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The Wrap: Madrid ruled by Sabalenka

May 10, 2023 by
Aryna Sabalenka
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Each couple weeks, you can play fantastic and win it constantly, but in another few weeks, you can collapse, or play poorly. That is all about the tennis, on the court, and off. They can be happy, or sad. It is not just playing, but also, many of the players are learning what they can do. In order to practice all the time, to eventually  reach at the WTA or the ATP, it is rare that they can go to school. Or even if they did it, by high school, and you sit there for hours, five days a week, then they have to deal with the excellent players, and often, you will love. It is  very rare.

Also, mentally, you can see that a few of the players are upset, and worried. You can look at Amanda Anisimova and Garbine Muguruza, both just decided to take the time off. On court, they are bored, or frustrated. Hopefully, soon enough, they will come back, eventually, but to do very deep at the big events and the Grand Slams, that is a legitimate question.

However, Aryna Sabalenka had a terrific tournament in Madrid, beating Iga Swiatek  in three, super intense sets. She had lost five times with the Polish person, Swiatek,most of it on the clay, but this time,  Sabalenka decided not just to crush the ball, but to react. A few years ago, she did not love clay, but now, she is finally much more core.

“I really enjoy playing on clay, because I have extra time. It’s not super fast, so I can go for my powerful shots, because I have not so many but I have a lot of time here,” Sabalenka said. “Yeah, that’s why I really enjoy clay, because it’s longer rallies. It’s like not just bomb, bomb, you know. You have to work for every point, and that’s really amazing.”

She now rarely gets tired, as she can run for ever. Even when she plays, at an event, she knows that if she can consistently as much as she can, then she will gradually remedy. As she said,“I was working really hard in my fitness, so I’m able to play these long rallies and play these long matches and not getting really tired.  So I was feeling fine.”

Swiatek and Sabalenka and are No. 1 and  No. 2. Last year in Rome, Swiatek destroyed Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1. Now it will be totally different, on clay. They might play in the final in Rome, or maybe not. Also. Roland Garros is also coming up. There will be some nervous at times, but both of them know that if they play great, then they feel that they can beat anybody.

NOTES

Petra Kvitova,  Belinda Bencic, Zhang Shuai and  Simona Halep, whom we don’t know who will return. She is waiting, soon. … Other than Sabalenka and Swiatek, there are some who will reach into the quarters, at least. Here are 15 more people who can win a few matches and then, in Rome, they will be pumped up such as Ons Jabeur,  Jessica Pegula,  Carolina Garcia, Coco Gauff,  Elena Rybakina, Mayar Sherif, Victoria Azarenka (who won the doubles) Paula Badosa, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Martina Trevisan , Beatriz Haddad Maia, Anastasia Potapova, Barbora Krejcikova, Sorana Cirstea, and the  — the last one, who finally began to rise with Zheng Qinwen.  She is coming up.

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The Picks on clay in Charleston and Estoril: Saturday, April 8

April 8, 2023 by
Casper Ruud

Jessica Pegula over Belinda Bencic
A few years ago, she was outside of the top 60, and she was somewhat consistent, but she was not aggressive enough. Then she had decided that win or lose, this time, when she has a real chance to jump on the ball, she would go for the lines. But that can be risky. Pegula is going to have to do it, because the Swiss Bencic can be outstanding, and then, she will make some crazy shots. Bencic will bring into the third set, and she will really run, but Pegula will beat her with her consistent backhand.

Ons Jabeur over Daria Kasatkina
You can say that many of the players are struggling, physically, but in a sense, it always happens to almost everyone.  The Russian Kasatkina has had a few fantastic wins this year, but once again, she is strugging in 2023. However, when she is on, she can punch the ball. This is the same thing with Jabeur, who almost won a Grand Slam, but she lost in the final at the 2022 U.S. Open, and after that, she just stopped on the court with some wacko shots. Hopefully, the No. 5 Jabeur will wake up and smell the roses. It is time, and the Tunisia Jabeur will cut down Kasatkina in two long sets.

