while being on tour, but I totally believe that Olympics medal meant the world to her and she'll be content with it.
The fact that Lena won Sylver medal in Sydney Olympics were repeated ALL the time, when I started to get interest in tennis. Every time commentators would mention it. And she's announced as being Gold medalist and in general public eye it's bigger then Myskina's slam win. And Myskina is a part of the same generation, that's why that Olympics SF loss affected her that much. That's the thing they dreamed about. And for Kafelnikov, that's what I remember hearing about: "Oh, he won gold Olympics medal" and "OMG, 1st Russian #1" etc.
(Hilariously my auto-correct tried to correct my Kafelnikov to Kalashnikov)
|
|
|
Post by lexpretend on Jun 30, 2011 7:06:05 GMT -5
I think it might be similar for the Chinese players.
|
|