I was going to write a treatise on the meaning of life this week, but I put it aside at the last moment when I was shown a new video of the WTA Tour with players talking tactics on clay.
The clay season 2011 is only a few weeks old and has already given us a few surprises. Elena Vesnina in the finals of the Family Circle Cup, Julia Goerges winning Stuttgart, Francesca Schiavone losing in the early rounds of Stuttgart where she was a French Open winner in 2010. Ofcourse this by no means is an indication that Schiavone will do bad at the French and who knows, she may even prolong her title. And both the Family Circle Cup and the Porsche Grand Prix had Caroline Wozniacki play the finals. That has to say something, right?
With Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams still uncertain for the French Open and Serena Williams recovering from surgery and enjoying other activities, some people already are getting ahead of themselves by saying that Wozniacki will be the next winner of the Roland Garros 2011 tournament. I would like to know what Crystal Ball these people fondled and how come my Crystal Ball fondling only gets me answers to the meaning of life.
“The French Open is a great tournament. It’s a fun event. We definitely want to be there,” Venus Williams said. “We’re taking it week to week right now.
And even if Venus Williams is in, I don’t see her win the French Open or any other Grand Slam tournament any time soon. I think that Venus Williams is pretty much over the hill since not having a single Slam since her 2008 Wimbledon and reaching the finals in 2009.
The clay season is still young and as it progresses in the coming weeks more and more players will adapt their game to the red sands of Europe and we will see in a few weeks who’s hot and who’s not. Until then enjoy these photos of Ralf Reinecke taken in Stuttgart last week and I would hereby like to thank Footfault for last week’s coverage of the Porsche Grand Prix Tennis tournament.
Weekly links
Check Luís Santos’ reports of the Estoril Open this week (TennisGrandstand)
Silence is golden. Just check Exihibit A and Exhibit B at Foot Fault.
He is just not that into you (Forty Deuce)
WTA’s most emotional players (Women’s Tennis Blog)
Maria Sharapova shows her political awareness (Tennis Served Fresh)
And last but not least the YouTube video of the WTA Tour with players talking tactics.
Top WTA tennis players discuss strategies & preferences when it comes to playing on clay courts. Tips on adjusting to this surface from Francesca Schiavone, Andrea Petkovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Stosur & Vera Zvonareva.
About Stephane Carter
Woźniacki is one of many contenders for the French Open 2011, and probably up there with Vera Zvonarëva, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and Julia Görges as the leading ones. I don’t include the Williams sisters, Kim Clijsters or last year’s finalists in that group.
I agree with you that Wozniacki is one of many contenders. She is one of my favorites to win as well and I am guessing that if she was to win a GS then now would be the perfect opportunity with Clijsters / Williams out. BUT doesn’t that say something about Wozniacki like that she can only a GS because the others are out?
What about Seles, Navrátilová and Evert? There are many great players from the whole of tennis-history who won’t be playing the French Open 2011, and the era of the Williams sisters and Clijsters is already over. Whoever wins the French Open can only beat the players in front of her, and the fact that this year’s champion won’t have beaten seven of the all-time greats to win the title will in no way devalue her achievement, because winning a Major is its own value, and the next generation of Major champions will become the established superstars as the 2010s unfold.
Yeah, Caroline loses some of her bite when playing on clay, her movement just isn’t the same…
On the other hand I still wouldn’t be surprised if she did win. Everybody else is so inconsistent right now and she’ll be as hungry as ever…