Casper Ruud over Quentin Halys
This is not a good year by the Norway, who is ranked No. 5, but he has won a few matches. Of course when he is locked  in, he can dive near on the ground, and throw in some wonderful strokes. Last year, he was so authentic, but currently, he might be panicking. Ruud will eventually calm down, if he really wants to. The Frenchman  Halys has yet to reach into the top 60, and there is no doubt that he is desired to finally go into the top 50. He is 26-years-old, which is a perfect time to make a huge move. He might be able to do it, as he played very well in Miami.  Halys is enthusiastic, but Ruud will knock him down in three sets.

Miomir Kecmanovic over Marco Cecchinato
Kecmanovic can lose, but last year, he really  improved a lot of the past year and a half. He is fit, his forehand is pretty darn good, and his backhand is decent, but in order to eventually reach into the top 20, then he has mix it up more. Also, his second serve is marginal. He has not played well this year, and he has lost a lot, but the No. 40 wants to turn it around. Four years ago, the veteran Cecchinato reached No. 16, looking very good, but currently, he was just two matches this year. Apparently, he was hurt, but the Italian Cecchinato is mentally straining, so  Kecmanovic will win in two sets.

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The Picks on clay in Charleston and Marrakech: Friday, April 7

April 7, 2023 by
Belina Bencic
Ron Cioffi/TR

Jessica Pegula over Paula Badosa
Every week, the American is trying to plan whether should she be more aggressive, or stay back until she can nail a difficult winner. She is almost very consistent, and on court,  she can really think, until she can figure her opponents. This time, though, Pegula does know who Badosa is, and her specific style. Both of them love to do the rallies, and where down the opponents until she becomes  exhausted. The Spaniard Badosa needs to decide that if she wants to go into the top 10, then she has to improver her serves, and at the net, too. However, in the past year, Pegula became a terrific doubles player. Pegula will win in two tough sets.

Belinda Bencic over Ekaterina Alexandrova
Without a doubt, this is a toss- up. The Swiss is so into when she is feeling good, and the Russian can feel that if her forehand is locked in, then she can beat anyone. Bencic  is still trying to win another huge event, which she did a 2015, when she won in Toronto. Just like last year, she won Charleston, and she is close to be in the top 3, but the great players can out hit her. Alexandrova beat Bencic  at Indian Wells, in a close match, but she was more stable, and she really mixed it up, too. The match should go into the third sets, with some huge rallies, and and this time, Bencic will bash the Russian, tired or not.

Lorenzo Musetti over Alexandre Muller
The young Italian had a fine year in 2022, but this year, he has done absolutely nothing in the past three months. Of course they want to rise up again, and at Naples, he won the tournament, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final during the fall. And then, Musetti upset Casper Ruud and Taylor Fritz, so when he started in 2023, it appeared that the current No. 21 would go further. But he did not, perhaps because he started to be confused. He is going to have to turn it around, as the Frenchman, Muller, had a couple very good week, reaching the quarters in Doha, before he lost against Andy Murray. Muller has yet to be in the top 100, and he certainly wants to, but he is not there, yet. Musetti will win in it in two sets, finally.

Andrea Vavassori over Daniel Evans
The Brit is another person who has lost so many matches this year, even though in 2022, he put together some fine wins. But in 2023, he has won three matches and nine losses. Maybe Evans is physically tired, as like a number of people, he plays constantly, week to week. He is very consistent, and the 32-year-old can throw in a number of terrific shots. However, when he is out of sorts, his backhand and his forehand can be short. Vavassori did have a wonderful win when he upset Taylor Fritz at the 2023 Australian. The fans where screaming for him. The Australian from Sydney appears to becoming better, gradually, and the tall person will knock out Evans in three sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Ons Jabeur over Caroline Dolehide
Correct: Ekaterina Alexandrova over Julia Grabher
Ben Shelton over Dominic Thiem
Hubert Hurkacz over Bernabe Zapata Miralles

Matt’s current week picks

6 out of 10: 60% correct


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Maxime Cressy almost won, but Jannik Sinner grabbed it

February 15, 2023 by
Maxime Cressy, Jannik Sinner, Yibing Wu, John Isner, Belinda Bencic, Anastasia Potapova, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Montpellier, Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

The much improved Maxime Cressy almost won Montpellier. In the final, he could not grab the break, and the better player Jannik Sinner edged him 7-6(3) 6-3. The Italian had no problem when he served into the corners for a very tough service holds. They did had some fine rallies. But the American could not slam past him, so in the next few months, he has to return better.

