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Post by Traveling Man on Jul 18, 2012 12:41:34 GMT -5
Yes she did. I was referring to Hingis being done in the sense that she won Sydney, Doha and Dubai in 2001 and that was it. She got to the SF at RG thanks to a catwalk draw (Schiavone in the QF), lost 1st Round at Wimbledon and destroyed by Serena at the US Open (again catwalk draw had Bedanova in QF, needed third set tiebreak to beat Majoli in 3rd Round). Hingis' decline had begun well before she played Capriati at RG that year. She was never quite as good once she lost the AO final. Hingis had obviously slipped in 2001, but she was still a solid top five player who was routining scrubs (save the Wimbledon match) and keeping it competitive with the top players. The 2002 match was the career killer. I think shortly after that she had the first foot surgery, and by the US Open she almost lost to Mirv. So, yeah. The Capriati-Davenport match at the AO in 2001 was one of the flattest matches I've ever seen Lindsay play. Especially given how badly she owned Capriati both before and after that match, it's still a head scratcher. The two of them both having three slams speaks to what I think the general consensus is on both, backed by their other career stats but especially their title counts. Capriati really overachieved at the slams, and Lindsay... didn't. With Davenport's other stats in mind, "underachieved at slams" seems like a severe understatement. Yes, I meant she was no longer the Hingis who only lost to Davenport & the Sistahz by 2001. Now she was losing to Clijsters, Mauresmo, Capriati, and Seles as well. It was frustrating because she was SO GOOD in Australia when the year started, but faded awfully fast. She got lucky at RG and the US Open with the draws opening up or she wouldn't have reached the SF the way she was playing. Ofcourse, coming back too soon from the surgery in 2002 she was a mess - the 4th round was an achievement before losing in an ugly match to Seles (they were both awful). Agreed. I wasn't that surprised Jen lost, but how that match went. She rarely lost in such a meek manner in a spot like that. To conclude, I've always been a big JenFat hater. I have no sympathy for the "ruin most of your career for no reason, then are able to comeback only because you're so talented" types. Not to mention what a bitch she was. And her gut. Yes, there actually was a time when I rooted for the Williams' sisters. I always rooted for the Sistahz as well against Jennifer (and Lindsay)!
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Post by Grarliner on Jul 19, 2012 1:20:57 GMT -5
I remember predicting that Myskina win. It was always sweet how she finished it off with such style. I'm with you. The Myskina win was obvious. People forget that Myskina was really, really good. It just only lasted three months. The worse loss for JenFat was at the USO. She was right there with Dementieva and .... had to lose another third set USO SF. With KUZNETSOVA in the final.
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Post by Grarliner on Jul 19, 2012 1:22:37 GMT -5
Although, it was maybe fate that Jen lost at the USO. It would have been illegal to win after the way in which she "won" that QF against Serena.
It's odd that that is the match where Serena really should have been shoving balls down throats.
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Post by Traveling Man on Jul 19, 2012 11:24:51 GMT -5
Although, it was maybe fate that Jen lost at the USO. It would have been illegal to win after the way in which she "won" that QF against Serena. It's odd that that is the match where Serena really should have been shoving balls down throats. Agreed. The one match where any of her tantrums would have been justified.
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Post by Traveling Man on Aug 17, 2012 13:07:55 GMT -5
NEWPORT, RI, USA - Three-time Grand Slam champion and former World No.1 Jennifer Capriati was inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame over the weekend, and the stars of the WTA - past and present - were all too happy to share their thoughts and messages about the American tennis icon...
Venus Williams on Jennifer... "I remember when Jennifer went pro - I think everybody remembers that first week she played in Boca. I was so young, but I can recall all the excitement around her and how amazing her game was. I also remember her comeback, and how excited for her I was when she won her first major - how much that meant for her and just for everybody who comes back in life.
"I always respected Jennifer as a competitor. We had some amazing matches, like that crazy final at Miami in 2001. I won in the end, but only after facing eight match points! The crowd was totally behind Jennifer. People loved her - she was someone they really related to. Win, lose or draw, I think that match is a testament - hopefully for both of us it's a match we'll never forget.
"Being inducted into the International Tennis Hall Of Fame is another amazing day for Jennifer in her career. It's awesome."
Martina Hingis on Jennifer... "Jennifer was a great thinker on the court: it wasn't just boom, boom. She had a great sense for the game and the talent to do the right thing in the right situations. I got to know Jennifer when we practiced together at Saddlebrook in the late '90s. I was already No.1 and she was coming back and was probably No.80 or something. But she was the Queen of Saddlebrook anyway! Our practices were always intense and such high quality. I think from practicing with me, she regained her confidence and realized she could play at the elite level.
"We pushed each other to train harder. We knew if we played well against each other, we could go out there and beat pretty much anybody. And Jennifer started playing great matches again, against the Williams sisters and Lindsay and me. For power, athleticism and quality of game, she was right up there.
"She could read me well and I could read her... there are only a few players you ever feel like that with. By the time we played the two finals in Australia it was like oh, we could have played in the backyard! Of course it was nicer to play in a big arena, even though it didn't go my way! But what Jennifer achieved is amazing. I was always compared to her, because if I made a 'youngest' record it was only because my birthday was six months later in the year than hers. One thing I didn't manage was Olympic champion at 16 - that is incredible."
Mary Pierce on Jennifer... "I've known Jennifer since I was 10 or 11 years old - we played junior tennis in Florida together. I remember playing 12 and unders, she was a couple of years younger than me and playing in the 14 or 16 and unders... and doing very well! So she was already amazing, a star, at such a young age. So talented. So gifted. And as we would see, incredible fighting spirit. Jennifer is someone I really appreciate - I can always just see her laugh and smile. We had a lot of things in common and as we grew up on the tour together we became really close, good friends. There was a group of us that were almost inseparable for quite a few years. We had a lot of great memories on the court, off the court.
"I had a back injury and so I wasn't able to defend my French Open title in 2001 - I could only watch the tennis on TV. Every year, if you are the defending champion at a tournament, inevitably someone is going to try and take away your title. I couldn't have been happier that it was Jennifer."
Barbara Schett on Jennifer... "I'm so proud of Jennifer and what she has achieved. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a great honor... I'm honored that I actually played with her on the tour, played so many matches against her. I hope she enjoys the moment.
"I think Jennifer has been an exceptional player. Her timing was up there with the very best. She would hit the ball so clean, like almost nobody else. She was blessed with talent but also her work ethic. I remember when I was 13, my federation sent me over to America to the Harry Hopman Academy. We were the same age and I just couldn't believe the way she was practicing.
"Later, I just loved hanging out with her. She was just easygoing and relaxed. And she was - she is - a superstar. Very down to earth. For me, as the little Austrian, it was very nice to be able to hang out with her and have dinners and watch movies. Off the court she was not somebody who did her own thing and didn't look left or right. She kind of let us be part of her life, which was great."
Lindsay Davenport on Jennifer... "Everything that Jennifer accomplished career-wise, and even the backstory, makes Jennifer a worthy inductee to the Hall Of Fame. This was a player who had so much expectation on her, and just when people had given up on her she came back to win Grand Slams. Her victories in Australia will always stand out for me - especially against Hingis in 2002, when she came back from a set and 4-0 down. Jennifer's a fighter... she fought her way into the Hall of Fame.
"When Jennifer first came out of tour she had these great groundstrokes and everyone compared her to Chris Evert. But when she came back she was a power player and had developed her forehand into a real weapon. That, plus her speed and her attitude, made Jennifer a great champion. We played against each other many, many times and they were always tough battles. We were the same age, from the same country, two completely different personalities. We were polar opposites, but we definitely had a mutual respect for each other."
Iva Majoli on Jennifer... "I think Jennifer's an unbelievable athlete - I mean, she was a superstar at 14 years old. Her all-around game was great and she was a tremendous mover, anticipating so well on the court. It was really hard to make a winner against her. Sometimes I watch her old matches and I think I can't believe she got to that ball and made a winner out of it. She never gave up, she played till the end, always. That's something I always admired about her. More than that, Jennifer has the biggest heart. She's a very good person. I think she always had trust in me and knew I was her friend and that went both ways. I always found it tough to play against close friends, and with Jennifer I was probably closest. Luckily we didn't play too much and when we did, we just tried to forget about it!
"To come back the way she did and get to No.1, you have to be special. I think if anybody deserves to be in the Hall Of Fame, she's the one. It's the biggest honor you can receive after such a successful career."
Martina Navratilova on Jennifer... "The first time I played Jennifer was at Hilton Head, where they used to stage the Family Circle Cup. She had just come on the scene and was only 14. I won the match but I was like, 'God this kid's gonna be good.' Then I lost to her in the quarters at Wimbledon the following year - a crazy, rain-delayed match.
"Jennifer didn't really have any weaknesses. She moved well, had a good serve, a great forehand and backhand. If she came to the net she could put the ball away. It was really hard for me when I played her to know where to go.
"There's no doubt that Jennifer should be in the Hall Of Fame. Although she took breaks from the game, she has both the quality of record and the longevity. She played one of the all-time great matches at Roland Garros, beating Kim Clijsters in the final in 2001, 12-10 in the third. She won a couple of Australian titles and if she had beaten Monica Seles in the semis of the 1991 US Open she almost certainly would have beaten me in the final!"
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