Sinner is close to reach into the top 5 this year. Still, he can become damn angry on court. He is still young. Perhaps he will be more sound and thoughtful. He has beaten many top players in the ATP 250s, but if he is playing in the 1000s or a Grand Slam, he might be very good, but he is not yet to be nearly perfect. The 22-year-old is currently ranked No. 14. If he wants to chop down the excellent players, then he has to improve a lot.

Cressy has become more stable, mixing it up and pushing himself. He comes into the net a lot, and his first serve can be huge. In the semis, he upset Holger Rune 7-5 6-7(3) 7-6(4). That was a fantastic day.

Cressey, an American/Frenchman, has reached the top 40. Apparently, if he wants to reach into the top 32 at the Slams for the first time, then he has to be much more stable and consistent each week.

In Dallas, it was almost out of nowhere Yibing Wu beat John Isner 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(14-12) to win his first ATP title. Talk about the drama. The veteran Isner now has played more than 500 tiebreakers, which is remarkable. Sadly, he has never won a Grand Slam, and he probably won’t. But, at least the 37-year-old won in Miami, and he did reach in an ATP 1000s final four more times. Those were some crazy, terrific matches. But his return has never been good enough.
 
The Chinese Wu came up big and moving into the spotlight. His forehand and his backhand are now so rising and he is pretty quick. He was decent over the past few years, but now, the 23-year-old thinks that when he is on the line, he aims to bash the ball. He played so good in the semis when he edged Taylor Fritz. Wu will be there for a long time.

Seriously, Belinda Bencic looked mind blowing. At other times, she can blow her match. But last week, she won the title, in the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and she beat Liudmila Samsonova 1-6, 7-6, 6-4. That was a long, long match, fighting off three match points. She is a warrior. When she is so intense, then she can continue to blend it up with many different styles. She has yet to win Slam, but she still does have a legitimate chance to win one, as long as she can serve better and improve her net play.

There are so many Russians who continue to play on the court, and some of them are very good. You could look at dozens of people over the past 20 years, and they just keep coming on.
 
In Linz, Anastasia Potapova crushed Petra Martic 6-3 6-1 in the final. The 21-year-old could eventually win a Slam, like the Russians did, such as Svetlana Kuznetsova or Anastasia Myskina. But Potapova will have to climbing into the mountain, and stay there.

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TennisReporters.net’s top 32 in 2022: women 15-11

December 22, 2022 by
Belinda Bencic
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

No. 15: Beatriz Haddad Maia
The Brazilian finally became more thoughtful, and also, more fierce, on court. In Toronto, she upset the No. 1 Iga Świątek, Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova until she lost in the final against Simon Halep. That was a revenge factor by Halep, as Haddad Maia beat her on the grass in Birmingham. Halep can be damn steady. Haddad Maia can stay in long rallies and she can mix it up as well, especially on the grass,as she won Nottingham. What is pretty odd is that when she first started to play in South America, there were not many grass courts but she learned how to play on all surfaces. Almost a year ago she was ranked No. 115, and now she is in the top 15. That is a huge jump. She does scramble, and she can also try to leap on the lines. Next year though, when she plays the Grand Slams, she has to push herself as she has yet to reach a third round. In 2023, if she wants to be a force at the Slams she needs to reach the second week. Then, if she does, she can really smile.
 
No. 14: Danielle Collins
The American is so intense on court. She aims deep to the backcourt, and she strokes are so effective. When she is locked in, then she can immediately hit winners. Yes, she has won some wonderful matches, but she has lost against the very important players. Sure, she can be uptight in close matches. However, in January at the Australian Open, she beat the No. 1 Świątek in the semis. Unfortunately for Collins, Ash Barty beat her in the final, and then the Aussie retired. Collins does not love the clay, but on hard courts she is pretty good. Next year, the 29-year-old has to be more fit, improve her serves and net game. Without a doubt, she wants to win a Grand Slam, one day, so she has to seize the day.

No. 13: Paula Badosa
In 2021, she came alive, and she won some astonishing matches. But this year, she shuddered, and she did not reach any finals. In fact, she only advanced to semis twice. She could not out-hit the very good opponents. She can run really fast and she can be creative. On the other hand she does not hit the balls deep enough and other people can smash at her. The odd thing was last year, when she won Indian Wells, she downed Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Angelique Kerber, Ons Jabeur and Victoria Azarenka. That was her best two weeks ever. Also, she won a bunch of important matches, starting 2022 ranked No. 10. She was on fire and she had so much confidence. Throughout the year she stalled and was totally unfulfilled. Next year, she can try to reset and use more strategy.

No. 12: Belinda Bencic
There have been years that the Swiss was prepared to win a Grand Slam. Before she became hurt, the big hitter won Toronto in 2015, and it appeared that she was going way up the top of the charts. She has had some terrific days, such as when she won the Olympics in 2021, yet she has only won six events, which are good, but not outstanding by any means. This year, she won Charleston, beating Keys, Badosa and Jabeur. That was stellar, and it looked like she would rise again. She has her strong legs, and she slaps the ball, but when she is playing a lot, she folds. She reached the final in Berlin, which was just a big step, but she can lose when it is so close. At the end of the year she lead Switzerland to victory in the ITF BJK Cup Final. Now, next year, if she stays with her strokes, then she can win another couple events. But at the Slams? She has to proof it.

No. 11: Madison Keys
The American hits so many winners crosscourt, down the line and when she returns. She has gone super deep over the years at the Grand Slams, such as getting to the US Open final, and the semis at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. She was right there, but she has had so many injuries, and she had to stop. Yes, she loves to play, but on court now, she does not run fast enough. She has won “just” six titles, and she started in the WTA Tour 10 years ago. She is a pleasant person. In 2023, if she wants to reach the top 5, then she will have find a way to succeed at the net. She has to throw in some slices. To win a huge event, she cannot play the same style over and over.

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Four picks on Thursday at the US Open

September 1, 2022 by
Grigor Dimitrov
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Grigor Dimitrov vs Brandon Nakashima
Is it possible that the Bulgarian can reach the semis at a Grand Slam once again? The cool backhander did go deep at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the US Open. In 2017, he was ranked No. 3, winning the ATP Finals. It was clear that each year, with his terrific strokes, he did say that yes, I certainly will win a Grand Slam. Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet, and he is starting to slow down. However, can still rock the boat. Yet American Nakashima is trying to gain speed but his shots were not deep enough. He has had some good wins, but the 21-year-old is ranked No. 69, so he has continue finding new gears. It is so hard to tell how Dimitrov will play, but in this match, he will sweep the American and win it in three sets.

Iga Świątek vs Sloane Stephens
When No. 1 Świątek starts in a point she can hit it so hard, with her forehand and backhand. She will go for it almost immediately. Yes, Ash Barty retired after she won at the Australian Open, leaving the top ranking open. Then Świątek won match after match. However, when she easily won at Roland Garros (she just lost one set) but then she began to slump a little bit, losing three tournaments a row. Look, you cannot win all the time, it is impossible, even with great players such as Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Swiatek has won two Grand Slams at RG. So, this year, she has won six titles — excellent titles — but she is not in their class yet. Stephens won the USO, but she pulled back after that. Still, she is not in the top 32. Of course, she can be super consistent, still, but she hasn’t improved enough. When she is happy, on court, then she thinks about what to do, she can snap back into form. Once again, there will be some bewitching points, but Świątek will storm early and win it in three sets.

Borna Coric vs Jenson Brooksby
The Serbian just won Winston-Salem. He said he wasn’t sure that when he came back after his surgery, he will not win a lot  all the time. But slowly, he started to be consistent and really go for it. So, in the past 10 days, he was much more dependable. The 21-year-old American Brooksby has put together a number of very good wins. However, in three months, he was very solid, but after Miami, he began to slump. Yes, here and there, he can be very good, but in the last three tournaments, he was confused, and he lost quickly. Of course, he can rip it with his forehand and backhand, but he can also miss a lot. Coric won a long five-setter in the first round and will have to find ways to break down Brooksby. Coric will win in four difficult sets.

Belinda Bencic vs Sorana Cirstea
The Swiss can look amazing, running around and mixing it up, but then she would lose control. She can be thrilling, and then she can also look lazy. She has always been a fascinating person, but Bencic still doesn’t understand who she is. The veteran Cirstea is also trying to reach into the top 20 before she retires. Ten years ago, she did reach to the No. 21, and then she fell back. Currently now, the Romanian has had some OK wins, but not a lot in 2022. Maybe she can change it up and try to something new. Perhaps she will, but Bencic will out hit her with some incredible shots to win in straight sets.

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TennisReporters.net 2021 year-end review: top 25-21, women

December 16, 2021 by
Jennifer Brady
March 8, 2019: Jennifer Brady (USA) defeated Caroline Garcia (ESP) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. ©Mal Taam/TennisClix/CSM

25. Jennifer Brady
Right out of the gate in 2021, the veteran sprinted early, reaching the final at the Australian Open. She played spectacularly versus Karolina Muchova in the semis. In the final, she went down to Naomi Osaka in straight sets. Yes, the Japanese plays amazing deep in the Slams, but at least the American looked very good, even though she could have returned better. After that, she did little the rest of the year, likely because she was injured, and she stopped playing after August. She can hustle, and she is very stout, so when she starts again, in 2022 she will have to rehab and look ahead.

24. Leylah Fernandez
Almost out of nowhere, at the U.S Open, she went ga-ga. She was on fire, smashing the ball from both sides, and she was totally intense. Following up on her Monterrey victory, she ran and ran, into the corners, deeper, and very concentrated. She is only 19, so in the next few years, she will continue to grow, to understand how that the other players tend to hit the ball. The older she becomes, the smarter she will be off and on the court.
 
23. Belinda Bencic
The Swiss can look fantastic, and other times, she mentally went down. She is darn good, and she also had some fun variety. She plays a lot, and when you watch her, she can be pissed off. Yes, a few years ago, her body was very hurt, so she stopped for months. When she came back, it was almost zero, and she had to rethink her path. She does look sharp at times and get back into the top 10. She is going to have to much more find a bigger game or she will never win a Grand Slam.

22. Coco Gauff
The 17-year-old had a very good year, growing up quickly on the court. Sure, she has a lot of learning to do, but she gets better all the time. Her forehand and her backhand are strong, and she can flatten it out or spin it when she has to. Her first serve is pretty good, and, she is decent at the net. She is climbing up the hill of the rankings. However, she has lost a number of matches this year due to inexperience and lack of focus when the match isn’t going her way. In 2022, she will be even more intelligent, and thoughtful.

21. Elise Mertens
This player from Belgium put together some high level tournaments early on, but later, she collapsed, here and there. The veteran can be very consistent, or she can hit the ball when it is too short. She does like to hustle, and also in the doubles, she returns very well. But really, if she wants to go to the Grand Slam final for the first time, she is going to hang it out.

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Finding the fault lines: Djokovic wears down his opponents

September 8, 2021 by
Novak Djokovic

At what point can you take down Novak Djokovic in a 3 out of 5 setters? At the four Grand Slams in 2021, he has won 25 matches, so if you want to find a way to out-hit the Serbian, you would have to play almost perfectly. 

On Monday, Djokovic beat Jenson Brooksby 1-6 6-3 6-2 6-2. In the first set, the American played as well as he could, and he hit the corners. With his forehand and backhand, he was striking the ball and sprinting around the court. But, in the second set, it began to change. Djokovic knew that it he could continue with some long rallies, then he thought that Brooksby would eventually tire, even if just a bit. Djokovic believes that each hour, many of the players can mentally sink. Their legs begin to wobble. So, running back and forth, Brooksby is not fast anymore. 

Eventually, Djokovic won it, and he was pleased. The 20-year-old Brooksby has had some terrific wins over the past two-and-a half months. During the fall, he will gain ground and continue to move up the rankings.

That was quite a long, long match when Maria Sakkari edged Bianca Andreescu 6-7(2) 7-6(6) 6-3 in three-and-a-half hours. Sakkari rarely gets tired — at all — but in the third set, Andreescu began to cramp. She kept trying, but the Greek was cheering, running, bending down and smashing the ball. Last year, she began to change, not about her speed, but what she had to do something different. Years ago, she could not break into the top 20, because she would get frustrated and she would back up. In time, though, she began to move forward and hit it harder

On Wednesday, she will likely to do it again, but can she pull it off one more time? She will know, one way or another.

NOTES 

Carlos Alcaraz looked worn out in his quarterfinal match versus Felix Auger-Aliassime. But, not worn out to approach the net to retire at 63 31 (ret). The 18-year-old Spaniard had both legs wrapped during the match and cited a leg injury for retiring. Auger-Aliassime becomes the first Canadian man to reach a US Open semi. 


In another teenage coming-of-age stage, Leylah Fernandez prevailed over Elina Svitolina 6-3 3-6 7-6(5). The Canadian, who turned 19 just yesterday, cracked numerous down-the-line forehands for winners. She got a break on the penultimate 

point, as her pass bumped off the net cord. Svitolina, who continues to find obstacles in her pursuit of her first Grand Slam final, can only wonder why she can’t find clear sailing in a draw opened up by numerous upsets. … 

Alexander Zverev is so consistent, each time now, and this year, his return is now deeper and he can mix it up. He took down Jannik Sinner 6-4 6-4 7-6(7), which was a tough match, but he focused, which is why he won. …

The U.S. men and women are gone now, including Reilly Opelka, who lost to Lloyd Harris. Opelka has had a fine year, but he needs to return substantially better. If he wants to reach in the ttop 10, he has to improve day after day. The reason why 
Matteo Berrettini had moved up, into the top 10, because the Italian knew he had to be more aggressive with his return. …

It was very impressive that Belinda Bencic was thoughtful and powerful, when she beat Iga Swiatek. You would think that if she sticks with a plan, then maybe she can go much further, maybe in the final? …

Another teenage shocker is Emma Raducanu, who came out blasting, and crushed American Shelby Rogers, who was erratic and also exhausted. However, Brit Raducanu is young and she is very patient. Plus, she can find the lines. She will be around for a long time. …

Karolina Pliskova likes the hardc ourts, and she beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Still the question persists if the former No. 1 can take home a major. Later in the second week, she has to step it up, and be more steady. Once, she reached the US Open and this year’s Wimbledon finals, and she was close, but in the third set, she was so-so. If you get there again, grab it. 

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US Open preview: Is this Pliskova’s opportunity?

August 30, 2021 by

Almost everyone wants to read about Novak Djokovic, who has a chance to win four Grand Slams this year. He is so consistent, and rarely strings together many errors. Once in a while, he does, but he is powerful, and he has a wide-ranging variety. He can smash his serves, he can return from the baseline and at the net. He is the top dog.

However, Djokovic is not the only person in New York. There are more than a few who want to reach the second week, or even further, such as Kei Nishikori, Alex de Minaur, Matteo Berrettini, Jenson Brooksby, Jannik Sinner, Denis Shapovalov and Reilly Opelka. But, the big challenge could be in the semis when Djokovic has to face Alexander Zverev. The German is flying high, he finally likes to be move and to smash it down the lines. He can go cross-court, and he can shatter it into the middle which can be very deep. He has finally matured a good amount. He hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet, but he was very close in the US Open last year. So in the fifth set, he can lock it in and then he can snag it, finally.

The No. 1 Ash Barty has only won ‘just’ two Grand Slams. This year, the Aussie has played fantastic, with her variety from her forehand and her backhand to take Wimbledon. It is hard to know where she is going, which is why she has beaten lots of excellent players. But can she win another Slam, this time in Flushing Meadows? She has grown a lot, and she is more intelligent. Without a doubt, she can push down almost everyone.

But, there are a number of players who think that when they are playing excellent, they have a shot to upset Barty.

In the first and second quarters, it could be Karolina Muchova, Jennifer Brady, Belinda Bencic, Jessica Pegula, Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa, Maria Sakkari and Bianca Andreescu.

Plus, Karolina Pliskova wants to try to win the US Open for the first time. She has reached the final once, but could not pull it off. It’s all about her will. Pliskova thought it about it and she responded, “The next Grand Slam, I’m going to try to play like I was playing here from the first round to the last one.”

Hopefully, not early. Later.

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TennisReporters.net 2020 year-end review: top 11-15, women

December 18, 2020 by
Belinda Bencic

15. Garbine Muguruza
When she is on, she can be so darned dominant. She has two Grand Slams based on her ability to crush a bunch of winners. When she goes for it and finds her range, she can be one of the world’s best players. Her forehand and her backhand are very husky. When she loses, which is a decent amount, she gets frustrated and mournful. She can be very dreadful. The best thing in 2020 was the start of the year, when she advanced into the final at the Australian Open. She upset Simona Halep, but on Saturday she went down to Sofia Kenin in the final. That was more than respectable, but while she did win a lot matches, she could not win a title. In Rome, on clay, she was more than respectable, beating Jo Konta and Vika Azarenka. Against Halep, she was challenged and lost 6-4 in the third set. Where was her mental game? In 2021, Muguruza will be around, but will she be consistent for the entire year? That is a huge questio
 
14. Johanna Konta
The Australian/Brit is almost the same thing, when she is focused, and she digs in, then she would be very ground zero. She has a lot of coaches, say four, which is a lot, but she does like to listen. I am not sure why she really listens. In the last few months, she was muddy. She can back off, and she can shove the ball. She really is a cool player, but she has to change it up, at least a little more. Konta will be 30 years old, and, if she does go deep in tournaments, the fans will have to pay attention. On occasion, Konta wants to break out of her patterns. But, can she?

13. Victoria Azarenka
Ten years ago, she was No.1. She actually was the best player for a few months. She could beat anyone, winning so many matches. She won the Australian Open twice, on her march to the top. She lived on her massive stokes, with her influential forehand and backhand. She always tried to make shots on the lines. At the 2020US Open, she reached the final, beating Serena Williams in three sets in the semifinal. But, in the final’s third set, Naomi Osaka climbed up and the won 6-3. Azarenka was mentally tired. The Belarus can be very pissed off, and she was dejected . At 31 years, Azarenka can be irritable. She can best great players in 2021, or she can become distracted.

12. Belinda Bencic
It is possible that if she wasn’t hurt so much, she could have already won a Slam. But, she hasn’t reached that pinnacle. But, the Swiss was able to scrape back into the top 15. She can really grind it, and when she is feeling very well, then she can knock off most players. However, it was not a good year in 2020. When it was done, she was only 8-8. That is so mediocre. In 2015, she won Toronto during the summer. Then, she was so confident. She can drive herself, or she can nearly pop it back.

11. Serena Williams
The American has won 23 Grand Slams, so clearly, she is one of the best players on the planet. She has won so many titles, on hardcourts, clay and grass. She has almost every shot imaginable, with her massive serve, her heavy forehand, her slick backhand, and with a potent return. Williams is so rugged. However, now she is 39 years old, and she is aging. At the US Open, she lost Azarenka in the semis in three sets. That was a shocker, and then she had to wake up. Maybe in 2020, she will play here and there. But if she wants to win Slam No. 24 to tie Margaret Court, she has to break her four-match major final slide. Her footwork is no longer nimble and reaching for low balls is a major flaw. Even though she has been an all-in greatest event, it’s now time to get going again. It’s all about the commitment.

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